Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

I;ve posted about this before, but now i am 6 weeks away from having and I am starting to Panic. I need to know what is the SAFEST placement for all three of our car seats. We have the Chrysler Town & Country. In the middle Row are 2 captain seats and the third row is a full row, fits 3. My twins will be 20 months (18 months adjusted) when is born. I am NOT ready to put them forward facing . DH wants to because he says it will be tough to get all three in especially if the twins' car seats are rear facing. But i absolutely do not want to put them forward facing. So, what is the safest spot for each car seat? I will have 2 convertible seats rear facing and an infant carrier. TIA!

Message edited 6/30/2012 9:21:57 PM.

Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

I'm no expert, but I have the same van. :)
I think they're safe wherever they are, as long as the seats are in right, LATCHed, etc.
Maybe the twins in the 3rd row and the baby in a captain, so it's easy to climb through the unoccupied captain to buckle the twins, and you could sorta sit between them to buckle them rear facing.... and you can still take baby out last or first, depending on the situation......
Or maybe the baby and a twin in the 3rd row. But I'd think the twins will wanna be able to see and talk to each other.
I'd keep them rear facing as long as possible. My oldest sat backwards until almost 3 yo (in a tiny car, pre-van).

Re: Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

I have the same exact car as you and I have 1 year old triplets. My 2 DS are in convertible car seats and I still have my DD in an infant carseat since she is a peanut. All are still rear facing. I also did a lot of research...the end result was putting the infant carseat and one convertible carseat in the 2 captain chairs. Then I have the second convertible carseat in the back row, over to the right hand side. We then put down the second part of the back row that is not being used. This gives me more trunk room and storage space and allows me to load the back row child easier. The only way to load the child who sits in the back row is from the trunk. It is DEFINITELY NOT IDEAL, and i am sure everyone is looking at me while I load a one year old from the trunk...but it is really the only way. If we did 2 convertible car seats in the back row, and the infant in one captains chair, and then stow away the other captains chair It was too hard to get the babies in the 3rd row, and I was still going through the trunk. You could also put one convertible in a captians chair, and then the infant and 2nd convertible in the 3rd row. This way you load the child in the convertible first (you can lean over and tighten them...and then snap in the infant car seat. We actually tried this way first...and it definitely worked, but we then did not have enough trunk space for our triplet stroller...and I am not sure if you would want the newborn all the way in the 3rd row. Hope this helps. I do not think any of the options are ideal. But I just keep telling myself in a year or so, I will have them forward facing and it will be a lot easier!

Re: Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

Re: Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

Thanks ladies! I'm leaning towards putting 1 twin in the third row read facing and the infant carrier and the other twin in a captain chair. I just feel terrible separating them :(. DH and I have a huge difference of opinion when it comes to keeping them rear facing. He does agree with me as far as safety but he says it will be too difficult to get the one all the way in the back in the carseat of they're rear facing! Ugh! I think i'm just going to go to Hassel auto when he's not with me and have them install them!

Re: Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

When I worked as a Nanny, I had 2 in car seats and one in a booster. I put the 2 kids in seats in the back. One FF, one RF, and the oldest one in the captains chair. I folded up the other seat so I would have easy access to the back seat... It worked.

Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

i'd call carseatsafety chris, make an appt, and have him (the real expert) inspect and install them in the proper positions. i agree with leaving them RF'ing as long as possible, my DD is 27months and is still RF'ing. Safety over convenience IMO.

Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

Does anyone know how i can get in contact with carseat safety Chris? I'm not getting them installed until the beginning of August. I should probably make an appt now though, right? Is it expensive to have him install them?

Re: Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

Re: Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

Please learn how to install them yourself and feel comfortable doing it... A friend of mine who was driving down to Florida recently had their car break down and they had to get a rental car, they had no idea how to install their car seats. Stuck in the middle of South Carolina late at night without knowing how to install the seat really upset them.

You need to know how to install the seat yourself and make sure it is in the right way.. I use to do it when I was in the FD. I have never had my seat installed for me, but I have had them checked and there was never an issue..

When you are having it installed, please watch them and make sure you know how to do it yourself..

Re: Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

Re: Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

Posted by NewLeaf2012

Please learn how to install them yourself and feel comfortable doing it... A friend of mine who was driving down to Florida recently had their car break down and they had to get a rental car, they had no idea how to install their car seats. Stuck in the middle of South Carolina late at night without knowing how to install the seat really upset them.

You need to know how to install the seat yourself and make sure it is in the right way.. I use to do it when I was in the FD. I have never had my seat installed for me, but I have had them checked and there was never an issue..

When you are having it installed, please watch them and make sure you know how to do it yourself..

Re: Need some help from the carseat safety experts!

Posted by luckysmom

Posted by NewLeaf2012

Please learn how to install them yourself and feel comfortable doing it... A friend of mine who was driving down to Florida recently had their car break down and they had to get a rental car, they had no idea how to install their car seats. Stuck in the middle of South Carolina late at night without knowing how to install the seat really upset them.

You need to know how to install the seat yourself and make sure it is in the right way.. I use to do it when I was in the FD. I have never had my seat installed for me, but I have had them checked and there was never an issue..

When you are having it installed, please watch them and make sure you know how to do it yourself..

I personally would not install them myself as i would never trust it would be right. But DH knows how to if he absolutely has to. I just refuse to let him do it. I'd rather have it installed by a professional and know from the beginning that it's in right.