Baby Rear Car Seat Location

sexpot · 05-16-2019, 02:48 PM

Hey There!

Baby expected later this year so I'm in the process of researching car seats, stroller etc.

I'm eyeing the Britax B-Safe 35 infant car seat and was wondering how I would secure it to the middle seat in the back?

I see there's isofix points on the outer seats. Do I use the two inner most isofix points and attach the baby seat to the middle? Or does the middle section only use the seat belt for securing the seat?

If the middle seat is not preferred, I assume the next best place would be behind the driver seat and use the actual isofix points?

Thanks in advance!

upsidedownfunnel · 05-16-2019, 03:05 PM

Not sure about the F36, but my F30 has four LATCH points that are more or less evenly spaced to be able to fit on either side or the center. So if they were numbered 1 through 4, you'd use LATCH 2 and 3 to secure a seat in the middle. It's evident that BMW is allowing this because there is a top middle LATCH on the rear deck for mounting a car seat in the middle position.

The middle position is slightly safer since you're better protected from side impacts. It's also more useful, I've found, if you frequently have two people in the back seat. If you typically have one person in the back seat, it's more convenient to put the child seat on one side. Don't forget to turn on the child safety locks on both doors regardless of what position you put the seat in.

Congratulations!

Gen13 F36 · 05-16-2019, 03:50 PM

Time for mini van😂.... joking

If you do choose the side seat. Passenger is the ideal choice so your not on the side of incoming cars when your putting your baby on the car

AlpineX · 05-16-2019, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sexpot

Hey There!

Baby expected later this year so I'm in the process of researching car seats, stroller etc.

I'm eyeing the Britax B-Safe 35 infant car seat and was wondering how I would secure it to the middle seat in the back?

I see there's isofix points on the outer seats. Do I use the two inner most isofix points and attach the baby seat to the middle? Or does the middle section only use the seat belt for securing the seat?

If the middle seat is not preferred, I assume the next best place would be behind the driver seat and use the actual isofix points?

Thanks in advance!

Latch is not for the middle seat, and upper tether is not directly related to latch usage. Use the belt for the middle, and use whichever is more secure on the sides. Note total weight limit for child and seat for Latch usage. Test fit all the seats you like before purchasing...

Check out the uppababy mesa, we liked that. Infant seat should be comfy but not hot.

Mr Podman · 05-16-2019, 06:33 PM

BMW branded baby seat ftw

podman

chat.abey · 05-16-2019, 07:29 PM

I have it set to the passenger side on my F30. I was gonna go in the middle using the latches but I believe the manual says to use the latches only if the car seat is on one of the sides (don’t quote me on this). You can use the seatbelt and secure the base in the center. I found out it was easier to set it on the passenger side because of the way the drivers seat is positioned so that is where I put it.

We have yet to actually take her in the F30 since we use the SUV whenever we take her somewhere but the Maxi Cosi Mico Max 30 we have fits in the F30.

sexpot · 05-17-2019, 11:44 AM

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for the informative posts. I will double check the car manual once I get a chance. Regarding seat positioning, I appreciate the advice for the passenger side due to oncoming traffic if we park on the side streets - good tip.

I'll have to make sure the blind spot is not block too much by the seat having it on the passenger side.

Upsidedownfunnel - I was also thinking about the latch positions 2 & 3 for center seat securing. Do you know if that will affect the side passenger seat belts?

chowser51 · 05-17-2019, 01:52 PM

Don’t use latch 2 and 3. Center seat use the seat belt. If you measure the distances, 1-2 and 3-4 will be identical. 2-3 is usually not.
Use the seatbelt for the center seat then tether to the rear deck.

If the seat fits poorly in the center, it’s better to use one of the side seats.

Check your local fire stations. Some offer car seat help/instruction/installation.
I was a car seat tech almost twenty years ago and I hated doing installs. I preferred teaching parents how to install.

luckysnafu · 05-17-2019, 01:59 PM

I can confirm what others are saying, the latches cannot be used in the center seat location, belt only there. I had my infant car seat checked at a fire station seat inspection a couple weeks ago and was informed seat belt only for the center seat, which is where I have mine placed.

FYI for car seats and latches - NHTSA advises parents not to use the lower anchors of LATCH if the combined weight of the child and the car seat is 65 pounds or more.

eja · 05-17-2019, 02:44 PM

My experience with convertible seats (in F31 and F34) has been that there are none that will fit in the center position without covering up the seat belt buckles for the side passengers. Only the narrowest one I could find would fit in one of the outer positions and still allow for the middle seat to be usable.

The other issue I found with the middle position is that the buckle/latch comes up higher than it does in the outer positions, so it can be impossible to tighten the belt on some of the seats depending on how low the routing path of the belt is through the base.

