FF in the middle or RF on the side??

[annie8975]

DD is 16 months old and is fluctuating right around 20 pounds. Do I turn her or is alot safer to stay RF? I can't get a good install in the middle RF and honostly it is too hard to get her in and buckled. I think it would be easier if she were FF.

So should I leave her where she is RF on the side or turn the seat around and put her in the middle?

BTW I drive a 2001 Honda Accord if that makes any difference!

Thanks,
Kerry

[Splash]

SIDE!
Leave her RF on the side until she is at LEAST 30 pounds (or more, depending on your seat) or her head is within 1 inch from the top of the seat shell.
RF offers many more safety benefits than center position does.

E

[momtoB]

Rear-facing is so much safer. I would really leave her R/Fing in the outboard position, if that's the only place you can get a good install. If you must turn her f/fing then make sure you're using the top tether. But really she should stay r/fing to the limit of her convertible car seat, which depending on the seat you have is anywhere from 30-35lbs. Here's an article on the benefits of extended rear-facing: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9916868/

hth!

Cheryl
ds-4/03 r/fing in a Britax Blvd.

[DebbieJ]

Another vote for outboard rearfacing.

My son has been that way for well over a year.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[cdlamis]

I am curious to why it is safer rear facing outboard? I always thought middle was safest. I guess I learn something new here every day.

I have Julia (39 lbs) FFing on the side and Bella RFing in the middle. Is this not best?

Daniella
Mom to Julia 6-13-02
and Isabella 12-18-04

[Scatterbunny]

>I am curious to why it is safer rear facing outboard? I
>always thought middle was safest. I guess I learn something
>new here every day.
>
>I have Julia (39 lbs) FFing on the side and Bella RFing in the
>middle. Is this not best?
>
>Daniella
>Mom to Julia 6-13-02
>and Isabella 12-18-04

It's not that being outboard is any safer--the center is safest, as long as a good installation can be achieved there. But if the choice is only between RF outboard and FF in the center, RF outboard wins.

When you have two children, one forward-facing and one rear-facing, provided you can get a good install this way, the rear-facing child should go outboard. Rear-facing is so much safer than forward-facing that the rear-facing child is better protected in that position.

[SusanMae]

Outboard rear facing is my vote as well. We should all be so lucky to rear face!

Susan

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

Outboard Rearfacing and move your ff child to the middle!!

see, in a crash, the rearfacing seat's sides spread out, toward the door, offering side protection... this doesn't happen in a forward facing seat.

Not to mention that rearfacing is just plain safer... so instead of putting the youngest in the middle, you put the least safe child in the middle...

in this case that would be your older child... but of course, if there is not a top tether anchor there, I would keep him where you can top tether his seat.

And if he's in a booster, only if the middle seat has a shoulder belt.

Kat

[omgrown]

OK, not to hijack the post, but I'm trying to get this right as well. I currently have DS in his Marathon FF in the center. He's about 25-26 lbs, 16 months and I get a much, much more secure install FF than I do rear facing in my car (2001 Lexus RX300). I'm using the top tether and even though my car doesn't have latch, I'm able to get a rock solid install FF. RF was pretty good, but there's not really a great place for the tether to hook to and it was just never as tight as FF is now.
Should I move his FF seat to the side? Is one side safer than the other? I usually drive the car, but when DH drives, he's pretty tall and moves the seat back pretty far. Ugh, I'm so confused now!

[Scatterbunny]

NO, if your child is to remain FF he should stay in the middle. The original poster can't get a good RF install in the center, only a good FF install in the center. She can get a good RF install outboard, though. RF is so much safer than FF that it is preferred to put the child outboard and have him RF rather than to turn him FF too soon.

Can you get a good RF install outboard in your car? Did you know that the seat can be more upright than 45 degrees with an older baby? Your dh might have plenty of room if the carseat is installed more upright when RF.

You can tether RF to any nonmoveable point under the front seats, per Britax's instructions. Maybe this page will help: http://www.angelfire.com/wa3/isakswings/ratetherrf.html

Even if you can't tether when rear-facing, I'd still put the seat rear-facing provided you can get it tight enough that there is less than one inch of movement at the belt path (make sure it's the rear-facing belt path you are using/checking). With any non-tethered RF seat there will be movement at the top of the seat shell. You will be able to rotate the seat shell towards the back of the vehicle seat. This is normal, and called "rebound" or "cocooning".

New studies are showing there is a critical time period between 12 and 24 months that children need to be rear-facing. A child is 4 times more likely to die forward-facing.

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

I second what Scatterbunny said... you definitely want him rearfacing.

Kat

[Joolsplus2]

Sometimes there are just 'tricks' you need to know to get a MA installed tightly rearfacing... we can probably walk you through them, if you want to turn him back around (which would be ideal, but FF, Tethered, in the center, isn't a death sentence, just not 'as safe' as rearfacing).
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[TonFirst]

Our BV is rearfacing in the outboard passenger side in my Jetta wagon, reason being that to have the BV RF in the center, my driver's seat would need to be so far forward that it would be UNsafe for me (and my osteoporotic bones) to be that close to the steering wheel.

I figure, he's in a properly-installed BV, he's rearfacing, and the BV offers extra side protection in addition to the side airbags the JEtta has, so... I think we're good to go.