So my GLE only has Isofix attachment points on the rear right and left seats. None in the rear middle seat. It's my understanding that the safest position for a baby seat is in the center in the back, as opposed to on one of the sides...but that would mean securing it with the adult seatbelt. What do you guys do/recommend?

TIA

 

We just had a newborn in the family and I was wondering the same question. I ended up getting the NUNA PIPA and assembled it on the second row right side with isofix anchor. I think I was having a hard time putting it in the middle seat since I could only do the seat belt option. I ended up going with the ISOFIX Anchor.

 

I also wanted to know as well. I put all my car seats behind driver seat

 

no longer have the issue, but i was using car seats before the top tether was around. if you secure the seat with the lap belt properly, it WILL NOT move. added comfort of the top tether now. you must use the belt cinch correctly. i would cinch the belt short, kneel on the car seat, and then buckle. i used car seat mats also to mitigate impression into the auto seat. good luck, ron

 

Which means this - yes - you can properly install a Child's Seat in the center - you have center tether - and "most" child seats have adjustable Isofix straps - so you clip into the inboard Isofix anchors on each side.

Good tip - since center position is not as "flat" as outboard seat section - yep - a mat will help in general fitting.

 

The middle seat is much safer. Here are some links that talk about it, and have links back to a study in Pediatrics that showed children from newborns up to 3 were 43% safer in the middle seating position.
https://saferide4kids.com/blog/where...your-car-seat/
http://thecarseatlady.com/center-or-side/#

If your car doesn't have LATCH hooks for the middle seat, check the owners manual before you "borrow" from the outboard seating positions. Some allow for it, some don't. Also, heads up, LATCH is only recommended up to a certain weight limit (weight of the carseat + weight of kiddo). You have to check the owner's manual for both the car and the car seat to find out the weight limit. We switched to a new car seat this summer to keep our daughter rear facing. The new one is pretty heavy and as a result, we had to switch to using the seat belt instead of the LATCH anchors. I sure missed the LATCH system at first and I ended up emailing pictures back and forth with the company before I was happy with the install. It takes some getting used to, and there are definitely some tricks to. But I have my daughter's Clek Foonf installed rear facing in the center position using the seat belt right now of a 2018 GL350. In fact, I have the car for an extended test drive and I just installed it this evening. It was easier to install in the GLE, and I think I am getting a better installation overall, compared to my Honda Odyssey.

I'm sorry to disagree with another member, but if your kiddo is forward facing then you absolutely should use the top tether regardless of if you are using LATCH, or the seat belt. If your kiddo is rear facing, only certain car seats can/should be tethered (it's a short list of the ones in the USA that can be tethered). Here are a couple of links that talk about tethering:
https://csftl.org/why-tethering-is-so-important/
http://thecarseatlady.com/rearfacingtether/

I've been lurking on this site for a day or two, but when I saw this thread, I had to post. Car seat safety is something I am really big on and research a lot. However, everyone's situation is different and I'm not going to put anyone down for their choices. But I just wanted to share the information from respected resources that I have found when I was trying to figure out similar questions for our daughter. I hope this helps you figure things out.

 

We used the center seat+seatbelt for our infant seat(chicco) and for our convertible seat(britax advocate clicktight). Both fit well in our GLE and c300(w205), allowing two people sitting on either side.

Always do rear-facing until 2yrs old(or above set weight limit), im pretty sure that’s the law in the US.