Carseat dilemma

qwertytlk

Hi, me and my oh have been disagreeing on this so just want some clarification. My son is 2weeks and we have not had him in the car yet as im not certain which way the car seat is supposed to face when in back seat? Being a typical man he threw away the instruction book from the pram once he put it together so i can't check! can it be put in the front seat? He says it can't, i say it can...but facing toward the back of the car? Is this right? Thanks

hoodwinked

i think it can depend on the car seat but

we had a Graco one, we could put it in the front seat in my car (i had a key switch to turn off the airbag) but not in his he had no way of switching the airbag off. It is very important the airbag is off if the seat is in the front seat

if it's in the back seat you face it (usually) towards the rear seat but you can buy mirrors that hang on the back seat so you can see the baby using the rear view mirror.

bulmersgal

I no people say you can turn off the airbags with a key put in a crash they still could come out, i remember reading that somewhere when my lo was in rear facing. I think they are safer in the back as less distracting to the driver as well. You can get mirror and if you hear something you can check and pull over if needed but if they were in front I myself would be looking at them more instead of being 100% looking at road.

Das Kitty

They are meant to be used in the back facing back. It's safer in a crash and less distracting for the driver.

hoodwinked

Das Kitty wrote: »

They are meant to be used in the back facing back. It's safer in a crash and less distracting for the driver.

thats where ours ended up since i didn't drive much myself anyway, i used always have to sit in the back with her for the first three months even with the mirrors, i was so paranoid. i could never have driven with her next to me without looking in those first few months.

bobobear

I'm not sure if this is true, but I have heard that if you switch off the airbag in the front passenger seat you are obligated to inform your insurance company as it is considered a "modification" to your car. They can then choose to jack up your premium, or just refuse to insure you.

If you have a crash and it turns out that you disabled the airbag, they might refuse to pay out.

The safest place in a car is definitely in the back, on the left side (behind the passenger seat), rear-facing.

qwertytlk

The way the clips are on my car seat it seems like it should face the front of the car while in the back seat, but this is definatley not the case then?? Also when its in the front seat, if it was facing the back of the car then surely if the airbag did go off then it would not cause obstruction as the baby would be facing the opposite way?

January

What car seat do you have? The seat belt should go around the car seat and over... actually screw that... Listen, if you don't know how the car seat goes, please bring it to the shop you bought it in and get them to show you or look at some videos on the net on how to install the car seat you have...

Sorry, editing this as I seemed a bit blunt... I apologize if it came across that way, but your babies safety is paramount and you need to know how to install the car seat properly, do a bit of research online and you'll find everything you need...

Ayla

+1 with January.

No car seat that I have ever heard of *ever* suggests or recommends putting the seat in the front. Go on youtube to look at staged accidents and it'll terrify you - rightly so - with the damage that can be done to your little one in the front seat.

I have never heard of anything other than the back seat, facing backwards. In fact, the longer you can keep them facing backwards the better.

Also bluntly, but really, this is your child's life at stake. Do your research, take the seat back to the shop where you got it & get them to properly install it. This is not an issue to debate about, this is your baby's LIFE!

qwertytlk

I know, that's why we haven't had him in the car yet! Its a hello piccola nurse car seat, well i got a travel system.. Same thing. Anyway il check it out online, and if needs be, with the shop. Thanks :

How Strange

qwertylk if I were you I'd go straight back to the store today and ask them to fit it in your car.

Das Kitty

Most baby shops will do it for you whether you bought it there or not (well the ones in Galway offer that anyway). I think you should go along with your other half as well just to see for yourself, I know my husband nods along when he's being shown something even if he doesn't get it because he thinks he'll figure it out when he gets home (from the sounds of your first post yours is a bit the same!)

Don't worry qwerty, you're doing the right thing by trying to find out the right way before using it, plenty of people just guess. I know of someone who didn't know you needed to strap the carseat into the car at all and were going around with it just sitting in the passenger seat! This person was a member of the Gardai!

MiCr0

or just download a copy of the manual

http://help.mothercare.com/help/products/instructions_03_09#car_seats

the Nurse Piccola car seat is based on the Jane Rebel car seat

also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JXvrfvGe1U

ted1

That's nonsense about the insurance company. They facility is there to turn it off. It's be the same as rolling down the window.