# Safest place for the carseat-- middle or side? (honda civic)



## vanessab23 (Nov 9, 2005)

I tried to search, but couldn't refine my search enough to get an answer (too many carseat posts!)
We are installing a britax marathon rear facing in the back seat of my 4dr honda civic. Middle seems to be the safest from I've heard, but the honda manual doesn't mention anything about having latch hooks in the middle (only on the sides)
BUT...... despite that, DP just installed it in the middle, using one latch from one side, and one latch from the other side. (make sense?)
Is this unsafe? Should I use a side instead?







:

Any BTDT mamas or carseat techs out there wanna give me advice?


----------



## Trishy (Oct 15, 2002)

If you install the seat in the middle, which is the safest place, you should use the seat belt. The latch anchors are not designed or tested to be used with the middle seat in your car. An installation with a seat belt is not less safe than a latch installation, as long as it is properly installed.


----------



## bass chick (Sep 7, 2005)

I think the middle is the safest. If you get hit on the side of the car, your child will be sitting farther away from the crash. I don't know what you mean by 'latch hooks', but we have always just used the seat belt for installing rear facing seats as per the car seat instructions. Mind you, are cars are old and don't have UAS.


----------



## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

Middle -- but my car has latch anchors for all three seats back in the trunk area, so I'm not sure what you mean about using two from the sides?

And especially use the middle seat for the car seat if you have side airbags/curtains.

Otherwise, I've been told to disable those side airbags if you're putting the seat next to a door.

Does that make sense?


----------



## Charles Baudelaire (Apr 14, 2003)

To echo what other posters have said, it's unsafe the way you have it now -- it is NOT designed to be used the way your DP installed it.

Middle is the safest place even if it doesn't have LATCH anchors. I'd get this one professionally installed.


----------



## mbhf (Jan 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nighten*
Middle -- but my car has latch anchors for all three seats back in the trunk area, so I'm not sure what you mean about using two from the sides?

i think she means the lower anchors, not the top teathers.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nighten*
And especially use the middle seat for the car seat if you have side airbags/curtains.

side _curtain_ airbags are actually a good thing, they offer protection in a side impact crash.


----------



## ShiningStar (Jul 8, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Trishy*
If you install the seat in the middle, which is the safest place, you should use the seat belt. The latch anchors are not designed or tested to be used with the middle seat in your car. An installation with a seat belt is not less safe than a latch installation, as long as it is properly installed.

ITA. www.thecarseatlady.com has good info on carseat installation, even though it doesn't address LATCH system. BTW, I almost did the same thing your dh did until I found it in my car's owner's manual. It really should be much clearer.


----------



## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Middle is always safest if you can get a good install. You will need to use the seatbelt though as Honda does NOT allow the use of the tether anchors in the middle spots (at least for Civics anyways). I'm a tech and just looked it up in my book. It's a very common mistake though, I see it all the time at checks.


----------



## laurita (Jul 20, 2006)

Ours is in the middle of our civic and installed with the seatbelt. Have you tried contacting your hospital or fire station to get your carseat checked out to be sure it is installed correctly?

Laura


----------



## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

The middle is the safest IF you can get a good install there. That said, dd's seat has always been on the passenger side in our Civic, because otherwise no one else can ride in the backseat. When dh is with us I usually still ride in the back with her for entertainment. And fwiw getting an inspector in this town isn't easy. Your best bet is Texas Children's. They do inspections once a week between 11am and 1pm I believe. Fire stations and police don't do inspections here.

-Angela


----------



## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mbhf*
i think she means the lower anchors, not the top teathers.

side _curtain_ airbags are actually a good thing, they offer protection in a side impact crash.

Still confused on the tethers as I meant lower anchors as well.

Sorry but installing a carseat next to ANY airbag is unsafe. That's why if you have side airbags (including curtains) it's safer to have baby in the middle. Yes the curtains offer protection but it's not safe to have the carseat right up against the side where the airbag could deploy and hit the seat. It's the same reason why if you're really short and have to sit scooted right up to the steering wheel, you should have your airbag disabled. They're designed to cushion, not attack.









Does that make sense? It's what we were told at the hospital and why we have the carseat in the middle, since my car has both side airbags and curtains.


----------



## mbhf (Jan 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nighten*
Still confused on the tethers as I meant lower anchors as well.

some cars have lower anchors for all three seats across, but most only have them for the outboard seating positions. some cars allow you to use the two inside anchors for a center install, as long as you are not using them for any outboard seats, but most do not.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nighten*
Sorry but installing a carseat next to ANY airbag is unsafe. That's why if you have side airbags (including curtains) it's safer to have baby in the middle. Yes the curtains offer protection but it's not safe to have the carseat right up against the side where the airbag could deploy and hit the seat. It's the same reason why if you're really short and have to sit scooted right up to the steering wheel, you should have your airbag disabled. They're designed to cushion, not attack.









Does that make sense? It's what we were told at the hospital and why we have the carseat in the middle, since my car has both side airbags and curtains.

