Mums with 2 children - car seat positions!

[Laurajcole]

My little girl is 3, she is in a maxi-cosi Pearl car seat (and will be for another year) with the family fix ISO-fix base, she has always been rear seat passenger side. No our daughter number 2 is coming along we have purchased a new car seat and ISO-fix base, my query is do I swap my daughter 1 to behind the driver now, and put baby in 'safest' seat in the car?!! Or did you just put baby behind driver side?

 

[Mummybexee]

I had this dilemma - and decided seeing newborn at the turn of a head in the mirror is far easier. The newborn is most vunerable therefore I will put her behind passenger and move my son

He's no bither in the car and just sits there - I don't make long journeys etc

It is difficult !!

 

[kumber]

Following this as I was wondering this too. Also, do you move the older child beforehand or when baby arrives?

 

[Tmum]

I've been thinking this also!
We are getting the car valeted next week and after that the new Isofix base is going in and I think I'll be moving my son behind me. Going to stick the seat in just so wee man gets used to it being there I think. Xx

 

[littlemonkey]

I've just left my eldest where he is on the passenger side and put baby behind the driver seat. My eldest likes to keep an eye on the baby and tells me what he's doing in the car. Which is especially funny when he's screaming his head off and I get 'baby Thomas crying'

 

[Goat]

I think the only safety issue with behind drivers seat is that your more likely to need to get the out of the car on the road side so nothing to do with actual safety whilst driving. I read somewhere that statistically more accidents happen on drivers side but the actual difference is negligible. I read on this forum ages ago that if you're faced with a collision your instinct would be to turn to the side you are in to avoid the car crash, exposing the passenger side more and making that side more dangerous. So I don't really think there's any particular safe side. The actual safest seat is the middle seat provided it can hold a car seat as its furthest away from any impact areas, but with two seats it makes it a little tricky.
I was also told by a lady who works with car seat safety that the bucket infant seats are the safest seats and as they progress in size etc they expose the kids a bit more so if there was a more risky side I would put the infant car seat there and the toddler seat on the other side.x

 

[Rooster30]

I've just left my eldest where he is on the passenger side and put baby behind the driver seat. My eldest likes to keep an eye on the baby and tells me what he's doing in the car. Which is especially funny when he's screaming his head off and I get 'baby Thomas crying'

This

 

[Mummybexee]

My sons too young to tell me what the baby will be doing.

I don't and havnt yet had any reason to stop at roadside so hoping going forward I won't have to pull up on a road. Not a busy one anyway - usually the odd cul de sac when going to friends etc.

I thought the middle seat was the worst for children? Because of its seatbelt and ability to go through windscreen..

I don't know there's pro's and cons to both and I think it does depend on age of the older child aswell. My son will only be 18 months.

Hmmm

 

[Goat]

According to this site and a few others I've seen apparently it's the middle seat:

http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/choosing-using/positioning-child-car-seats-in-cars/

My current set up is baby on driver side and toddler on passenger side though.

 

[Mummybexee]

Ahh but straight away look at that first sentence

IF the middle seat has a 3 point seatbelt. Many cars don't. So that's an extremely important factor to consider when advising people Middle is safest. It's only safest IF they have a 3 point and that the car seat manufacturer doesn't advixe a different car position..

 

[Goat]

Very true.

 

[Goat]

Hit send too soon....

I did mention the middle seat so long as it could hold a car seat....which is the same requirements needed to making the middle seat safest. But I'm definitely no car seat expert and only sharing info I've heard. Though just to add I'd like to think people do actual research than solely rely on randoms on a parenting site to make important decisions like this.

 

[Mummybexee]

Of course you'd hope so - me too !

 

[Lucyboo]

I don't have any choice which side my baby is as for some reason my car only has isofix points behind drivers side, not sure how it would work if we had a second, I guess seat could be strapped in with seatbelt instead of base for our first if it came to it. My mirror works perfect though so I see her whenever I need to.

 

[hellywelly]

You can have isofix added retrospectively to some cars if you want. It was going to cost £40 to add to each seat of our ford focus in the rear. Which really pissed me off as if you request it when you order the car new it's free! There are YouTube videos to show you how to do it yourself but I didn't feel confident enough to do this with something so important.

 

[blondy13]

We kept toddler behind passenger seat and baby is behind driver seat. Just so as not to confuse things for toddler really!!

 

[littlemonkey]

We kept toddler behind passenger seat and baby is behind driver seat. Just so as not to confuse things for toddler really!!

This was our main reason frankly. He's had enough upheaval without swapping his car seat as well. Once they're bigger and both in booster seats I'll let them fight it out amongst themselves who sits where!

 

[clairebear22]

Our boys are the opposite way round! Eldest is behind drivers seat, youngest behind passengers seat. Purely because my eldest loves transport and watches it whizzing passed lol.

I honestly don't think it matters a huge amount which side which child is on as long as they are strapped in correctly/safely?!

 

[Baby2sky]

I think I will be doing the same as most have said and keeping toddler behind passenger seat and baby behind drivers seat.

 

[Laurajcole]

Thanks everyone!
I agree with as long as they are securely in the car seat and fitted correctly.
I'm going to have a think about where we go, and park etc... Would it be safer to get baby out at the road side, and keep toddler towards the pavement. My MIL has always drummed into my head, get baby out car, into pram etc and ready before removing toddler from the car, as toddler is the 'flight risk' as such LOL.