Car seat placement for two...

Just wondering , for those of you that have two children - where in the back seat are your car seats situated? Do you have one on each side or are they next to each other ie; one in the middle and the other on the rear passenger side?

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question LOL - I'm feeling a bit dumb today LOL - Also, does anyone know of any websites related to car-seat safety/placement they can e-mail me? (please don't post them in reply)

TIA
Rach

Hi Rachel,
I have the three girls so I have my 2 car seats to one side. The biggest problem I think with having them to one side is that they push up against one another and don't sit exactly straight.

I don't find it that hard to get Violet out of the middle seat from over Emily's car seat.

HTH
Tanya

Hi Rachel,

Best check with your car manual. I know that mine states that 2 seats must be positioned at the sides, not 1 in the middle and 1 at the side. I assume it will differ from model to model depending on the seat split and anchor point positions.

Astrid

Well we have one in the middle and one in the side, only because our car must have had speakers fitted to it after it was purchsed and the bolt holes for the two seats on the side are not straight in the middle they are off to the side a bit which I didn't like, so the only one that was dead in the middle was the middle seat. Lachlan only has 2 kg to go and he will be into a booster anyway and then they will both sit on the sides.

Love

We have a station wagon and a vectra and in both cars the seats are on the sides as thats where the bolts are. I think in most new cars now they are on the sides.

xxxCaz

We have both our car seats on the sides, Aaron sitting behind the driver and bubby on the passenger side.

I was thinking of putting bubby behind the driver, only because i thought when you are parking and your door opens out onto a road you know the baby can't get out of the car and risk being hit by a car...where as a three year can get out themselves. Anyhow i decided against it for other safety issues... has anyway thought the same as i did or am i just abit crazy?

hi oscar's carseat is behind my (driver) seat. my two boys seat in the middle and behind passenger seat. i do it this way so they can safely exit the car when i drop them at school via the door closest to the foot path. but when josh was a baby his seat was in the middle as i thought that was the safest place.

good luck
beckles

We have one on each side. My car (mazda 121) is too small to fit one in the middle and one on the side. I have my baby behind the passenger seat and my little boy behind me, the reason being that the rear facing seat takes up more space and nessecitates the passenger seat being right forward. I don't know how I'll manage if George isn't big enough to go in the front seat by the time we have another baby.

Thanks for the tips guys - I double checked my Car Manual ( good thinking Astrid - my mush brain didn't think of doing that... among a lot of other things lately LOL) but it didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know ( we have three anchor points in our rear seat. #-o )

It's been good to hear your replies - Thanks again.

I found some great safety sites too - but none of them so far have told me what the safest possies are LOL - Just my luck!!!

AFAIK the safest place is the middle and the next safest option is the passenger side. In a crash the middle of the car is the place least likely to come in contact with whatever you hit/are hit by. If you are hit by another car its more likely that the impact will be on the drivers side also the passenger side is the kerb side so there is less risk while getting bubs in and out from the kerbside.

Thanks Dach! (welcome back too!)

I have just made an appointment with my local Automotive Association to have my current restraint checked for safe installation, and will confirm that with them - I figured it was safer that way (having the pass. seat and centre as the bub seats) and will get the new car seat installed/checked when just before we put it in in March (it's sitting temptingly in a box in my hallway ATM)

I was shocked when I read the stats on how many car restraints were fitted incorrectly! I am scared mine isn't 'safe' now !!! 8-[ and will walk to Kindergym tomorrow!!! (I did follow the instructions to the letter though!)

I found when I had 2 car seats in they fitted, one on either side, leaving a gap in the middle :)

Mary 8-)