Child seat in the middle, safe ?

[thomaslally]

I went through all posts on this very useful forum about child seats, LATCH, ISOFIX. I've been searching all the web to find an answer. Unfortunately, I didn't find a real answer regarding safety.

So, is it safe or not to install a rear facing convertible child seat on the rear middle passenger seat using LATCH ? In the Volvo owner book, they don't even talk about LATCH, at best a few words only about ISOFIX. But I think ISOFIX and LATCH are the same thing.

The child seat is a Eddie Bauer omega Deluxe 3 in 1. It took me some time to choose between this one and the Britax. The britax was too bulky for this little girl :)

Thank

Thomas

[CheesheadinMemphis]

I think that so long as there are LATCH hooks in the center it should be ok. However if you are talking about using one hook from the left passenger seat and one from the right it would be best to consult an expert. I see you live in Quebec, which is a major metro center. In the US most metropolitan police departments have a few officers that have received special baby seat training so they maybe able to answer your questions. Another source would be hospitals that deliver a lot of babies. Many such hospitals in the states have a few employees that have had the training.

As the parent of a 2-year-old and 3-month-old I do know one thing. LATCH is a wonderful advancement in baby seat safety and simplicity

[CheesheadinMemphis]

I see your XC has the optional dynamic stability control. How does this feature differ from the standard traction control?

[littlewaywelt]

I went through all posts on this very useful forum about child seats, LATCH, ISOFIX. I've been searching all the web to find an answer. Unfortunately, I didn't find a real answer regarding safety.

So, is it safe or not to install a rear facing convertible child seat on the rear middle passenger seat using LATCH ? In the Volvo owner book, they don't even talk about LATCH, at best a few words only about ISOFIX. But I think ISOFIX and LATCH are the same thing.

The child seat is a Eddie Bauer omega Deluxe 3 in 1. It took me some time to choose between this one and the Britax. The britax was too bulky for this little girl :)

Thank

Thomas
No you cannot safely use the latch anchors in the center position. The angles create a much higher load. http://www.southeastclimbing.com/faq/faq_anchor_forces.htm

[adamc]

To be used safely, LATCH anchors must be 11 inches or LESS apart from one another. Using the inside anchors from both the left and right LATCH sets in the back does not meet safety requirements. Per our Graco childseat, I had to use the center seat belt with the H shaped metal seatbelt locking piece that came with the child seat.

I researched the exact same issue for our, now 9 month old, daughter. I know some have doubled up and used the center belt as well as the LATCH hooks.

I imagine you are thinking, "How in the world can Volvo not put LATCH in the middle seat when it's known to be the safest place for an infant/child?". Frankly, for a company so concerned with safety, I'm shocked they missed this one. It would be a cheap addition to add a third latch setup in the center. Cars that cost WAY less than this one have it. I did read a report that indicated that LATCH simply provides an easier way to properly mount a childseat. It isn't any safer than a seat that is properly installed with a seatbelt.

Based on what I've read, properly installing the seat in the center with the seatbelt would be more safe than using the latch on either side. If you do use LATCH on the side I believe the passenger side of the car is safer (opposing side of oncoming traffic, least likely to get hit when going through an intersection) You can get the installlation checked by CHP, Local Police, Babies R Us. There should be some local agency that performs the checks for you.

[Sasquatch]

Just wondering what people use for latch attachments.

I use one on either side of the kids' seat, and then run one under the headrest to a hook on the back of the seat. Is this correct? If not, what is that hook for? Do people go under the headrest or around it? Just curious.

Are child seats OK to use in the way back with the optional jump seats back there?

Thanks.

[littlewaywelt]

Just wondering what people use for latch attachments.

I use one on either side of the kids' seat, and then run one under the headrest to a hook on the back of the seat. Is this correct? If not, what is that hook for? Do people go under the headrest or around it? Just curious.

Are child seats OK to use in the way back with the optional jump seats back there?

Thanks.
you want the lines to run as straight as possible for the tether anchor.
you cannot use a childseat in the third row area.

remember LATCH anchors for most seats/kids are only good to 45lbs. At that point you have to go back to a seatbelt. check your manual for the specs.

[littlewaywelt]

To be used safely, LATCH anchors must be 11 inches or LESS apart from one another. Using the inside anchors from both the left and right LATCH sets in the back does not meet safety requirements. Per our Graco childseat, I had to use the center seat belt with the H shaped metal seatbelt locking piece that came with the child seat.

I researched the exact same issue for our, now 9 month old, daughter. I know some have doubled up and used the center belt as well as the LATCH hooks.

I imagine you are thinking, "How in the world can Volvo not put LATCH in the middle seat when it's known to be the safest place for an infant/child?". Frankly, for a company so concerned with safety, I'm shocked they missed this one. It would be a cheap addition to add a third latch setup in the center. Cars that cost WAY less than this one have it. I did read a report that indicated that LATCH simply provides an easier way to properly mount a childseat. It isn't any safer than a seat that is properly installed with a seatbelt.

