Car seat logistics with toddler and newborn

[MariaVT65]

Hi all :)

I have a 3 year old and am just about to give birth to my second child.

I’m just wondering how all of you manage car seat logistics on longer journeys please.

Ideally we wanted to have our 3 year old in the front so I could sit in the back with the baby, but we’re unable to have a car seat in the front of our specific car.

How do you all manage with a small baby and a toddler during longer journeys? Do you have a toddler in the front? Or do you any of you sit in the middle of the back? Or just have both kids in the back?

We took really long trips, did over a thousand when dd was 1 month old, lived in USA where this is normal, nobody talked about 30 minutes maximum in seats.

Both in the back from day 1. Was newborn & 16 month. Now baby is 6 months.

Have done several 2hr+ journeys. Sometimes it's hell as both are crying. Because both usually cry as trying to get to sleep. And one drifts off, then the other wakes them by crying, then drifts off. Then the other wakes them crying and so on. Both unscathed and fine tho. Don't have crying that often now tho.

We've never been able to travel at night as baby wouldn't sleep at all in car seat even tho tired. Just get super upset. If we started the journey when she wasn't tired, she did better and sometimes would fall asleep. Since 5 months she started falling asleep in the car much easier with only a few small cries

You have to stop every 30 minutes and take baby out their seat with a newborn anyway.

Some incorrect information here

It’s not unsafe to have a car seat in the front as long as it’s rear facing and the airbag is off (although sounds like this isn’t an option anyway!)

Even with a lie flat car seat the guidance is still the same re: breaks and taking baby out the car seat. It doesn’t mean a baby can stay in the car seat longer

Car seat safety UK says it's less safe to have a baby in the front.

I had baby in the front if I was on my own (rear facing and airbag off), if I was with husband then both kids in the back.

Rear facing in the front is perfectly safe so long as you can turn your airbag off, forward facing in the front for a child under 12 is not.

VTI in Sweden say that if the child is rear facing and the airbag is off, then the front is no less safe than the back.

Claims that the front is riskier tend to assume that either you won't realise you need to turn the airbag off or that the child is older/forward facing.

Thank you everyone so much for your help and advice, really appreciate it :) Admittedly we have been having our 3 year old in the front of our other car (airbag off) for ease while i’ve been heavily pregnant as it’s a 3 door car and only on 6 min yrips to nursery with slow roads, but i will definitely keep him in the back from now on.

We will likely postpone any longer trips until newborn is older and keep them in the back. I may see if i can squeeze in the middle and/or plan lots of stops.

Posting from hospital as I gave birth yesterday morning :)

Congratulations! Hope you and baby are well and enjoying lots of cuddles! 🌷