I have a car seat question....

Question

My daughter is 12 months old. I am one of those paranoid mothers when it comes to the car seat. We have a very nice Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 car seat. We have a Honda Civic for one of our vehicles. I have read numerous accounts on what is the safest thing for the children. I know laws are trying to be passed so that children have to face backwards until the maximum weight and height of the car seat vs. the minimum. Really, from what I have read that is the safest. My question is...right now our daughter is still facing backwards and is in the seat behind the passenger seat. When we went to have the car seat inspected after installing it, the gentlemen asked why we didn't have her in the center of the backseat (still facing backwards b/c at the time of installation she was only 7 months) because that is really the safest place. I answered him by saying she was on one side because of the size of the car seat the passenger seat has to be completely moved forward. If we were to put her in the center we would have to move both seats forward and both of us are very tall so we really wouldn't be able to drive the car with the driver seat so far up. My question is...do you think it's safer for her to continue to be seated backwards behind the passenger seat or to be facing forward in the middle of the backseat. My opinion, after reading information and watching videos is to keep her facing backward for as long as possible. Just wanted to know if anybody else has come across this delimma. Please don't write me and say "you need to turn that baby around so she can see." She is perfectly content facing backwards and I more concerned about her safety than entertaining her.

Answer 1

Disregard the inspector.  He's trying to do right by you but he doesn't have all the facts in hand, like the fact that you're both tall, etc.  And he doesn't have the jurisdiction or authority to force you to change how the seat is installed.

It's true that in the center is the best place, but it isn't a law.  If the situation demands, then one side or the other is fine so long as the seat is installed properly.  I generally recommend on the passenger side and did the same myself in our car when our kids were small, but that meant I was usually riding in the back and my wife drove, since I couldn't fit in the front seat with it scrunched forward like that.

Don't turn the seat around before your baby hits the weight goal.  That weight goal is a bit arbitrary since kids seem to gain weight so fast anymore, but the idea was that by the time kids weighed that much, they'd have aged enough and grown enough to be able to support their heads properly and their skeletal structure would react properly during a crash.  Facing backwards during a crash would be best for everyone, adults included - it just isn't practical.

It sounds to me like you're already on the right track with your munchkin.

Answer 2

Follow the rules for your state and I would put the seat in the middle since that has the best rated crumple zone for all vehicles.

Answer 3

You have to bear in mind, car seat manufacturers do not want a lawsuit on their hands any more than any other company, so turn her around when she's big enough according to the car seat manufacturer's instructions. We have three children, all are in the Britax infant to toddler seat (Marathon) and all are turned around. None faced forward until goodness, probably 14 months or so because they weren't quite heavy enough.

I've read EXCELLENT reviews on our seat from people on the babies r us site who have personally had fairly bad accidents and their kids came out with barely a scratch on them, and they attribute it to the car seat and proper, according to the manual, use... just follow the instructions and you should be good to go...

I think the biggest things are proper placement of the straps, how tight you have them, and how snug/secure the seat is installed. Too many have the seats LOOSELY installed and the straps aren't snug enough. Those are where a lot of the danger can lie...

It always drove me CRAZY because my grandmother always bugged us about turning them forward too soon because of what you said "you need to turn that baby around so she/he can see"... especially when we got our new car with a dvd, oh boy, it was SOOO unfair to our youngest that she had to face backwards while the older two could watch a movie! :( Boohoo... I couldn't believe that she would be willing to suggest turning around a 10 month old who is VERY petite for her age just so she can watch a stupid video! Yikes...

Answer 4

I've always felt kids were safer behind a seat just in case something would happen to the windshield in an accident.

If the windshield shatters, she doesn't have a prayer if she's between the seats.  Behind one, most of the glass would be stopped by the seat.

Answer 5

as long as she can ride comfortably facing backwards anywhere in the back seat is the safest.