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Dear SafeMama: More Car Seats and Pediasure

By Kristie Turck •  Published 08/20/08 •  3 min read

Last updated on August 20th, 2022 at 12:21 am

Dear SafeMama, I have been looking all over the net for an answer with no luck, we have always placed our son since he was born in the center of the back seat, we think is the safest place(because of the side impact problems)on the other hand I know is a bigger hassle as the kid grows. We believe is the safest place but I keep seeing people placing their car seats on the sides of the back seat, what is the safest location to place the car seat lateral sides of back seat or middle (center)?

This is a tough one, but in general, the middle is the safest spot for your child. Followed second by behind the driver’s side. I still have my son in the middle at nearly 18 months and you’re right, as they get older, it gets to be more of a hassle because of the sheer weight. I would recommend leaving them in the middle for as long as you can stand it. Maybe he’ll learn to climb in himself and you won’t have to catapult him in there much longer.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has a list of car safety guidelines to check out as well. Most importantly, the seat should be properly installed and the child buckled in correctly to reduce chances of injury.

Edited to Add: A lot of SafeMama readers have also mentioned that they’ve been advised against placing the car seat in the middle if they have an arm rest, which could possibly dislodge during an accident, possibly causing further injury.   In this case, we advise against placing your seat in the middle.

My son just turned one, and is suspected of having a metabolic disorder that causes him to not gain weight properly. My pedi has suggested putting him on Pediasure, but I wanted to know your thoughts on the safety of the packaging, and if you knew of any organic/ greener such as a protein powder that’s safe for toddlers, etc. Thank you for your time and dedication to helping mothers!

While my son hasn’t had the same problem, we have come to a screeching halt in the eating vegetables category, so I know your concern. I have to try and sneak things into foods now to make sure he gets enough nutrients. While Pediasure would be an easy fix, his body can’t tolerate all the additives and preservatives in a conventional nutritional supplement.

You can easily make something yourself with simple ingredients like whole milk kefir and blending in fruits (and a couple of stealthy veggies too if possible) that are high in protein, such as figs, apricots, honeydew and prunes (easy on the prunes, obviously). You can also blend in some flax seed oil or flax seed meal. The oil might be easier to blend into a drink. I’m a personal fan of Barlean’s in the black bottle. I actually love the taste of it and so does my son. We add it to his oatmeal every morning. Flax seed is also really rich in omegas, which as we all know is vital to baby’s brain and eye development. Another good fruit is avocados. They’re extremely high in protein, and they’re usually bland enough that a lot of kids seem to like them.

Thanks for all the questions and be sure to keep them coming!

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