Driving around together with your infant, toddler, or older kids, you need to make sure that they are in the safest place possible during your journey. Modern cars come with a range of safety features that can help to keep your baby safe and sound, but it is also important to be aware of the risks and how to best protect them.
While driving carefully and avoiding all possible accidents on the road, you can’t always trust other drivers on the road.
Be prepared and choose the safest position you can install your car seat inside your vehicle. This can make a huge difference in any accident.
You want to place your baby car seat in the middle of the back seat. This is the safest place and this will keep your infant or toddler from any potential collision in case of an accident. If the middle seat in the back seat is not available or you need to install two car seats, any seat in the back is still the safest place inside your vehicle.
Keep in mind that where you place your baby car seat depends on what type of car seat you have and what car type you drive. In order to choose the best placement, consider the following:
Your baby’s car seat type
Depending on what type of car seat you have and how many children will be inside the vehicle and how many of them will be using a car seat, these are some of the things to consider when it comes to choosing the placement of your car seat. For an infant car seat, it is always safest to place it in the middle, and if you have toddlers who will use a booster seat as well, it’s best to place them on the side.
Things to consider for the placement of your car seat are based on the type.
Best place for your infant car seat
The middle seat in the back seat is still the safest place to install your infant car seat. All seats in the back seat of any car type are still safer than installing the seat in the front.
This decision can vary per parent, most parents place their infant car seat on the back of the passenger side, which makes it easier for them to see their baby and have easy access to their child if they need to put them down and in terms of loading them up on the vehicle.
The center is always the safest place to install your car seat. Keeping their infant seat until at least 3 years old is the best choice for safety.
Best place for your booster seat
The middle seat in the back seat is still the safest place to install a booster seat.
If you will be riding with 1 toddler and an infant, it’s best to put the booster seat for your toddler o the sides and the infant car seat in the center. It’s always safer to place your children in the back seat than to let them in the front seat.
Make sure to use the appropriate harness for your child. It should not be too loose or too tight for them. Make sure the harness is across their lap and not at their stomach and across their chest and not under their arm.
Best place to install the convertible car seat
The back seat is still the safest place to install your convertible car seat.
A convertible car seat is very similar to a baby/infant car seat. Children ages 0 to 6 can use a car seat combo, just read the manual thoroughly. The Center seat in the back is the safest place, this position will protect your child from any accident that may cause a collision with another vehicle. Remember that any seat in the back is the safest.
Car Type
The safety of your children will depend on what type of vehicle you have. Here are some examples:
Where to place your car seat in a minivan
For a minivan, the second row is always the safest place to install an infant car seat.
If possible, install your car seat in the center seat of the center row. Both side seats are also safe if you don’t have center seat in your center row.
Don’t put your child in the third row of your minivan even if it does have a center seat. This puts your child at risk of being injured by rear-end collisions.
Experts advise that if you are in the middle seat of a minivan, you are better protected there than placing your car seat on either side.
Where to place your car seat in an SUV
Generally speaking, the middle seat in the second row is the safest place to install your car seat. This will protect your child from accidents that can cause side and back collisions. But this will depend on what kind of SUV you own. Some SUVs are smaller than others and sometimes they don’t have a third row or the third row is close to the backside. In this case, do not install your car seat on the third row.
For SUVs that are larger, you can install your car seat on the third row. Large SUVs have larger rooms between the third row and the back. This will make any collision do any damage.n
Is it okay to put your car seat behind the driver’s seat?
It is okay to install your car seat behind the driver’s seat, this is if you don’t have any choice or if your center seat in the back is already occupied. But remember that the safest place is always in the back center seat.
A lot of parents choose to install their car seats on the passenger side. This is to see their baby easier while driving and have easy access to the baby if they need to bring them out of the car. But keep in mind that any seat in the back seat is safe for your kid.
