Car Seat Placements

[Whitney]

With me about to have baby number two, I'm really really stressing the placement of the car seats. Like to a point where I'm losing sleep over worrying where I'm going to put the baby and where Hailey is going to be. I wish I had 3rd row seating so that both kids could sit in the middle (away from the doors) but I don't.

So for those who have more than 1 kid, where are your car seats placed? Who's in the middle? I know that I can't put each kid next to a door because I'll have to get back there to pump and whatever while I'm at work and I don't want to have to constantly move a car seat to do so. However, I want them to be safe - so how did you pick who went where?

[Jennifer]

I didnt have a choice, I couldnt put a carseat in the middle, it wouldnt fit correctly. I had to put each girl on the outboards. I put Charlize behind driver, and Madelynn behind passenger.

[MunkyCrazy]

We're going to have to do one behind each seat too.

Hopefully we get a new car before too long though.

[Jennifer]

Oh, what kind of car do you have Whitney?
I have a Jeep Liberty, and since the Marathon is kinda large, the snugride wouldnt fit correctly right next to it.

[Whitney]

I have a Chevy Trailblazer.

[Jennifer]

I would just play with the seats, and see which fit is the best. I just assumed I could put the infant seat in the middle, until I tried it........and it didnt work.

[Marissa]

Very true Whit try playing with seats, put the infant seat in the middle and the convertible next to it and see how it works out it might fit. Gael sits on the outboard on all cars that he rides except in Dh's truck he rides in the middle, my tahoe has captain seats so I really have no choice and my parents and DCP have it outboard also. The middle is MUCH safer but well not everyone has third row seating and not all third rows are all equipped for seats in the middle.

[amazed527]

Once you figure out if the seats fit middle and behind a seat. I wouls suggest that you put your older daughter behind the passenger set that way when you are driving you can see her better in the mirrors and you can turn to her if you need to.

[Tracy]

We've actually rarely ever used the middle seat except for when Cameron was in his infant seat and for a short while in the convertible because we couldn't sit in the front with his seat RFing. We ended up having to wedge it between the 2 front seats to get it to recline. Not sure how safe that was but it was the best we could do.

When we finally got a bigger car (a Saturn Vue so not exactly big-we got it the first year it was out so it was smaller then than it is now!) I had to move him to the side. The reason was that even though there was more room for RFing, I couldn't get him in. I'm short and wasn't able to climb in while holding him to get him in the rear facing seat without bumping him all over the place. It was hard enough lifting him in as is!!! Once he was forward facing, I moved him back to the middle because it was easier to get him in his seat and where the seat was didn't really matter for my ease of lifting him because he was a big kid and very heavy for me anyway.

When we had Sam, initially he was on the drivers side and we did it the same way with Megan. When the babies are in the infant seat (we lived in an apartment with the boys and only had street parking and our driveway here is too short to park in and we get a fine for blocking the sidewalk-nice huh?!), I feel its safer to load the bigger kid away from the street and then carry the infant seat around with me and put that in. Of course, it also depends on whether the bigger kid can climb in their own seat or not too. Sam didn't move out of the infant seat until he was almost 1 (he was 20lbs exactly at his 1yr appt) so Cameron was able to climb into his own seat by then as he was over 3.5yrs. Once he could get in his seat, I'd load him on the passenger side and he'd crawl over to his seat and get in and then I'd get Sam in. It was the same with Megan. When she moved to a convertible (at 7mo), I moved Sam behind the driver's side and he'd just crawl under her seat and try to get in his. Usually he had to wait for me though becuase he was just barely 3 and a little guy. But, that was still the safer option for me because Megan was contained in the infant seat anymore.

I know "they" say middle is safest and then passenger side would be next but how do you pick which kid gets the "safer" spot?! So, I ignored those rules and went with whatever was safest and easiest for loading purposes.

Oh and Cameron is in the back seat but on the passenger side. Mostly because there isn't a shoulder strap in the middle back and with him being a leftie, thats the easiest side for him to be for buckling himself purposes.