Side vs middle for 9yo

[Unregistered]

What a great site! This may seem like a basic queestion but here goes --
Our daughter is 9yrs, 64lbs, and 4'6". We each have a Subara Legacy, sedan and wagon. She has been sitting in the middle rear with a lap and shoulder belt. It is a somewhat uncomfortable as the middle is somewhat raised and narrow. Our question is can she safely sit on the side and is one side better than the other? In the side seats she can sit with her back flat against the seat and her legs comfortably dangling over. I'm thinking there would be less slouching as the back side seat is more comfortable and supportive. Thanks for your advice!

[wendytthomas]

The middle is safEST, but the sides are perfectly safe as well. Especially if she sits better in the seats. As for driver versus passenger sides, whichever works best for you guys. If you or your husband is very tall she'd probably prefer not being behind that seat, if you guys are very short then she'd probably love being behind that seat. Either one.

HTH

Wendy

[UlrikeDG]

Side impact crashes are some of the most deadly. Side impact crashes are also some of the most rare. If it were my child, I'd definitely try a booster first and see if that helps. If you can make her comfortable in the center by using a booster, that will get you the best of both worlds--safety & comfort.

[Unregistered]

Thanks for your input. Yes, my husband is very tall and I am very short so that makes it an easy choice! Regarding a booster in the middle - she was in one up to a year ago. The problem was that the boosters (we tried a few) were wider than the raised part of the seat and she would slide to either side. We tried bolstering under the booster with towels, etc. but nothing seemed to help. Once she grew enough so that her legs fit over the end of the middle seat she was able to stay seated much straighter. There are, however, still times when she leans to the side as the seat back juts out some.

[papooses]

If she's leaning out at any time such that the shoulder belt is not properly positioned on her collar bone, then I would try her on the side & either side is ~ equally safe as the other....

If she still fits the weight & height limit of the Parkway or Turbo or Recaro (& especially if she doesn't yet pass the 5 Step Test without the added "hump" in the seat like the middle has) then I would definitely urge her to use one of these boosters as they provide more side impact safety & also because it's very important to have the shoulder belt properly positioned as frontal crashes are the most common -- eventually, after learning more about car safety through viewing crash test videos etc. she might be more willing to compromise comfort for safety by sitting in the middle without causing you to worry about her leaning out of the belt :)

[CPSDarren]

As long as she is properly restrained in an appropriate child seat (if needed), any rear seating position will be very safe. Our kids sit in the outboard seats using boosters in my wife's Outback wagon.

The center should have a slight advantage, but only if she can remain seated there comfortably for the whole trip.