Car Seat Shuffle: Safest vs. Convenience

Short Question: How comfortable would you feel comfortable moving the 13M,17lb DD **FROM** 2nd Row Driver Side captain chair, latch install **TO** 3rd row passenger side seat belt install and moving DD#1 from passenger to driver side of 3rd row. I don't really HAVE to put them there, I just WANT to.

Long Winded Explanation: I have an '05Ody. My 5YO DS will remain in his Regent passenger side captain chair. I am moving 13M, 17LB DD#2 from a SafeSeat into a BVLD and 3.5YO, 27LB DD#1 into a Radian XTSL (assuming I get a good install).

The girls are currently located: DD#1 RF 3rd row passenger side behind the Regent and DD#2 RF 2nd row captain chair driver side.

BUT... the current arrangement only works well because I often remove the Safeseat to get access to the 3rd row... for grandma or other passengers/car seats guests. I am worried that if I install the BVLD behind the driver seat then we always have to enter the car in front of the Regent which is slightly awkward anyway because there is a RF seat behind it and the captain chair is pushed forward.

SO... what I want to do is put DD#2 in the BVLD behind the regent, 3rd row passenger side. Then the Radian would go RF 3rd row driver side. Both seatbelt installs. This leaves the Drivers side captain chair empty for access/passengers/carseats.

Really in my mind this change entails moving the girls from the 2nd and 3rd "safest" seats in the car to the 3rd and 4th safest seats.

How cool would you be with that?

I read the question but just skimmed over the explanation. To answer your question, I would be totally fine with that and wouldn't think twice about it especially with the RF tether, if you are able to. :thumbsup:

I would absolutely do it. For a long time I had 2 FFers and 1 RFer, and the 2 FFers were not arranged according to the "ideal." The oldest was in the middle instead of outboard-- because I trusted her next to the baby more. You do what works for your family. They are safely restrained and you are RFing as long as you can and you are using your seats correctly-- so you're already in, like, the 95th %tile for car safety in America.

I would put any seat that was appropriate for my child in any rear seat position it installs correctly in.

I've done that before... not as small of a weight, but I've done that... it was easier to get into the 3rd row to buckle my 3yr old.

You won't regret it.

I just never took trips (except a doctor's visit... but she wasn't my asthma child, so at that age she never had one by herself... I specifically would take the two youngest while their brother was at pre-k... he would panic still over doctors... Jeffrey didn't... and I wanted her to get the example set for her by him, not Damian... it worked, and it was easier, anyway) with just the baby, so it's not like she was alone.

And she was so happy in the car anyway that I wouldn't have worried if she was.

Thanks for the green light ... I feel much better about the idea!