I am having a baby tomorrow and am installing my rear facing infant seat (Britax Companion) and know it goes in the backseat but center or behind the driver? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you so much! DawnMarie
Center is always best/safest, and frankly most convenient when you need to reach back just to touch her/him. Oh, congrats!!
We placed ours in the center -- it's a hassle sometimes to have to half-climb into the car (that's what husbands are for those first few weeks!), but if (god forbid) you're involved in a side-impact collision, the child will be away from the doors.
Carseats can be tricky to put in. Center is best, but most cars don't have LATCH there, but on the two outboard seats. Read your car manual before installing the seat, sometimes it looks like you can use the two middle LATCH set ups but unless they are spaced right this can be a problem. 5 point harnesses are safer, and you want the child to be as securely in the seat as possible. If you can find a technician to help you install, that is great. I know I didn't used to get seats in as well as they needed. And a word about the fleece things that go under the infant, they are not tested with the seat. You really don't want anything to interfere with the straps. They do make covers that go over the entire seat and don't interfere with the straps. There are very few aftermarket products that should be used with your carseat. Another point to remember is that we all need sunlight for Vitamin D production, so infants should have sunlight exposure on face and hands at least 6 minutes 3 times a week and that is pretty minimal. Pat Thomas CPS technician (Child Passenger Safety)
