Infant car seat install question...

[starryfish]

So my DH installed the infant bucket seat on Sunday. We wanted to put it in the middle seat but there are no latches there. It has enough room to fit, we would just have to use the seat belt instead of latch. 

So my question is....is it safer to put the seat in the middle using the seat belt or use the latch on the outer seats? We have a 2016 Highlander. 

Thanks :-)

[curbsideprophet]

Where do you get the better install?

[starryfish]

Nov 29, 2016 12:08:49 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Where do you get the better install?

I don't think he even tried with the seat belt in the middle seat since he wanted to use the latch. So we should test out both and see which is more secure?

[mekia]

Either one will be fine. "They" say the middle is an ideal spot.

I preferred to use the outer board seats because I didn't want to lug the seat into the middle.

[starryfish]

Nov 29, 2016 12:13:43 GMT -5 mekia said:

Either one will be fine. "They" say the middle is an ideal spot.

I preferred to use the outer board seats because I didn't want to lug the seat into the middle.

Thanks, this is very helpful. I had always heard that about the middle as well, but then worried about lugging it to the middle as well. 

[spk926]

Wherever you can get a better install. The middle is not always better in every car because there may be a hump in the middle seat and that can affect the install. It is also a smaller seat which can have an impact. Try installing in the middle and on a side to check. A proper install using a seatbelt is just as safe as a proper install using latch.

[Susie]

It depends. (Sorry.)

LATCH isn't safer than seatbelt, so I'd go with middle/seatbelt install. But if you can't get a good middle install, then side with more secure install. There is also just the PITA factor of middle. It's hard to reach (esp since I am short).

I chose seatbelt/middle, in my car where LATCH/middle wasn't available. In my other car, we did LATCH/side because even with seatbelt, the install wasn't tight enough.  

When it came time to move to convertible seats, we did LATCH/side for both.  I can't be reaching in to the middle to buckle and unbuckle her every time.

[spk926]

Nov 29, 2016 12:17:41 GMT -5 starryfish said:

Nov 29, 2016 12:13:43 GMT -5 mekia said:

Either one will be fine. "They" say the middle is an ideal spot.

I preferred to use the outer board seats because I didn't want to lug the seat into the middle.

Thanks, this is very helpful. I had always heard that about the middle as well, but then worried about lugging it to the middle as well. 

The middle isn't always ideal in every car. It varies.

When DD was an infant I drove a CX-7 and didn't mind the bucket seat in the middle. Try it both ways and see which you prefer!

[countthestars]

As long as your install is good, there shouldn't be a difference in latch vs. seat belt. Technically I think the middle is a little safer, but I had both kids outboard because it would have been annoying to click in the infant seat in the middle. I also sometimes climb back with the kids if they're cranky while H is driving and I wouldn't be able to do that if the seat were in the middle.

[pooh8402]

Wherever you get the better installation.

Toyota is notorious for having difficult middle seats when it comes to car seat installations. There's like a hump or something and it's difficult to get the seat tight. So if you can install with the seatbelt and the base moves less than 1 inch from side to side at the belt path, then put it in the middle if you prefer.

Or

You can install at the outboard position with the seatbelt or lower anchors.

Both the seatbelt and LATCH installations are equally safe when used correctly. Do not use them together.

The middle position is the "safest" because it is the farthest from all sides of the vehicle. But safety is relative. The rear-facing passenger is the safest passenger in the vehicle, period. Your baby will be safer rear facing in the car seat, than you in a seatbelt. If you had another child forward facing, I would advise putting the older child in the middle and the rear facing infant in the outboard, because the older child would be more at risk due to forward facing.

Don't forget that there are many vehicles that don't even have middle seats (vans, large SUVs) but have captain's chairs instead. Kids are in the outboard positions there by default, unless the parent goes all the way to the third row.

Fwiw, my son has always been in an outboard position because I can't reach to put him in the middle. As a CPST, I felt that was safe enough for us.

[jene]

Nov 29, 2016 12:23:04 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

Wherever you get the better installation.

Toyota is notorious for having difficult middle seats when it comes to car seat installations. There's like a hump or something and it's difficult to get the seat tight. So if you can install with the seatbelt and the base moves less than 1 inch from side to side at the belt path, then put it in the middle if you prefer.

Or

You can install at the outboard position with the seatbelt or lower anchors.

Both the seatbelt and LATCH installations are equally safe when used correctly. Do not use them together.

The middle position is the "safest" because it is the farthest from all sides of the vehicle. But safety is relative. The rear-facing passenger is the safest passenger in the vehicle, period. Your baby will be safer rear facing in the car seat, than you in a seatbelt. If you had another child forward facing, I would advise putting the older child in the middle and the rear facing infant in the outboard, because the older child would be more at risk due to forward facing.

Don't forget that there are many vehicles that don't even have middle seats (vans, large SUVs) but have captain's chairs instead. Kids are in the outboard positions there by default, unless the parent goes all the way to the third row.

Fwiw, my son has always been in an outboard position because I can't reach to put him in the middle. As a CPST, I felt that was safe enough for us.

Can you explain this? We are flipping DS (2.5) to FF. Should I consider moving him to the middle? I'm due at the end of June, so I'd like to flip the seat and leave it

[pooh8402]

Nov 29, 2016 12:50:34 GMT -5 jene said:

Nov 29, 2016 12:23:04 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

Wherever you get the better installation.

