position of car seat?

[whiby]

Hi everyone
We are going to be putting the car seats into the car soon, but I don't know where it should go!

If you are driving alone (which I will be on maternity leave as OH will be in work) where is the easiest position to keep an eye on / be able to reach over to the baby? I have a 3 door car.

I know all the advice says not to put a rear facing seat into the passenger seat if you can't turn the airbags off (we can't). But is it ok to go there if it is forward facing?

If it goes on the back seat should it go behind the driver's seat as that is the side of the car I will be using most? Or should it go diagonally opposite and behind the driver's seat so I can reach over if I stop the car etc?

Any thoughts?
Thanks
x

 

[ruth222]

hmmm good question! I don't drive so can't really help with the drivin with just you and your baby in the car. But ours is a rear facing car seat and we will be putting it behind the drivers seat, but weve tested it and I still can't reach or even see the baby, so I might be petrified if everythings ok and have to actually sit in the back at first lol. I would say its not recommended at all to put a car seat in the front seat if you can't turn off the airbags either way its going to be dangerous if they were to go off, the baby would be safer in the back. You can get those mirrors you can put in your car that reflect your baby to you so you can check on him, don't know if that would be an option?

 

[charlieann]

we have a rear facing seat and cant turn off airbags so baby will have to go in back.
you can get a mirror which you put in the back so you can still see baby in rear view mirror. ive seen some on ebay and in mothercare, not sure how much though.

 

[Lucy_lu_84]

I wouldn't put it in the front at all if u can't turn te air bag off!

Have been thinking about this myself...and I am thinking of putting it in the back behind the passenger seat. Thought more chance on glancing at baby there

 

[dizzy duck]

Hi hun, I do drive but can't due to disability and new car not being automatic but if you are driving on your own I would put it behind the passenger seat so you can lean over if needed, once the car is stopped, we are having ours behind the drivers seat but as I don't drive I will be dealing with him and can reach him easily. We have a child view mirror already in the car under the rear view mirror, it flips over but have also brought a mirror that fits on to the headrest of the back seat so you can see the baby all the time. What ever you do never put a child seat rear or forward facing on a seat with a passenger airbag, Im not sure if they say dont with forward facing but its just not worth the risk, the airbag could do a lot of damage. Hope this helps take care XX

 

[Becca L]

I think that you pretty much have to have a rear facing seat until the baby is about one year old. Statistically, the safest seat is behind the driver, but not by much, so you'd be ok putting the seat on either side in the back. As for keeping an eye on the baby, you can buy a special mirror that lets you check on how she's doing. I think mother care has them.

 

[whiby]

Thanks everyone - my first thoughts were to put it behind the passenger seat just to I can reach over if need be e.g. to replace dummies. But maybe behind driver's seat now if that is safest? ARGH! There are so many things I don't know about!

 

[Lucy_lu_84]

Do you know what it's safer to put behind the driver?

 

[MummyToAmberx]

I had 3 door car when i had amber, dont put baby in front if cant turn off the airbags, im not 100% for putting baby in front seat at all. (Could be illegal i dunno)
I would always put amber behind the passenger chair though was easy to reach over, but in all honesty if you get baby like 80% of them wont even need to be reaching over, because you wont hear a thing from them, driving 8/10 puts baby straight to sleep. I did put kick frog pad from mothercare which had a mirror on you line it up with your mirror, but only work if got headrests in the back.
Dont put child in forward facing till there like 9kg or 13kg cant remember which, thats over 9+months.

 

[Laura--x]

I always thought the carseat has to be rear facing untill the baby is 12 months? I also always thought that if it can't go up the front seat, it should on the opposite seat in the back, so you can lean over and see it.

Thats how i've seen most people do it. Whether it matters or not im not sure!

 

[MummyToAmberx]

I always thought the carseat has to be rear facing untill the baby is 12 months? I also always thought that if it can't go up the front seat, it should on the opposite seat in the back, so you can lean over and see it.

Thats how i've seen most people do it. Whether it matters or not im not sure!

Amber couldnt fit in her infant car seat so bought next size up, she was the right weight, she had been sitting unaided for a few months, so had all neck support etc etc. I just always had the chair tilted to avoid any sudden movements.

 

[Suze]

Do you know what it's safer to put behind the driver?

It's actually not, it's safer to put it behind the passenger seat - statistically most accidents happen driver to driver ie. if you were to pull out of a junction and someone went in to you the impact would be on the right/driver side. So it's safer to put the baby behind the passenger seat.

Also you should never put the baby in the front if you have air bags because a minor impact could trigger the air bag which would be dangerous for the baby.

And (!) baby should always be rear facing, this is because of their inability to brace their neck if you had an accident. If the baby were forward facing and you had an accident the baby could snap it's neck if thrown forward.

We got all this info from a woman who owns an independent baby shop who'd just been on a safety course and seemed very knowledgeable!

I think when ours is newborn and I'm on my own I'm going to put it in the front seat with air bags off and then when in the back I'm going to get one of those mirrors that you can see your baby from your inside mirror.

HTH x

 

[DolceBella]

Our LO will be in the middle of the back seat, rear facing.

 

[Rah]

We have just put the base in the back behind the passenger ready for when baby arrives and hubby doesnt have to mess around i think i will sit in the back for a while
We are getting our airbags turned off on Wed though ready for when i decide to venture out on my own but if we couldnt baby would def stay behind passenger seat with mirrors you can buy so its easier for me to see when driving and easier to pull over and reach behind to baby