# Are station wagon jump seats safe for kids?



## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

Anyone know what I mean? The 'extra' rear facing seats that some wagons have set down in the cargo area? I'm not even sure what to call them to do a search.









Now that I have an infant in a marathon and a 7 yo in a recaro the back seat is pretty much taken up. We like to take dd's friends with us on field trips and while they are old/big enough to go without a booster none are ready for the front seat yet. What do you mamas think?


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

Most of those seats can only go from like 40 to 80lbs (it might be 60.) Anyways, they are also in the crumple zone of the car.

I wouldn't let my child ride in them. Have you seen the Mazda 5? It's like a compact mini-van and the backseat folds flat so you could have extra storage room.


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## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

In most cases, the answer is no, I think.

Here's some info from http://www.car-safety.org/faq.html#Q43

Quote:

Rear-facing seats in wagons vary. Usually, you will not be able to install a carseat, but children in seatbelts may be seated there in some models. Please consult your owner's manual or vehicle manufacturer for recommendations. Some newer wagon models may have weight limitations for the rear-facing seat, and it may be best not to use rear-facing bench seats in older models at all.


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

My Volvo has one and from what I've read, it's pretty safe. It's for 40-100 lbs. I believe, of course, a 40 lb. kid would still be in a 5-pt. harness, but once they are old enough to be out of a harness, I'm fine with it.


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## 34me (Oct 2, 2006)

Some are made for riding others for drive in movies maybe







. I just bought a Mazda 5 and LOVE it!


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

I wouldn't do it, but as long as it has whiplash protection and lap/shoulder belts, and is allowed by the manual, I don't have a good reason for telling others not to.

ETA: to clarify, you can't install car seats or boosters on them, so they would have to be children that are old- and big enough to not need a booster, but still be under the weight limit of the seat.


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## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *elmh23* 
Have you seen the Mazda 5? It's like a compact mini-van and the backseat folds flat so you could have extra storage room.









Oh ya I would love something like that, but we're broke. The gasguzzling tank in question was free.







:

Hmm I guess I'll not risk it; I hadn't thought about that being a crumple zone. It's not a bench seat but 2 'regular' bucket seats. I think I had in my mind that rearfacing=safe because it applies to carseats.









I didn't see any weight guidelines on them but some of them say 40-80 lbs?? That's not much of a range huh? This would be for 9-10 year-olds so they would be in that range but the consensus seems to be not safe so I guess we'll just start taking more cars.









Oddly enough, I finally got the manual and there's no mention of the extra seats at all. Funny thing though- I guess because it's an older car (92)- there were several pages dedicated to trying to convince that seatbelts are a GOOD thing and they will not in fact decapitate you or doom you to a firey death.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *stormborn* 
I think I had in my mind that rearfacing=safe because it applies to carseats.









Rearfacing IS safer for anyone, but really the chances of a 40- to 80- pound child fitting the seatbelt properly is pretty low. If the seats had a higher weight limit, it would be great for older kids who wouldn't need a booster (which would pertain to the 9 and 10 year olds you are talking about).

Quote:


Originally Posted by *stormborn* 
Oddly enough, I finally got the manual and there's no mention of the extra seats at all. Funny thing though- I guess because it's an older car (92)- there were several pages dedicated to trying to convince that seatbelts are a GOOD thing and they will not in fact decapitate you or doom you to a firey death.









They could very well be aftermarket seats. Usually those cars have bench seats in the back, don't they? I don't think I have heard of jump seats outside of pickup trucks and Range Rovers.


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## morganeldi (Nov 9, 2007)

Sorry hijacking a bit here.. For those of you that have the mazda 5, how's the gas mileage and reliability? I need a new car soon and that one looks very interesting.


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