Maybe an infant seat with a narrow & tall base would fit, though. There is a store in my area that let me test fit all of the seats they carried which was very helpful.

The other issues are how heavy the baby+carrier are, which may limit how tolerable you find lifting and carrying the seat into the middle position to be, vs. how far back you will be able to have the driver and passenger seats with the car seat in the outer positions.

sexpot · 05-17-2019, 06:02 PM

Wow, thank you everyone for the additional input. I will definitely pay a visit to our local Fire Station once we have the seat!

My takeaway, center seat = seat belt only!

Gr-Racing · 05-17-2019, 06:05 PM

Center seat is what we are using and we have the britax 35 it holds steady but on long rides we also add the seat belt...

Ps the britax is the best but you have to buy all the add ons that were it gets even more $$

WiredAce · 05-18-2019, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sexpot

Hey There!

Baby expected later this year so I'm in the process of researching car seats, stroller etc.

I'm eyeing the Britax B-Safe 35 infant car seat and was wondering how I would secure it to the middle seat in the back?

I see there's isofix points on the outer seats. Do I use the two inner most isofix points and attach the baby seat to the middle? Or does the middle section only use the seat belt for securing the seat?

If the middle seat is not preferred, I assume the next best place would be behind the driver seat and use the actual isofix points?

Thanks in advance!

I have the f36 and use a Joie car seat on the passenger side so I can see my little troublemaker! I'll attach a picture. Used an isofix but it has a anchor strap too that flips over to the rear of the seat and there's fixing points on either side. I personally wouldn't use the middle seat (if you can call it that)

Congratulations btw!!

sexpot · 05-29-2019, 02:31 AM

What would you suggest in terms of the actual bmw seat for protection against indents, tears to the leather?

I'm thinking to get a pad of some sorts for the leather, just curious what's good out there that doesn't leave marks, scuffs etc onto my red seats.

NYOreo23 · 05-29-2019, 06:40 AM

Crazy coincidence to see this post.
I too have a baby on the way. (First baby)
Own an F30 335 and was wondering what were my options and ways to do all this baby stuff haha

Great comments to OP, thanks guys.

paidnfull · 05-29-2019, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYOreo23

Crazy coincidence to see this post.
I too have a baby on the way. (First baby)
Own an F30 335 and was wondering what were my options and ways to do all this baby stuff haha

Great comments to OP, thanks guys.

In the exact same position (except I'm in a 328). First kid on the way as well. Congrats to you!

Lots of good info in this thread

frenchi · 05-29-2019, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sexpot

What would you suggest in terms of the actual bmw seat for protection against indents, tears to the leather?

I'm thinking to get a pad of some sorts for the leather, just curious what's good out there that doesn't leave marks, scuffs etc onto my red seats.

I got this one and quality is what you can expect from Bmw

http://mwerke.bewus.com/index.php?ro...product_id=732

sexpot · 05-29-2019, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frenchi

I got this one and quality is what you can expect from Bmw

http://mwerke.bewus.com/index.php?ro...product_id=732

That's perfect! Thanks for the suggestion

AlpineX · 05-29-2019, 05:08 PM

https://www.amazon.com/OXFORD-Luxury...7602&s=gateway

Not for use on light colored seats. Happy with these for the price.

Alarbus · 05-30-2019, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYOreo23

Crazy coincidence to see this post.
I too have a baby on the way. (First baby)
Own an F30 335 and was wondering what were my options and ways to do all this baby stuff haha

Great comments to OP, thanks guys.

First important step is to avoid tweaking your back screwing around with the (empty) car seat before the baby arrives. Or maybe you don't avoid it, I can't remember, a year and a half ago was a bit of a blur.

The F30 is just fine with a car seat, though my suggestion on picking a car seat is make sure you can both easily work the release. We bought a Peg Perego because it works well for my wife when she's taking him to/from daycare.

We've used my 335 for a bunch of road trips, and I think the only change I want to make is either tinting, or the snap in darkening screens.

And congrats guys!

CajunBMW · 05-31-2019, 12:27 AM

We have 3 kids from 16 to 7. We used a variety of car seats. Many of the companies are listed above, including Britax, Graco. Our favorite when the kids were little, when one used the car seat that plugs into the base (thus when sleeping you take the seat and leave the base), was to have a base in each car. So that either one of us could make the kid run. All the advice above is good. Seat belt in the middle, latches on side. There are 3 latch points on the top of the f30 so can use a third hard point if using the middle for a front facing seat. When the kids were little we liked the middle for both rear facing and front facing in our old bmw. In our van we used the driver side captains chair in row two (no middle seat in that van in row 2. I agree to check the fire station if you have a safety question. The key is enjoy the kids because before long they will be driving your car. My teen loves driving my car.