Toyota is notorious for having difficult middle seats when it comes to car seat installations. There's like a hump or something and it's difficult to get the seat tight. So if you can install with the seatbelt and the base moves less than 1 inch from side to side at the belt path, then put it in the middle if you prefer.

Or

You can install at the outboard position with the seatbelt or lower anchors.

Both the seatbelt and LATCH installations are equally safe when used correctly. Do not use them together.

The middle position is the "safest" because it is the farthest from all sides of the vehicle. But safety is relative. The rear-facing passenger is the safest passenger in the vehicle, period. Your baby will be safer rear facing in the car seat, than you in a seatbelt. If you had another child forward facing, I would advise putting the older child in the middle and the rear facing infant in the outboard, because the older child would be more at risk due to forward facing.

Don't forget that there are many vehicles that don't even have middle seats (vans, large SUVs) but have captain's chairs instead. Kids are in the outboard positions there by default, unless the parent goes all the way to the third row.

Fwiw, my son has always been in an outboard position because I can't reach to put him in the middle. As a CPST, I felt that was safe enough for us.

Can you explain this? We are flipping DS (2.5) to FF. Should I consider moving him to the middle? I'm due at the end of June, so I'd like to flip the seat and leave it

Basically, the forward facing child is at higher risk for injury than the rear facing child. Since the middle back seat is the "safest," relatively speaking, you put your most at risk child in the middle seat. That is considered "best practice." Practically, most people don't do this until they have a third child. Which is FINE. And what I will do when we have hypothetical baby #2. Children in appropriate, properly installed seats at the two outboard positions are very safe.

[starryfish]

Thanks all. Our middle seat is actually a legit sized seat (esp compared to the older highlander models). We will try the middle and see what works best for us.

[jene]

Nov 29, 2016 14:07:12 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

Nov 29, 2016 12:50:34 GMT -5 jene said:

Can you explain this? We are flipping DS (2.5) to FF. Should I consider moving him to the middle? I'm due at the end of June, so I'd like to flip the seat and leave it

Basically, the forward facing child is at higher risk for injury than the rear facing child. Since the middle back seat is the "safest," relatively speaking, you put your most at risk child in the middle seat. That is considered "best practice." Practically, most people don't do this until they have a third child. Which is FINE. And what I will do when we have hypothetical baby #2. Children in appropriate, properly installed seats at the two outboard positions are very safe.

Thanks for the explanation, that is helpful!

[whattheheck]

It's a myth that LATCH is automatically safer. The history behind LATCH is that a properly installed car seat is a safer car seat. So a properly installed seat using LATCH is safer than a seat improperly secured by a seat belt. But be sure to keep an eye on the weight rating on your LATCH anchors. LACTH anchors/belts are designed to restrain an infant whereas seatbelts are designed to restrain a full size adult and are consequently usually stronger and therefore, in my opinion, the safer option when a proper install can be obtained. I always opt for seat belt install over LATCH install when I can do so properly.

[awick14]

jene- no experience yet but my friend installed her older child's front facing seat in the middle just before her second child came along. She thought It would be safer, which it may have been but she ended up moving it because her toddler would bug her infant as they could reach each other. It drove my friend insane, so she moved the car seat so that they were separated by the middle seat.

[pooh8402]

Nov 30, 2016 18:48:45 GMT -5 awick14 said:

jene- no experience yet but my friend installed her older child's front facing seat in the middle just before her second child came along. She thought It would be safer, which it may have been but she ended up moving it because her toddler would bug her infant as they could reach each other. It drove my friend insane, so she moved the car seat so that they were separated by the middle seat.

That's why I said practically no one does this until the third child!

[bugandbibs]

Nov 29, 2016 12:50:34 GMT -5 jene said:

Nov 29, 2016 12:23:04 GMT -5 pooh8402 said:

Wherever you get the better installation.

Toyota is notorious for having difficult middle seats when it comes to car seat installations. There's like a hump or something and it's difficult to get the seat tight. So if you can install with the seatbelt and the base moves less than 1 inch from side to side at the belt path, then put it in the middle if you prefer.

Or

You can install at the outboard position with the seatbelt or lower anchors.

Both the seatbelt and LATCH installations are equally safe when used correctly. Do not use them together.

The middle position is the "safest" because it is the farthest from all sides of the vehicle. But safety is relative. The rear-facing passenger is the safest passenger in the vehicle, period. Your baby will be safer rear facing in the car seat, than you in a seatbelt. If you had another child forward facing, I would advise putting the older child in the middle and the rear facing infant in the outboard, because the older child would be more at risk due to forward facing.

Don't forget that there are many vehicles that don't even have middle seats (vans, large SUVs) but have captain's chairs instead. Kids are in the outboard positions there by default, unless the parent goes all the way to the third row.

Fwiw, my son has always been in an outboard position because I can't reach to put him in the middle. As a CPST, I felt that was safe enough for us.

Can you explain this? We are flipping DS (2.5) to FF. Should I consider moving him to the middle? I'm due at the end of June, so I'd like to flip the seat and leave it

Children's spines don't fully fuse until around age 4 making them more at risk for spinal injury or internal decapitation in FF seats during a crash. This is one of the reasons for advocating for extended RF. Putting a FF child under the age of 4 in the middle seat may offer more protection in a crash. Personally, we chose to keep our kids RFing in outboard seats because it was easier to get them in/out and therefore we do a better job with their harness.