Hey guys/gals!

I am soon-to-be a dad and need advice on where to put a LATCH infant car seat. At the moment I have in behind the passenger seat but in case of a side impact wouldn't it be better to place it in the middle? I just haven't seen information if that is an option. I could use one LATCH from the each side and strap the seat to it but that sounds suboptimal. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Sven

 

First, congrats on your first-born. Yes, the center seat is optimal but I wouldn't worry about it too much. What would you do if you had 2 or 3 kids? They all can't be in the middle.

No, no, no, no, NO! Never do that! That is totally unsafe and it even says so in the manual. Please see pages 1-37 and 1-38 of your owners manual:





If you want to use the LATCH system, you must use the left or right seat positions ONLY.


If you want the seat in the center position then don't use the LATCH system and use the center seatbelt to secure the seat (see page 1-39 of your owners manual):

 

Thanks NovaResource! You just helped me put my mind at ease!

I installed the base following the car manual and the car seat instructions and told my wife how easy it was. But she said it should be in the middle. That got me thinking again!

Very good point! Do you also have any advice on the position of the passenger seat? Should it be as far away from the car seat as possible or closer, almost touching?

 

Back when I only had one child, the seat was in the center position to give her the most legroom (between the front seats) and more visibility forward. But way back then the LATCH system didn't exist.

Personally, I would rather put the child in the center seat because it's the safest and because of the 2 reasons I listed above. It's only when you have 2 or more does that become a problem. So my advice would be to use the center position and use the car belt and not the LATCH system.

However, if you choose one side or the other for the LATCH you need to think about how you will use the car. Do you park in parking lots more or on the street at the curb? If you park in parking lots more then I would put the child seat on the driver side so you have quick access to the child. However, if you park on the street, you should put the child seat on the passenger side so you take the child out on the curb side of the vehicle and not the street side.

My personal opinion is the passenger side is best not only for curb-side access but it's alos easier to look/reach back to the child while driving. It also eliminates the problem of the child kicking the back of the drivers seat. Remember when your parents would yell "Stop Kicking My Seat!" Wait until you become a parent and have it happen to you. It's very annoying while driving.

As far as the position of the front seat in front of the child seat, it should be far enough back that the driver or passenger is as far away from the air bag as possible. For the driver, that as far back while still being able to access the controls. For the passenger that would be as far back as well while still leaving some room for the child behind them.

 

I think it will be a while until she can kick... she's due in January so there's still time!

I will discuss with the wife and see where she wants the seat. Putting it in the middle might be a hassle to lift.

All together I think there is no "one-fits-all" solution. I appreciate your help and suggestions a lot! I'll post what we decided on.