NYOreo23 · 05-31-2019, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alarbus

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYOreo23

Crazy coincidence to see this post.
I too have a baby on the way. (First baby)
Own an F30 335 and was wondering what were my options and ways to do all this baby stuff haha

Great comments to OP, thanks guys.

First important step is to avoid tweaking your back screwing around with the (empty) car seat before the baby arrives. Or maybe you don't avoid it, I can't remember, a year and a half ago was a bit of a blur.

The F30 is just fine with a car seat, though my suggestion on picking a car seat is make sure you can both easily work the release. We bought a Peg Perego because it works well for my wife when she's taking him to/from daycare.

We've used my 335 for a bunch of road trips, and I think the only change I want to make is either tinting, or the snap in darkening screens.

And congrats guys!

Hmmm I do have tinted windows. I think I'll do those darkening screens as well.
Due date Jan 5th.... so I got a little time but I was definitely on the side of those like travel systems (I think that's what they are called). The ones you can just snap right into a stroller attachment. The Doona looks awesome but seems like it had no storage.

Excuse my newb-ness, still new to all the baby stuff haha

05-16-2019, 02:48 PM	#1
sexpot Enlisted Member 7 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2018 F36 Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Vancouver, BC iTrader: (0)	Baby Rear Car Seat Location - F36 Hey There! Baby expected later this year so I'm in the process of researching car seats, stroller etc. I'm eyeing the Britax B-Safe 35 infant car seat and was wondering how I would secure it to the middle seat in the back? I see there's isofix points on the outer seats. Do I use the two inner most isofix points and attach the baby seat to the middle? Or does the middle section only use the seat belt for securing the seat? If the middle seat is not preferred, I assume the next best place would be behind the driver seat and use the actual isofix points? Thanks in advance! Last edited by sexpot; 05-16-2019 at 02:55 PM..
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05-16-2019, 03:05 PM	#2
upsidedownfunnel Colonel 1999 Rep 2,499 Posts Drives: 2014 335i Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: SoCal iTrader: (4) Garage List 2014 BMW 335i [0.00]	Not sure about the F36, but my F30 has four LATCH points that are more or less evenly spaced to be able to fit on either side or the center. So if they were numbered 1 through 4, you'd use LATCH 2 and 3 to secure a seat in the middle. It's evident that BMW is allowing this because there is a top middle LATCH on the rear deck for mounting a car seat in the middle position. The middle position is slightly safer since you're better protected from side impacts. It's also more useful, I've found, if you frequently have two people in the back seat. If you typically have one person in the back seat, it's more convenient to put the child seat on one side. Don't forget to turn on the child safety locks on both doors regardless of what position you put the seat in. Congratulations!
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05-16-2019, 03:50 PM	#3
Gen13 F36 Brigadier General 1599 Rep 3,748 Posts Drives: 428i Gran Coupe Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (1)	Time for mini van😂.... joking If you do choose the side seat. Passenger is the ideal choice so your not on the side of incoming cars when your putting your baby on the car
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05-16-2019, 06:33 PM	#5
Mr Podman Banned 221 Rep 529 Posts Drives: 3 Series GT Stage 0.5 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: North America iTrader: (0)	BMW branded baby seat ftw podman Attached Images Last edited by Mr Podman; 05-16-2019 at 06:39 PM..
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05-16-2019, 07:29 PM	#6
chat.abey New Member 7 Rep 13 Posts Drives: 2013 BMW 535i GT Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: TX iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 BMW 535i GT [0.00]	I have it set to the passenger side on my F30. I was gonna go in the middle using the latches but I believe the manual says to use the latches only if the car seat is on one of the sides (don’t quote me on this). You can use the seatbelt and secure the base in the center. I found out it was easier to set it on the passenger side because of the way the drivers seat is positioned so that is where I put it. We have yet to actually take her in the F30 since we use the SUV whenever we take her somewhere but the Maxi Cosi Mico Max 30 we have fits in the F30.
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05-17-2019, 11:44 AM	#7
sexpot Enlisted Member 7 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2018 F36 Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Vancouver, BC iTrader: (0)	Hi Everyone, Thank you for the informative posts. I will double check the car manual once I get a chance. Regarding seat positioning, I appreciate the advice for the passenger side due to oncoming traffic if we park on the side streets - good tip. I'll have to make sure the blind spot is not block too much by the seat having it on the passenger side. Upsidedownfunnel - I was also thinking about the latch positions 2 & 3 for center seat securing. Do you know if that will affect the side passenger seat belts?
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05-17-2019, 01:52 PM	#8
chowser51 Colonel 2025 Rep 2,806 Posts Drives: F33 430 and F39 M35i Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cleveland, OH iTrader: (3) Garage List 2018 BMW 430i xDrive [0.00]	Don’t use latch 2 and 3. Center seat use the seat belt. If you measure the distances, 1-2 and 3-4 will be identical. 2-3 is usually not. Use the seatbelt for the center seat then tether to the rear deck. If the seat fits poorly in the center, it’s better to use one of the side seats. Check your local fire stations. Some offer car seat help/instruction/installation. I was a car seat tech almost twenty years ago and I hated doing installs. I preferred teaching parents how to install.
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05-17-2019, 01:59 PM	#9
luckysnafu Enlisted Member 5 Rep 34 Posts Drives: 2012 328i \| 1990 332i (S52) Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: CT iTrader: (0)	I can confirm what others are saying, the latches cannot be used in the center seat location, belt only there. I had my infant car seat checked at a fire station seat inspection a couple weeks ago and was informed seat belt only for the center seat, which is where I have mine placed. FYI for car seats and latches - NHTSA advises parents not to use the lower anchors of LATCH if the combined weight of the child and the car seat is 65 pounds or more.
	Appreciate 1 sexpot7.00 Quote

