Safety while loading/unloading kiddos?

Kind of an odd question but I'm wondering if anyone has tips on safely loading/unloading two kids. I feel like I'm always leaving one of them vulnerable... I have a 3 year old and infant.

We had a great discussion about this in my own training course back 9 years ago. Since you have physical control over your infant while in an infant seat, you would want to ensure that your mobile child was contained first. Ideally, you get everyone contained in the car and then begin to secure after that. So contained doesn't necessarily mean secured in a seat.

When I load my car, I send kids into the back row while I secure the kids in the middle row. That way I know that the kids in the back are safe/contained. Once I secure the kids in the middle, I verify that the rear kids are buckled or buckle them if need be.

When I unload the car, I will unbuckle but not unload..then unload everyone at once, once everyone is unbuckled (or unlatched, in the case of an infant seat)...

Here in the city we recommend loading and unloading from the sidewalk side of the vehicle and not the traffic side, as well. It's not unusual for cars to be side-swiped along main roads here. In general, it's best to load from one door with young kids when there's traffic present.

Yup--I've had kids run through the parking lot It's a consequence of having four, and I learned my lesson after a near-heart attack.

Does this help at all?

-N.

I put the older ones in first and take them out last. How are you carrying the infant? I almost always wore DD2 in an ergo so once I had her in the ergo, my hands were free to get DS out. DD was good at getting out and staying beside me by then. Now that DD2 is 2 and DS is 4.5, I make sure DS is in the van on his side with the door closed or sitting in his seat starting to buckle as I get DD2 buckled. If you have trouble unbuckling your 3 year old while holding the baby, unbuckle then close the door on that side while getting the baby, then get the 3 yo out.
ETA: basically what pp said. In our van my 2 yo and DD have to get out passenger side and DS driver's side since the rf tether of DD2s seat makes it hard for him to use the passenger side. We never have to park on a street though or I'd have him crawl under it.

Pretty much what's already been said. If you're putting the baby's car seat on a stroller, I would do that first and then unload your older child. If he's able to get into his seat himself while you close the door behind him and then put the baby's seat in, then go back and buckle him. It's a lot of back and forth, and you might find rearranging your seats works better for you once you figure out a system. But it's all about containment!

My little ones are the same age but I'll still answer

My most wiggly, can't be still guy is always first in and last out. At home Colton goes in first while Jackson plays on the concrete slab. Getting out of the car, Jackson goes out first because he will sit in a grocery cart or stroller without screaming because it's not moving. Colton is always within touching distance of me at all times. If DD is with us, I open the door, she hops in and heads to her seat and buckles up.

In your case I would get 3 yr old into the car, secure baby, then buckle 3 yr old.

Ashley- Mom to Morgan 2/25/04 riding in SK Monterey and Cleck Olli, Jackson and Colton 11/1/10 riding in Diono R120's and Recaro ProRIDE's

Back when I had three littles, we loaded through one door. They crawled under the rear facing seat and got in their own seats and tried to buckle up while I secured the baby. I shut that door then went around to open the other and fasten the other two kiddos. Engage the child locks too. Once they are inside, they are safe. I unload baby first then get the bigger kids so they aren't standing in the street while I grab baby. We've never had any parking lot trouble.

My 3 year old can be a beast in a parking lot. He's loaded in first and buckled in too otherwise he'll tear around the car! My baby (7 months) is - at the moment - always in her bucket seat in a stroller so she hangs out with me while he's loaded in. I keep her close to the car beside me.

She's unloaded first so when my 3 year old is out he knows to hold the stroller while we walk to our destination.

Containment is definitely key, when it is just my kids I would put baby in her seat and buckle the chest clip then load my middle ( I would usually have her sitting on the edge of the van by my legs while doing this ) would get loaded and buckled next as she tends to try and take off. My oldest has been pretty good, she just gets herself in or waits patiently until her turn, when number 2 was born I would unbuckle her first and have her wait in the car until baby was out and in the stroller or carrier whichever I used . When I have my daycare kids I unload whoever might be in the ergo first as I find it hard to load with is on , and everyone lese is either in a stroller or knows to wait with hands on the van until I call them to load. I always load first and buckle once everyone is in unless the yare in a stroller then I sometimes buckle as I go since I know they aren't going anywhere.

I park as close to a cart park as possible when at the mall or grocery store then go get a cart. I unbuckle DS1 then DS2. I put DS2 in the seat of the cart while DS1 climbs out, if the cart accomedates 2 children DS1 goes in the seat otherwise I put him in the cart. Then I put DD in the carrier and go. If she's screaming I unbuckle DS1 then put DD on, close the door and then get DS2 while DS1 comes out DS2's door.

For loading, DS1 climbs in first, I buckle DS2 in, then buckle DS1. DD goes in last.

DS1 sits in the centre, DS2 outboard passenger (he'll be moved to centre when his cast comes off) and DD is outboard driver's side.

I never understood the love of infant seats until I had to deal with this!

Now, I open the door and let my big kid in and tell him to sit down while I carry the baby to the other side and snap her into the base. Then I go back around and buckle the big kid. Getting out I usually do the opposite, I let the big kid out and make him hold my coat or jeans pocket while I get the baby out. (He's 4 though, and can be trusted not to run away.)

My girl's seem to take turns in who is being bad. Yes I do realize that they are different ages then your children. Summer is behind the passenger side, and Leah is behind me. I get them to the vehicle typically, and open the doors. Summer can climb in by herself, but Leah needs to be loaded. I put her in her seat, and depends on if she is in a bad mood. If she is I allow her to buckle herself. She demands to do it herself when she is in a bad mood. I either buckle her, or adjust her once she is buckled. I go around, and adjust Summer. This is if we are in a parking lot. If we are parked on a road I load them both in the passenger side, help Summer with her seat, run around, help Leah. They like to run out on me. So when I unload, I typically unbuckle one, and then go around, and unbuckle the other, and unload both through which ever door. Both doors have child locks engaged.

For my mini van I have two kids in back and one on drivers side 2nd row. I flipped forward the passenger bucket . I hop in van using passanger side door, unbuckle the three and no one is allowed out untill I have baby in my arms and i exit first. Loading is the opposite, kids first then I go to buckle them in. The flighty kid is the one that gets buckled first and unbuckled last.

In the car I load the two younger ones first pass side of car, then buckle. meanwhile my 7yr who is on drivers outboard has to have his hand placed on passanger side at all times. After the little two are buckled I walk him to the drivers side and buckle. If it is raining or cold, I just have him climb over or under the RF seats before I load the little ones. He is always buckled last because his impulse controll is the best.