DivaStar -

The back seat is always the safest place for children, and you’re right that the middle of the back seat is the safEST spot. However, a properly installed carseat in an “outboard” position (behind driver or passenger) is safe too. There are numerous reasons that parents may not be able to install a car seat in the center – they have more than one child, their vehicle prohibits center car seat installation, they can’t get a good installation in the center, etc. Our two children ride “outboard” in both of our cars because their car seats don’t fit side-by-side, but because I know their seats are installed properly, I have no qualms about it whatsoever.

Sabina –
You mentioned
“What this article neglects to mention, is that putting a child in a rear-facing carseat in the front passenger seat of a car with airbags is extremely dangerous.”

I just wanted to add, putting a child in the front passenger seat of a car with airbags is EXTREMELY dangerous period. It does not matter if the seat is rear or forward facing. There are also reports of children being internally decapitated forward facing in front seats of cars with airbags.

A carseat should not be placed in the front seat of a car with airbags period. They shouldn’t be in the front seat of a car without airbags either.

I was always under the impression that babies were safe in the middle of the back seat. Has that changed? My baby is 12 so it’s been a while. My sister has a new baby and she has her behind the passenger seat. I thought this was dangerous because in a accident the baby would be crushed between the two seats. Is that still the case?

Starlight,
Sorry, I did not make the comment you’re referring to – Starlight was the author of that post. Poster’s names are shown underneath their posts, rather than above. Hope that helps.

Danielle if you can get Anya to turn back around after all this time more power to you! And let us know how she makes out! I wouldn’t even attempt to turn my niece or nephews around. Well my 3 yr old nephew and niece are both in toddler high back boosters anyways. So they like being able to do the seatbelts themselves. And they do reach the weight limit for them!! They would never go for this turning aroung thing eps. since they hate riding in cars as it is!

It’s amazing how far information has come but how long it took for people to get it after all these years. At 25, when I was a kid I was in a carseat for about the first 2 years and them my mom and dad tossed us in the backseat!

Laura,

I think the great point of that video is that yes, that seat *IS* properly installed w/ a lap/shoulder belt. The way the seatbelts are designed to give and stretch allows the seat to move that much. If it were top-tethered, it would not move *as* much, but it is still quite a bit. (A top tether is designed to lessen the maximum allowed head excursion… without tether, that’s 32 inches, with, it’s only 28.)

If a properly installed seat can move *that* much, imagine what an inproperly installed seat would do. Scary, huh?

We have a Britax Marathon and kept our daughter rearfacing until 20 months. It became a fight to get her in the carseat at that point as she would push up against the backseat and made it very difficult to strap her in. We decided to turn her front facing and place the seat right behind the driver so we could use the straps and the LATCH system in our car. I am so happy that we changed her position in the car…the seat feels so much more secure than it ever did in the middle seat. We had a CSPC certified person check our carseat and she said it was perfect. She also was so happy to see another Britax carseat and said she wished more families could afford them.

Hi, another CPST here. I just wanted to say how happy I am to see this article here. I think there are going to be hundreds of babies safer to this information. This article could save your baby’s life.

Also, some clarification for a few comments…
The crash tests are done correctly. The seat belt is supposed to stretch in a collision to give you a few more milliseconds before you slam into the seatbelt and your internal organs slam into your body.

Doctors are not CPST’s. In fact, any Dr. that recommends FFing isn’t following the AAP statement…
“The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all infants should ride rear-facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. It is even better for them to ride rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer.”

Once you see more ERFing kids, it looks like the norm to you and FFing 20lb 1-year olds look “odd”. You can see lots of beautiful, happy RFing toddlers and preschoolers in this You Tube video. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8

Granted my kids are older then this now, but I did want to make a comment.
Is it just me, or does that forward seat not look properly fastened? It moves far too much in that impact. And to me it looks as if it wasn’t fastened tight enough.
In that, it makes the video a litle misleading.

now I am not saying anything against rear vs. forward, just my observation.

I would just like to add support to Natalie’s post about children not being uncomfortable with their legs crossed –

Children are naturally much more flexible than adults and can sit or lie in positions that most adults would feel uncomfortable in. Children instinctively fold their legs out of the way, should they need to. If a child is used to having their legs out straight, then they will no doubt complain at being confined more, but a child who is used to it, will simply follow their instinct to fold the legs out of the way.

The flexibility starts to diminish from around the age of 5 or 6 (usually after they have started school), so thus from this age, children may be more uncomfortable with legs folded in a car seat.

I don’t have children myself but I have observed children’s flexibility through my work as a yoga teacher, specialising in yoga for toddlers and children.