Where to place carseat?

[Lynette7279]

I have heard conflicting opinions on where the carseat belongs in the backseat. Originally, I thought that the carseat belonged in the center of the backseat. Lately, I've heard that it should really go on one of the sides next to the doors. Does anyone have anymore info on this? We're looking into buying an SUV and some of the backseats only come as a 60/40 split, which means the carseat would have to go next to one of the doors because it can't be installed in the middle.
Any advice is much appreciated!

[erzzie]

Why can't the carseat go in the center of the backseat if there's a split? My Odyssey has tether anchors and latch anchors there--so Honda obviously doesn't have a problem with it.

The center is optimal for side impact crashes, but the outboard seats are still safe, especially if you have side impact airbags.

[MommyAllison]

Well I'm not an expert (but I think they'll probably chime in too!) but what I think I've heard Julie (& Heather?) say is that though center is probably the best, outboard positions are also very safe for car seat placement. As long as baby is RFing in a correctly installed seat they are very safe no matter which backseat position they're in. We have a Blazer and the car seat can't be installed in the middle - so we have it in the outboard position, and though I do worry sometimes about side crashes, I think she'll do better in her car seat in the outboard position than I would do as the driver in a side crash! (Kind of a morbid thought, I know) :) HTH!

Allison
http://b1.lilypie.com/XvRAm8/.png (http://lilypie.com)

[daniele_ut]

There's no reason you need to install the seat outboard just because the seat is a 60/40 split. If it fits well in the center, that is the safest spot for your seat. In one of our cars, the long buckle stalk makes getting a tight center install impossible, so we have to install our Roundabout outboard. I'm not crazy about it, but the install is perfect there.