Question RE: car seats in a pick up truck- kind of long

The lease on my car is up next month. In order to save some money, we are going to forego buying/leasing a new car, and get a used one. DH has a brand new Hyundai Santa Fe that he leased last August. I will probably be taking that once my lease is up.

DH is now DYING to get a pick up truck. I did agree to it, because I don't mind using the santa fe, which is safe to put an infant into. If he gets the pick up truck, it will be a few years old and used so the payments are lower.

Anyway- I was reading my baby bargains book and there was a paragraph that stated that carseats are NOT safe to put in pickup trucks- at all. Even an extended cab with a back seat.

I told DH and because he knows everything, he told me that a pickup is safer than a smaller car in an accident and basically thought the book was ridiculous for implying it wasn't

I figured I would research the topic before making my decision, and have come across alot of things saying it's safe as long as there is no airbag...

I am due September 2nd and have to make a decision in the next few weeks. We won't have a car seat at this point to test it out or anything, and I don't trust a dealership to tell me the truth about anything.

I am nervous about the whole idea of it now after reading that, but it was one source and I don't know if I should get my panties in a bunch over it. I will insist we get an SUV if need be, but I am trying to appease DH here...

My question is- does anyone have a pickup truck that they have installed a car seat into?

Is it safe?

What kind of truck is it?

Thanks so much!!

BTW: The baby will be in the Santa Fe the majority of the time, but in case I go somewhere without DH and leave the baby with him- he will put the baby in the truck.

Re: Question RE: car seats in a pick up truck- kind of long

WOW...now I am nervous. DH has a 2008 dodge ram 1500 pick up - it has the extended cab in the back. We have driven in and out of the city with our 3 year old in the back in her car seat. I always thought she was so safe and secure in there and thought that she would be way better off in this truck if we had an accident than in my gmc envoy as its so solid.

Now I am freaking out a little I will try to read up on it later too and will let you know what I find. There is a car safety person on here who is really helpful - I will fm him / her.

Re: Question RE: car seats in a pick up truck- kind of long

DH had a pickup truck when we had DD and I make him get rid of it... pronto! Same as you, it was only going to be the "second car" but I didn't care. I didn't want my child in a pickup no matter what. Any book can tell me it is safe, but as a Mom, I never wanted my kid to be in a car seat in a pickup. For me it was no way, no how...

Re: Question RE: car seats in a pick up truck- kind of long

We had a dodge ram 1500 pick up with no backseat when i found out I was pregnant with DC#1. I made DH trade it in for a dodge ran 1500 quad cab. I felt really safe in that truck. I can't see how it's unsafe?? You are so much taller and bigger than other trucks and it had the latch system in the seats?? Is a quad cab an option??

Message edited 4/20/2009 12:41:26 PM.

Re: Question RE: car seats in a pick up truck- kind of long

No pickup truck here, but I wanted to say that my DS was never in my DS's car until he was 15 months old. Whoever had the baby had my car, so it is do-able. The only tricky thing is if you are both working and the person with the pickup truck has to pick that baby up from the babysitter or daycare.

Were they talking about pickups with the extended cabs? I wouldn't think those would be less safe than a car, but I personally would never put a baby in the front seat of a regular pickup truck - I wouldn't want the baby that close to the windsheild, no matter what source told me it might be safe.

ETA: I re-read your post and you are saying you are doing this to appease your DH. I think as parents, sometimes your spouse has certain absolutes - things they will not give in on and you just go along with them because it's a "better safe than sorry" sort of thing. For example, I was going to give my son a blanket in the crib before he was a year old, but DS was strongly against it, so I waited because it freaked him out too much, For me, the safety of the baby in the car is not something I would back down on. Sometimes you have to go with your gut, and I think you are right on this one.

Message edited 4/20/2009 12:45:35 PM.

Re: Question RE: car seats in a pick up truck- kind of long

I will absolutely not put the baby in the front seat- it will have to be the extended cab, if anything.

Re: Question RE: car seats in a pick up truck- kind of long

I have two car seats in the back seat of my Dodge Dakota Crew Cab (two door, but has a back seat). The seats are very secure, so they are as safe as the vehicle is.

This article says that crash test results aren't completely accurate for trucks, like they are for cars.

Most testing has trucks and SUVs not doing as well in crash tests compared to sedans, since there is less crumple zones, and often (but not always) less airbags.

Re: Question RE: car seats in a pick up truck- kind of long

Re: Question RE: car seats in a pick up truck- kind of long

For the most part, the answer is no. Pick-ups are not family cars and despite what was said, are not safe with pick-ups.

Not all extended cabs have full seats. The key is that the seat base must sit fully on the jumper/cab seat. If it overhangs, then it is not safe.
Bench seats in pick-ups are not the same a a bench seat in a car.

Re: Question RE: car seats in a pick up truck- kind of long

I've read that while momentum and size are on the side of the truck in an accident, they're simply not designed with as many safety features as passenger cars. They are also much more likely to roll due to a high center of gravity

I also thought I read that they generally do not absorb impact as well as passenger cars, becuase the truck chassis is so rigid

Message edited 4/20/2009 2:13:40 PM.

Re: Question RE: car seats in a pick up truck- kind of long