fe342185

So I am having my first kid soon and in preparation of course I installed and got the infant seat checked. In our area (NY) it is checked by the Department of Transportation (DOT).

My research determined that the middle seat is the best place for the infant seat although it may be inconvenient so i placed it there using the latch system. Our cars have 4 latches so i used the 2 inner ones. I also used a seat protector and a mirror mounted on the headrest.

The inspectors input...

1. Seat protector is not recommended and is noted. Reason: Seat was not crash tested with it.
2. Mirror is not recommended. Reason: it causes more accidents since drivers look at it for too long. He said the driver gets too distracted for too long and he typically cant resolve a problem anyway while driving anyway.
3. The base/infant car seat cannot be installed in the middle using the latch system. If i want to install in the middle i would need to utilize the 3-point belt of the car.

My opinion...

1. I think the seat protector is better since it has a rubber and will help from the seat slipping or sliding on the leather.
2. Common sense fixes that.
3. I dont get why the latch cannot be used. It seems like its the same concept.

The gentleman was very nice and polite but i just question some of the information.

Thank you in advance.

raj99

Rear facing car seats are usually best placed behind a seat...having had a number of kids I recall having always placed the car seats behind a seat, since it creates a barrier and prevents the seat from excessive movement, especially in an accident.

In fact, many states will not allow vehicles to have rear facing car seats placed in the middle seating area.

royclark

I can't understand why you went to all of the trouble to get it inspected if you are just going to do it your way whatever.

You are not willing to take professional advice but are willing to listen to us lot.

I agree with the DOT on number 2, you would be too distracted at what was going on in the rear.

fe342185

The reason I am trying to get opinions here is it seems like the inspectors feedback is not car specific or seat specific. He did ask for the car make/model and seat model a few days in advance when the appointment was made so I thought it would be used for them to research. I probably just expected too much.

I ask for opinions here since more people have more specific experience. I did take most of his advice but the ones I listed are the ones I question.

BTW - I live in NYC and this city tends to be very strict and behind other states when it comes to anything that can cause a liability issue. NYC typically is last when adopting the latest and greatest in anything. I was wondering if other members are experiencing the same feedback during their inspection.

MainlandMig

i have 3 kids and was using 3 seats at the same time *yes they can fit if you get the less bulky ones and technicaly one is a booster

i kept my rear facing in the center for many reasons

1. safety incase of side impact i wanted my smallest child to be center of veh
2. convenience in our opinion this was the easiest set up for access to the rear for everyone.
3. we rarely removed the center seat.. only for cleanings or once or twice for when adults in rear so setting up the RF in center was best

I used/use both the latch and 3 point belt at the same time plus the top latch.. seat goes nowhere

i never used a seperate mirror.. dont sweat this... it will not provide much for u and maybe even end up annoying u

i just recently traded in my old car and my rear seat pad had all indentations from the child seat edges...not so much the center but the sides since they fit/hug the body... so a seat protector is good

one booster had some stupid cup holder on its side and was designed for a real flat seat and when u placed it in the car the booster was all lop sided leaning alot to one side... i had to dremel this part off so not to ruin the seats

if you have another child.. you will most like look into seat belt extenders.. because out seat belt clips are recessed into seat
Audi used to give them away till their lawyers stopped them
u can buy some on ebay but if u look hard enough u may find some OEM ones

i have 2 red Porsche ones so when you have your next child i should be ready to part with them .. but maybe u should not tell ur DOT about this post lol

Rumjahn

You'll get tired of having the infant seat in the center, trust me. You have to lean too far into the car every single time to strap the baby in, so eventually you'll just say, F*** it and move it to the outside. Even if you don't, when you have your second kid, you'll then wonder which one is more special to get the inside seat, and how could you be such a horrible parent to prioritize one child over the other?

But getting back to the center seat... you can use the LATCH system to attach the rear-facing seat without problems, but like I said before, after a few times of putting the baby in and out, you won't want to. Instead, just put the seat on the driver side, because the passenger side is the worst place to be in a left-turn impact scenario.

For my first kid we didn't have the mirror, and for the second oen we did. The thing was worthless. You don't need it.

Use the seat protector though. It will save you from cleaning up milk and crumbs off your nice leather.

fe342185

Thank you for the feedback. I will see how long we last with the seat in the middle but you may be right. I may move it to the passenger side though. We do a lot of parallel parking and placing the seat on the drivers may be dangerous and difficult also. With the moving traffic and requiring to completely open the rear door is sometimes difficult.

fe342185

Thank you.... Point taken.

joandje

Most of the time we do as we wish and what we think is right. Rules or inputs given by the inspector for your infant car seat are basically for guidelines only. I personally believe you do not have to follow everything they say. If you think you can make things safer for your child within the car then follow what you thinks work best.

capnmcorn

Not sure if all have this or if mine only does because of the cold weather package, but my middle seat has a drop down armrest and behind that a fairly thin popout plastic bit that opens to the trunk. I hit the brakes and my toolbox hit that and violently opened the armrest. I'd be leery of putting a carseat over that. Not that you're carrying a toolbox most likely, but no moving parts on the outside seats and they can be locked in place.