Best positions for toddler & infant in sedan?

Annark

New member
Hope this isn't an annoying frequently-asked question - I did a search but am still not sure.

We have a DS (1.5 y.o., 24 lbs, RF in Scenera) and are expecting #2 next month (have Graco SnugRide for him/her). We have a 1991 Honda Accord & a 1996 Toyota Corolla. I just moved DS's Scenera from the middle to behind the passenger seat (still RF). I was hoping to get the SnugRide installed in the middle but I don't think it'll work. I can get the base in, barely, but once I pop the seat in it's touching the side of the Scenera. I assume that's bad? Is it ok to put the SnugRide behind the driver? I read in the FAQ that the behind-passenger side is slightly safer, should I put the SnugRide there & move the Scenera to behind the driver? I have this notion in my head that the middle is SOOO much safer and that's why I was keen to put the SnugRide there - am I just crazy?? :p

TIA for any advice! :thumbsup:
 
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natysr

New member
It is fine to have both children outboard. If I could choose, I would put the toddler behind the driver and the baby behind the passenger.

This way, if for any reason, you need to park on the street, your toddler can climb into his seat from the passenger side, you can reach in and buckle him, then you can put your baby in from the passenger side. This way, you do not need to carry the infant carrier out into the street in order to put him/her in the car.
 

Mae

Well-known member
I read in the FAQ that the behind-passenger side is slightly safer, should I put the SnugRide there & move the Scenera to behind the driver? I have this notion in my head that the middle is SOOO much safer and that's why I was keen to put the SnugRide there - am I just crazy?? :p

TIA for any advice! :thumbsup:


The statistics for which side is safer changes every year. So technically, one side is not safer than the other. However, you are correct in that the middle is slightly safer than the outside seats.

When you have two children though, you always want to put the "less protected" child in the middle. So if you had a forward facing child and a rear facing child, you would want to put the FF child in the center, since the RF child has more protection.

In your case, since both of your children will be RF, you can put them however you'd like! RF is the safest way to go for your children, but if you'd prefer one in the middle for some reason, all power to you. Just remember that doing this may cause some sibling fights. You know, the older throwing toys, taking toys, ect.

Another thing to consider when putting two children next to each other in the car, is that each seat must be secure. Sometimes you may get a "false reading" of how tight the car seats really are, because one will be getting support from the other. In order to make sure both seats are in correctly, once you have them both installed, you should uninstall the car seat that you installed first. Since you know that you have already gotten a secure install with the first one, then you installed the second one, you don't know for sure the second one is tight. So by uninstalling the first one, you are seeing how tight the second one is.

I hope all that made sense...
Congrats for keeping your toddler RF!
 
U

Unregistered1

Guest
I have nothing to add, I just wanted to give you kudos for having your toddler still RF - yeah, most people on this board do, but IRL I see way too many small toddlers turned FF... good for you!
 

singingpond

New member
One other argument for having both children outboard is that it may be preferable not to have your (very mature and responsible, no doubt) 1 1/2 y.o. right next to the new baby :).

Katrin
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
In answer to one of your first questions - yes, it's okay for the two carseats to touch, as long as the touching doesn't affect the install. As in, they both need to be installed correctly and with less than an inch of movement at the beltpath.

In some cases, two carseats next to each other can both be very well installed and still very tightly touching, and it's safe; but other times one of the carseats will SEEM like it's correctly installed, but in reality the carseat next to it is hiding the movement you'd have otherwise.

Does that make sense?
 

Annark

New member
:thumbsup: Thanks a million!! I really appreciate the great advice. I will put them both outboard.

Katrin - LOL - you are right, it could definitely be detrimental to the baby's safety to have him/her right next to DS! :ROTFLMAO:

As for keeping my toddler RF - never would have known about it if it wasn't for people like you. I am on the Ovusoft boards and thanks to Carolyn I learned all about how much safer RF is, & about this board. I tell all my friends & have managed to convince most of them. Your education efforts really do make a difference - keep up the good work!! :2thumbsup:
 

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