05-17-2019, 02:44 PM	#10
eja Registered 4 Rep 4 Posts Drives: F34 330i Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	My experience with convertible seats (in F31 and F34) has been that there are none that will fit in the center position without covering up the seat belt buckles for the side passengers. Only the narrowest one I could find would fit in one of the outer positions and still allow for the middle seat to be usable. The other issue I found with the middle position is that the buckle/latch comes up higher than it does in the outer positions, so it can be impossible to tighten the belt on some of the seats depending on how low the routing path of the belt is through the base. Maybe an infant seat with a narrow & tall base would fit, though. There is a store in my area that let me test fit all of the seats they carried which was very helpful. The other issues are how heavy the baby+carrier are, which may limit how tolerable you find lifting and carrying the seat into the middle position to be, vs. how far back you will be able to have the driver and passenger seats with the car seat in the outer positions.
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05-17-2019, 06:02 PM	#11
sexpot Enlisted Member 7 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2018 F36 Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Vancouver, BC iTrader: (0)	Wow, thank you everyone for the additional input. I will definitely pay a visit to our local Fire Station once we have the seat! My takeaway, center seat = seat belt only!
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05-17-2019, 06:05 PM	#12
Gr-Racing First Lieutenant 206 Rep 356 Posts Drives: E46, F30 335i, 1986 K75 Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: GA iTrader: (1)	Center seat is what we are using and we have the britax 35 it holds steady but on long rides we also add the seat belt... Ps the britax is the best but you have to buy all the add ons that were it gets even more $$
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05-29-2019, 02:31 AM	#14
sexpot Enlisted Member 7 Rep 44 Posts Drives: 2018 F36 Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Vancouver, BC iTrader: (0)	What would you suggest in terms of the actual bmw seat for protection against indents, tears to the leather? I'm thinking to get a pad of some sorts for the leather, just curious what's good out there that doesn't leave marks, scuffs etc onto my red seats.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-29-2019, 06:40 AM	#15
NYOreo23 Private 21 Rep 68 Posts Drives: 2014 BMW 335xi Join Date: May 2019 Location: Allentown, PA iTrader: (0)	Crazy coincidence to see this post. I too have a baby on the way. (First baby) Own an F30 335 and was wondering what were my options and ways to do all this baby stuff haha Great comments to OP, thanks guys.
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05-29-2019, 05:08 PM	#19
AlpineX Captain 247 Rep 776 Posts Drives: Diesel Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: US iTrader: (0)	https://www.amazon.com/OXFORD-Luxury...7602&s=gateway Not for use on light colored seats. Happy with these for the price.
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05-31-2019, 12:27 AM	#21
CajunBMW Lieutenant Colonel 1289 Rep 1,641 Posts Drives: BMW 340i and X1, Chrysler Van Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Shreveport, LA iTrader: (0)	We have 3 kids from 16 to 7. We used a variety of car seats. Many of the companies are listed above, including Britax, Graco. Our favorite when the kids were little, when one used the car seat that plugs into the base (thus when sleeping you take the seat and leave the base), was to have a base in each car. So that either one of us could make the kid run. All the advice above is good. Seat belt in the middle, latches on side. There are 3 latch points on the top of the f30 so can use a third hard point if using the middle for a front facing seat. When the kids were little we liked the middle for both rear facing and front facing in our old bmw. In our van we used the driver side captains chair in row two (no middle seat in that van in row 2. I agree to check the fire station if you have a safety question. The key is enjoy the kids because before long they will be driving your car. My teen loves driving my car.
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