[dolfinluvr]

So...DD turns 1 on Jan. 13th and for some reason I am SO eager to get that darn car seat turned forward facing.

Which side is the "best" side to put it in? Passenger or Driver? Or doesn't it make a difference?

 

[lnitti]

you realize she is much safer still rear facing???

 

[pinky]

Center is the safest, but I read somewhere that driver's side is the next safest, because the driver will instinctively protect the side of the car that they are on.

(And not to hijack your thread, but this creates somewhat of a conundrum for me...since I have two kids in two carseats, who gets the safer seat??)

 

[janerose]

nak

per the carseat safety class i took while pg:

1) 1 yr is the MINIMUM age to turn it forward. it's still much safer rear facing. there are several countries in europe who require rear facing until age two.

2) center is the safest, followed bt the drivers side. for multiple kids put the smallest in the safest spot as they're more likely to be injured.

hth!

 

[alegna]

Another vote for staying rear facing. We plan to stay rear facing a LONG time. It is SO much safer.

-Angela

 

[Trishy]

Please watch the videos on this page before your turn your sweet daughter forward facing:

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx

She is much, much, MUCH safer rear facing. Please wait longer.

 

[eleven]

I have no center seat, so my decision was between driver and passenger side. I had also heard that driver's side was safer because of the instinct to protect yourself.

However, a friend of my sister had an accident in which her daughter was killed because she was behind the driver's seat. When the car was struck in the rear, the driver's seat collapsed and the weight of the driver (the mom) crushed the little girl (5 years old). Apparently, this is a defect in just about all cars and could be fixed inexpensively. Since rear impact collisions are not rated by crash tests, there is no incentive for carmakers to correct the problem.

 

[paniscus]

pease, I am so glad you brought that up. I don't really have much info. to add but I was in a crash when I was little and the same thing happened to me that happened to your sister's friend. I was in the back seat behind my mom and my brother was in the front passenget seat. We were struck from behind and my mom's seat collapsed back on to me. My brother's seat did not collapse back. This was probably about 25 years ago. It is so sad that this same problem is still happening.

 

[dolfinluvr]

Thank you very much!!!! I really had no idea there was THAT much of a benefit from keeping it rear facing!

I guess when I stop and think about it, sure it would be...I guess I didn't ever consider the benefits of simply turning it around. Duh!

I see no reason to turn it now...I will just have to stop my "dream" of putting her fwd. facing til she's older and bigger.