"Currently, side airbags are generally not considered a risk to children in correctly used child restraints. In fact, children in properly installed and used child restraints should gain a safety benefit from side impact airbags unless otherwise indicated in an owner's manual. A possible risk is to child passengers seated out of position; leaning on the door, face on the window, head sleeping on a pillar, etc. This would be most relevant to children in boosters who are not seated properly, and to children not using any type of seatbelt or restraint. Side curtain airbags should be even less risk, as they are higher and inflate with somewhat less force. In general, it should be OK to place a child in a harnessed carseat (front or rear facing) in a rear seat position with an active side airbag, as long as the owner's manuals for the carseat and vehicle do not prohibit such placement."

from http://www.car-safety.org/faq.html#Q61

side curtain airbags offer signifigant side impact protection. personally i wouldn't buy a car without them.


----------



## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Side curtain airbags are completely different than true side airbags and pose absolutely no problem w/ carseats. They fall from the ceiling and don't come out the side. Depending on how far away my child was from the side airbag though, we might use the middle, but the most risk comes from a child who is improperly (or not) secured and is in contact w/ where the airbag deploys from.


----------



## Mimi37 (Jan 1, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80*
Middle is always safest if you can get a good install. You will need to use the seatbelt though as Honda does NOT allow the use of the tether anchors in the middle spots (at least for Civics anyways). I'm a tech and just looked it up in my book. It's a very common mistake though, I see it all the time at checks.

Gaaaaaaaa -- is this true for the Toyota Prius as well (no LATCHing in the middle)? We'd just gotten the seat installed in the middle when DD arrived early, so we haven't had time to get it checked yet. It seems secure but I will super prioritize the check if it is not supposed to be LATCHed in the middle........ Thanks so much.


----------



## mbhf (Jan 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mimi37*
Gaaaaaaaa -- is this true for the Toyota Prius as well (no LATCHing in the middle)? We'd just gotten the seat installed in the middle when DD arrived early, so we haven't had time to get it checked yet. It seems secure but I will super prioritize the check if it is not supposed to be LATCHed in the middle........ Thanks so much.

check your owners manual, it should say.


----------



## Ell-Bell (Nov 16, 2002)

Ours is on the passengers side because it is easier for me to reach him while driving. I swear, driving with baby is worse than driving while using a cell phone sometimes! With the seat on the side I can reach over and give him a toy, stroke his head, etc. and he can even turn his neck and see me a little bit.

I know it's safer in the middle, but for my sanity we have it on the side.


----------



## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mimi37*
Gaaaaaaaa -- is this true for the Toyota Prius as well (no LATCHing in the middle)? We'd just gotten the seat installed in the middle when DD arrived early, so we haven't had time to get it checked yet. It seems secure but I will super prioritize the check if it is not supposed to be LATCHed in the middle........ Thanks so much.

Sorry, no LATCH in the middle on the Prius either. It looks like the SUVs are the only Toyotas that offer LATCH in the middle.


----------



## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

I stand corrected. Though personally I wouldn't install a seat right next to an airbag, because it's my understanding that regardless of airbags or not, the MIDDLE back seat is still the safest -- and therefore most ideal -- spot for carseat. And since my car has anchors for the middle seat, it's where our car seat is.


----------



## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nighten*
I stand corrected. Though personally I wouldn't install a seat right next to an airbag, because it's my understanding that regardless of airbags or not, the MIDDLE back seat is still the safest -- and therefore most ideal -- spot for carseat. And since my car has anchors for the middle seat, it's where our car seat is.

What car do you have?


----------



## MommaCrystal (May 25, 2006)

What do people with more than one child do? I'm going to need to install two carseats in my car shortly, they can't both be in the middle. Or what if you have an older child who is out of the carseat?


----------



## nighten (Oct 18, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80*
What car do you have?

VW wagon.


----------



## wonderwahine (Apr 21, 2006)

at the car seat safety seminar i went to, if your car isnt designed with middle seat latch's, then use a seatbelt only or put it on the sides. it is NOT safe to use one from either side.


----------



## mbhf (Jan 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommaCrystal*
What do people with more than one child do? I'm going to need to install two carseats in my car shortly, they can't both be in the middle. Or what if you have an older child who is out of the carseat?

you are supposed to put the seats wherever they work / fit best. the general rule is to put the least protected child in the most protected spot. so if you have a baby who is RF and an older child who is FF, the FF child (least protected) goes in the middle. provided, of course, that you can get a good install there. if you have two kids RF, the younger of the two would ideally be in the middle.

whatever works best for you is what you should do though. as long as your manual doesn't say otherwise, and rear seating position should be safe. for me, both of my kids are RF outboard, so i can sit in the middle and entertain both of them when my husband drives. they also drive eachother crazy if they are side by side, so nobody is happy if one of them is in the middle.


----------



## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nighten*
VW wagon.









As far as I can tell, there are NO VWs that allow LATCH to be used in the center. You may have 3 top tether anchors in the window, but that does NOT mean you can use LATCH in any spot.

Quote:

What do people with more than one child do? I'm going to need to install two carseats in my car shortly, they can't both be in the middle. Or what if you have an older child who is out of the carseat?
How old is your oldest child? Most children need to be in boosters till 8-12 yrs old. You never want a child in a booster or just using a seatbelt where there isn't a lap/shoulder belt, it's not safe for anyone to use a lap only belt. I always put my kids on the sides so they wouldn't bother each other (they're 18 mos apart), but now they are side by side b/c of our van bench and it's great. I'm hoping it works just as well w/ the 2 youngest next to each other when she comes.


----------

