Car seat in front or back

[newmumtobe1998]

Hate the idea of 2 month old being on own in back seat worry about having milk spit up and not being able to see.

Anyone ever put their baby in the front but obviously turned the airbag off?

No, back seat is safer so we always did that. You can get mirrors so you can see baby.

Backseat. It's safer and I can't even begin to imagine how distracting a baby in the front would be when driving.

In the back with a mirror so you can see them. My son puked constantly as he had reflux but it was never an issue.

You can get mirrors to go in the headrest so you can see them in the rear view mirror.
Your baby is much safer in the rear seat than in the front.

There is no reason why you can’t put a rear facing car seat in the front so long as you turn off the airbag. There is no evidence that it is safer to be in the rear (assuming rear facing). The dashboard is a very strong part of the car. It’s quite common in places like Sweden, who are far hotter on car seat safety than the UK.

My children have always gone ok the back seat. As PP has said you can get a mirror you can check baby’s face.

Personally I would find it far too distracting to have the baby on the seat next to me whilst driving. My eyes would not be on the road.

I think the baby would also find it harder being able to see you and not understanding why you couldn’t hold them.

And what did you do when it was dark on a car journey? This is my worry

Have the light on in the back of the car. It only took one journey in the dark when it changed to autumn before I figured that you can't see them in the mirror without the light on :)

A quick google shares that’s not recommended as can be distracting, but had some alternatives that may be worth looking into

Safer Alternatives

• Back-Seat Camera with Night Vision: A dedicated baby car camera (such as a night-vision model) lets you monitor your child on a small display screen or your car's infotainment system without turning on cabin lights. 1, 2, 3]
• Back-Seat Mirror with Gentle Lighting: Some specialized accessories like the Munchkin Night Light Baby In-Sight Pivot Mirror use warm, glare-free LED lights designed specifically for nighttime driving. 1]
• Pull Over Safely: If you need to check on your newborn, pacify them, or adjust a blanket, pull over completely in a safe location before turning on the back lights or tending to the baby.

I've never found it to be distracting, it's far more distracting to not be able to see the baby in the back when it's pitch black and they go quiet. For clarification it's not the main light, just the rear reading light which can have just the right or left side on and can be dimmed too. I'd imagine some cars are better than others for their lighting options.

I put baby in a rear-facing seat in the front seat with the airbag switched off. I wanted her where I could reach her. Mirrors looking at a baby on a back seat were no good to me on a motorway.

Consider the car may have side air bags as well

How many night journeys will you be doing with a 2 month old at night?

We had a van when DS was a baby, so he had to go in the front. He was always quite happy and I didn’t find him a distraction. He was much more settled than DD a few years later, in the back of a car. I think that’s down to their personalities rather than where they were in the vehicle though!!

What this thread is perhaps showing is that you may have more than a healthy amount of anxiety. Are there other baby related things that you’re quite anxious about?