Based on what I've read, properly installing the seat in the center with the seatbelt would be more safe than using the latch on either side. If you do use LATCH on the side I believe the passenger side of the car is safer (opposing side of oncoming traffic, least likely to get hit when going through an intersection) You can get the installlation checked by CHP, Local Police, Babies R Us. There should be some local agency that performs the checks for you.
You are correct in that LATCH/ISOFIX is just an easier way to get a seat properly mounted in a car. A seatbelt done properly is just as safe.

using the latch anchors in the center should not be done. It will introduce slack into the system when/if they fail. A seatbelt in ALR mode in the center if properly tightened is safer than LATCH on an outboard position. Having the seat on the passenger side also allows you to get your child in and out from the sidewalk.

Did anyone read the article in the New York Times Magazine section this last weekend? It was very interesting and made the point that surprisingly there is 0 data to show that car seats are any safer than seatbelts.

[Sasquatch]

You are correct in that LATCH/ISOFIX is just an easier way to get a seat properly mounted in a car. A seatbelt done properly is just as safe.

using the latch anchors in the center should not be done. It will introduce slack into the system when/if they fail. A seatbelt in ALR mode in the center if properly tightened is safer than LATCH on an outboard position. Having the seat on the passenger side also allows you to get your child in and out from the sidewalk.

Did anyone read the article in the New York Times Magazine section this last weekend? It was very interesting and made the point that surprisingly there is 0 data to show that car seats are any safer than seatbelts.


Actually, I think the good old seatbelt is easier. That said, who goes through and who goes around the rear headrest and why?

[vachaspati]

Why do you want to use the center position anyway? According to Volvo (there's a safety doc on their Australian web site), any position in the rear seat is equally safe for a car seat, in their cars.

[littlewaywelt]

Why do you want to use the center position anyway? According to Volvo (there's a safety doc on their Australian web site), any position in the rear seat is equally safe for a car seat, in their cars.

...according to Volvo, on Volvo's website re Volvo cars?
of course that's what Volvo said.
Where would you rather be in the event you get T-Boned next to the car that smashes into you or 2 feet farther away from the intruding metal & glass?


also, why doesn't Volvo put side impact airbags in the rear seats? Are those passengers less valuable?

[vachaspati]

You are of course right to be skeptical when it comes to something as important as your child's safety, but one thing I've learned about cars and other things as complex is that things that seem obvious aren't necessarily so. In any case, the following document is worth reading:

http://www.volvocars.com.au/_Tier2/WhyVolvo/InCarChildSafety.htm

I have no reason to think Volvo would be lying or misleading to its customers about where to place children. This document was very helpful in many other ways as well.

[Sasquatch]

You are of course right to be skeptical when it comes to something as important as your child's safety, but one thing I've learned about cars and other things as complex is that things that seem obvious aren't necessarily so. In any case, the following document is worth reading:

http://www.volvocars.com.au/_Tier2/WhyVolvo/InCarChildSafety.htm

I have no reason to think Volvo would be lying or misleading to its customers about where to place children. This document was very helpful in many other ways as well.


From the article:


"Babies and toddlers should be rearward facing up until at least the age of three and preferably longer."

Does anyone here have a kid older than 1 year old facing rearward? I think we switched to forward around 1 or so.

What do people do who have 4 or 5 kids?

[chucklepants]

Any reason why you couldn't put the car seat in the middle, attach the LATCH anchors to the outboard positions AND use the seat belt?

Seems to me that's the safest of all options. It moves the child away from the doors to protect against side impacts, it uses the seat belt as the main restraint, and the LATCH as an additional protection (even if it's not technically in the best position). I've also found that it allows us to move the front seats back a little bit, even using our massive Graco Safeseat (rear-facing infant seat that holds up to 30 pounds).

[dlr97]

I see your XC has the optional dynamic stability control. How does this feature differ from the standard traction control?

Traction control is primarily about preventing wheelspin in a straight line when applying power. DSTC is about maintaining driver control when maneuvering. Also called yaw control. Search forum for many posts. Also see this for a detailed explanation:
Stability control (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/28001-stability-control.htm)

[griso4r]

...according to Volvo, on Volvo's website re Volvo cars?
of course that's what Volvo said.
Where would you rather be in the event you get T-Boned next to the car that smashes into you or 2 feet farther away from the intruding metal & glass?


also, why doesn't Volvo put side impact airbags in the rear seats? Are those passengers less valuable?Fully agree, the center position is the safest, none mentioned that it's also important to have control of the kid just with a glance into your rear mirror, impossible with side positions. i noticed some people moving the mirror to be able to check what is happening in the back side seat loosing in this way a fundamental sight on rear traffic, quite absurd. I think that the lack of side airbags in the back is partly connected with the completely wrong old theory that rear seats are anyway safe and partly with the different use that anyone can do with rear seats (put them down to load things, 2 people, 3 people) making difficult to size the airbag to protect and not to make damages.
ciao

[Netix]

I would suspect the center is the safest since putting a child seat behind either the driver or front passenger seat would impede the rear-impact safety features of the front seats.