Vehicles for Two Car Sets

[kcucinel]

I am trying to find out some suggested vehicles to place an infant car seat directly next to a toddler one. Everything that I have read suggests the the rear facing infant seat is safest in the center position of the back seat.

I am interested in the Honda pilot but do not know yet whether the two seats will fit next to each other. If any one has suggestions, that would be great.

Thanks.

[wendytthomas]

The rear middle is the safest position in the car, and therefore should be given to the child or person who needs the most protection. With just one infant that child should go there, but with an infant and toddler (forward facing?) then the forward facing child should go in the middle to give them the benefit of that position since they're not rear facing (which is the safest way to be in a car).

However, puzzling carseats and cars means you can end up with nearly any configuration, depending on the type of seat, seatbelt, age and weight of the child, etc. A lot of people simply put each child outboard, and that's fine. It's still very safe.

Wendy

[CPSDarren]

Any arrangement in the back seat is safe, provided that each child seat can be correctly installed and used in the seating position you select.

Some advocates actually prefer to try a front facing toddler seat in the center and a rear facing infant seat outside first, because the rear-facing infant seat may provide more side impact protection. Really, any way you can get them into a rear seat with good installations will be fine, even if you put them both on the outside.

Some things to consider in new vehicles include side curtain airbags in all rows of seating. Also, if you do choose to have two seats adjacent to each other, a few models do have three separate sets of LATCH anchors in a row. This is not typical, however, and most vehicles do not have the capability to allow two adjacent child restraints to be installed with LATCH at the same time.

The Honda Pilot is a safe choice, however, the only sure way to know if your seats will fit side-by-side is to try them in person. Unless you find someone with the exact same child seats and the exact same year and trim level vehicle, it may be impossible to say for sure.

One vehicle I KNOW should work is an 8-passenger Toyota Sienna CE or LE. The 2nd row center seat is ideal for child seat as it has LATCH and can be moved forward halfway between the front seats for easier access. The remaining seats in the second row also have LATCH and should have plenty of room for most child restraints, too.