thread: where did you position your carseats?

  1. #1
    Registered User

    May 2007
    Home
    2,050

    Smile where did you position your carseats?

    DD is in a carseat (obviously), she has been in the middle since she was born. She loves it there and watches the cars, tells me when she see trucks etc.

    Bub #2 is due in about 7 weeks. and i am wondering where to put the capsule???
    should i move DD to one side and have the capsule on the other??
    If so who do i put where? DD behind my seat, or the baby behind my seat? or
    Should i put them next to eachother?


    What did you do an why?

    thanks for the tips!

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    1,794

    I put DD behind the passenger and DS behind the driver.

    Reason being DD is forward facing and we can recline the seat for the passenger as we do a lot of long distance travel.

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Feb 2008
    Country Victoria
    5,945

    depends really.. Having them behind the front seats is good, coz it gives them space from eachother (more for when they are older) and its easier to get them in and out of the car.

    But... having the bub in the middle and ur DD to the side.. she could be a good lil helper on long trips etc.. to play with bub, give dummy etc.. Also having it this way, u can have another person in the car too.

    As for the saftey side of things.. it is more dangerous for you DD to be on the side (as im sure u know ) but im not sure how things go when it comes to saftey for bub with another kid on the side.. does that make sensE? lol .

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Apr 2008
    The Purple House, Sydney
    1,811

    We had no choice but to go one on each side, we just couldn't fit the capsule and carseat next to each other. Advantage is, ds can actually see more than what he used to and loves it.

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Nov 2005
    Where the heart is
    4,360

    I'm debating this myself!
    DP wonders why I'd put a seat in the middle and not on either side, cos I have SPD. But if it's anything like last time, the SPD won't be an issue after the birth, and I can put DS in the middle so that all I have to do is unbuckle him and let him slide out once I have the baby in the sling/buggy (depending on which one I'm using). If I have them on either side, then it will be harder to unbuckle DS from one side (more reaching over) and I don't need the temptation to let him out on the road side!
    So, I'm erring on the side of having DS in the middle so he can see the road and the baby on the door side to the footpath for easy lifting. Should really get DP to fit the damn seat now...he's been avoiding it and we're getting closer...I just want it ready to go, in case we have to make a mad dash to somewhere after the baby is born!
    Good question

    ETA: Lori - of COURSE! It depends on the car - I meant to say that, too! We've got a VR sedan now and actually have the option - prior to February we had an old Camry and before that my beloved little Pulsar hatch, where there was never an option about this. Then again, there wasn't much more room to stretch over in and it wouldn't have been an issue anyway, I suppose!
    Last edited by Smoke Jaguar; September 29th, 2009 at 09:54 AM.

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Sunny Qld
    14,682

    DD's seat (rear facing) was behind the passenger seat. DH drives the car more than me, and therefore needs the extra leg room so we couldn't put it behind the drivers seat.

    DS was moved to behind the driver's seat. Then we went to a BB meet up and picked up snugglybean, so we moved DS to the middle seat. The kids liked sitting together so much we just left them there. Now we have changed it a little (no reason why, just its the way DH put them in for some reason) DS is behind the passenger seat, and he likes to have his window open so this works well - and DD is in the middle. I like them close together (even though they fight and pinch each other sometimes) because they also entertain each other, and he can give her biscuits and stuff or a drink if I hand it to him (he's easier for me to reach) plus they also hold hands (awwww)

    When this new bub comes, I'll have three seats along the back seat, so the plan is for DS to go in the middle because he can climb into his own seat, so I don't need to lift him in there. DD will go behind the drivers seat (forward facing) and bubs will go behind passenger seat.

  7. #7
    Registered User
    Add aussienic on Facebook

    Feb 2005
    Boyne Island
    6,327

    I always had the youngest in the middle.. the next child (size wise) moved to the passenger side then the other one to the drivers side

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Taking a ride on my grdonkey :D
    2,716

    I had this dilemma when I was expecting Squirtle. Munchie had been in the middle since birth, but is forward-facing now so we put her carseat behind the passenger seat (so that when we're getting her in and out of the car she enters and exits on the footpath rather than facing traffic, kwim?), and the baby goes in the middle because DH's legs are so long he can't put the driver's seat forward enough to fit a rearward-facing seat behind him. When she is forward-facing we will move her behind the driver's seat, or switch around so that Munchie goes behind the driver's seat - she will be a bit older and hopefully more capable of entering and exiting a car when there's traffic nearby, kwim? In my mind, the youngest goes in the middle, then kerbside, if that makes sense. It was the way my parents did it, so I guess I just follow on from that.

    At first I was concerned about having a newborn within arm's reach of Munchie (who likes to touch things and won't listen to 'no'), but the only problem we've had so far is Munchie stealing Squirt's dummy when she forgets to bring her own. Squirt likes sitting next to her big sister and they often 'talk' to each other while I'm concentrating on driving. It's nice, a bit of a bonding exercise for them

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Feb 2009
    Brisbane
    1,070

    I have the rear facing seat behind the passenger seat so DH can put the drivers seat back enough for him to drive. DS1's booster is usually behind the drivers seat so he can't poke DS2, but gets moved to the middle on the rare occasion that we want to squeeze a third person in the back.

  10. #10
    Registered User

    Jun 2006
    Where the sun shines brightly!
    906

    We used to have DS in the middle, but as he started getting heavier we moved him to the passenger side away from the oncoming traffic. I have fitted the capsule for the next bub in the middle, as I figure its safer, and that way we can still give someone a lift in the back seat. We wouldn't be able to have an adult sit in the back (without difficulty getting in and out!) if the seats were on opposite sides to each other.
    I was worried that DS would be able to reach bubs and annoy him/her - but it seems when he is strapped in he wont be able to reach bubs face at all - and we figure bubs will benefit from being able to look at DS and visa versa.

    XX

  11. #11
    Registered User

    Feb 2007
    ACT
    681

    With my first she was in the middle, when number two came along, she was in the middle in capsule and dd1 behind passanger front faceing, then when they were older had on either side, for my sanity.

    Now with dd3, have dd2 behind passanger in maxirider(booster, dd1 in middle and bub behind driver still in unity capsule at 15 months. Rational was the older two get in and out on their own and I wanted them getting out on the kerb side. I get bub out so can look out for cars etc.

  12. #12
    Registered User

    Oct 2006
    Perth
    3,299

    We've got DS behind the passenger seat. We couldn't fit the seat in the middle on the back seat because the seat is raised slightly. When bubs arrives, we'll move DS behind the drivers seat. He's going into a new car seat and we'll turn his old one back around and bubs can go in there staying behind the passenger seat.

  13. #13
    Registered User

    Jul 2007
    melb
    8,498

    We have been dissucsisng this recently as DH wants to put baby behind drivers eat and DS where he is behind passanger but you have pointed out a point we never thought of is that DH puts seat back a long way when driving as he is tall and this cant be done well with rear facing car seat!!

  14. #14
    Registered User
    Add mzcatieboo on Facebook

    Jul 2009
    Karratha, Western Australia
    215

    i dunno what we are gunna do, DS is behind the passenger seat, id like baby behind the driver as it will be easier to reach from the passenger side and DS doesnt usually need much when we driving