3 seats across in a Ford Escort??

[noahs.mom06]

We're having our third baby in July, and I'm trying to figure out what in the world we are going to do for carseats. I know for sure that I can fit 2 ComfortSports and a Scenera across the back seat of our Escort, because I've done it before, but DS has outgrown the Scenera by height, so he'll need a new seat either way. What we have been planning is to get a new seat for DS, and a new seat for DD, and use DD's ComfortSport for the baby. I'm looking for recommendations for seats for the two bigger kids that will fit in the car...

Here are the requirements, I guess:

Can't be wider than a ComfortSport

Prefer to 5-pt harness as long as possible

RF seat can't have a longer shell than a ComfortSport (seriously, I sit on the dashboard even with the ComfortSport RF!)

Both DS and DD are FF at this point. DD was RF, but was constantly getting carsick, and because of her medical condition, it's a huge deal when she gets sick (think, gallons of throwup on EVERYTHING). She hasn't gotten sick since switching FF, and since she'll have to FF when baby's born anyway, in order for DH to ride in the car (he's 6'4"), it just seemed like we might as well switch her now.

DS is 42" tall and weighs ~34/35 lbs, DD is 33 1/2" tall and weighs ~25 lbs.

We were hoping to take advantage of the trade-in 25% off deal at BRU, but they don't sell Radians, and the narrowest seat we found that would work for the two bigger kids (Safety 1st Alpha-Omega Elite) wouldn't fit in our car.

Also can someone remind me what website it is that is a forum about carseats with a bunch of techs on it?

[mama2soren]

http://www.car-seat.org/search.php?searchid=3141228  I linked you to the "successful 3 across thread" with a search for Ford Escorts.  Hope it's helpful.

Good to know the AOE wouldn't fit.... they're pretty overpriced for what you get (low harness height that's outgrown too quickly, and convert into awful, unsafe boosters).  Did you try a Maestro?  Those are FF only, and relatively narrow.  They have nice high harnesses, and should fit almost all kids until they're ready for full time boostering.  They convert into good boosters, though they are outgrown in booster mode right around the time they're outgrown in harness mode.  Still, not a bad deal for only $80.  The Scenera is relatively narrow.  Can your DD still use that FF?

You might need to invest in at least one Radian, which is the narrowest convertible.  You could find a decent deal on a Radian 65 online, probably less than you'd get it for at BRU with the 25% off anyway.  It looks like several people at Car-Seat.Org had succesful Radian installs in their Escorts, both FF and RF.  All of the Radians (the 65, the 80, and the XT) have the same shell height and the same harness heights.   Investing in a Radian 65 or 2 might make your installs easier.

Can you install the Comfort Sport in the center to help give the front seat people more room?  

The Comfort Sport is outgrown very quickly both RF and FF, with its short shell and really low RF limit, the lowest on the market.  You'll need another RF seat for your baby if you want to keep him/her RF to 2+ years.  Perhaps the Scenera would fit RF between the FF Radians/Maestros.  That would give you more RF time.  Or, when the time comes, you could put the Radian RF in the center between 2 Maestros or a Maestro and a booster.

So... to summarize my ideas:

Narrow FF seats: Maestro, Scenera (for DD), Radian

RF seats: Comfort Sport until outgrown, Scenera, Radian

[mama2soren]

FYI, a quick Google search found the Radian 65 on sale at JustKidsStore.come for only $170!  I ordered my Radian from them a couple years ago.  They shipped it quickly (and for free!), and I had no trouble with the site at all.  Looks like BabyCatalog.com has them for $172, maybe with another 15% off with code "NEWYR15."  Also free shipping.

Search around and see what you find!

[noahs.mom06]

Thanks for your input! DD could actually still RF in the ComfortSport, and she's older than 2 years... We just decided it's better and more pleasant for everyone not to clean up a gallon of vomit everytime we ride somewhere in the car. I make small, slow growing babies (DS was the same way).

We've tried to RF a seat in the middle, and it doesn't work, the space between the front seats isn't enough so it makes the driver's seat have to be more forward, which isn't an option with DH (he needs the seat as far back as it will go). I saw a post with a picture on car-seat.org of an attempt to RF the Radian in a car just like mine and she said it just wouldn't work, unless the person in the front seat rode with their knees on the dash...

I'm thinking now that maybe we could just get a Radian for DS, put DD in the Scenera we already have (or get her a new one since they're cheap and something seems to be wrong with the seatbelt on the one we have), and put the baby in the ComfortSport... by the time DD outgrows the Scenera, DS could move to a booster and she could have the Radian, and we'd just have to figure something out for the baby, if it's too big for the ComfortSport by then... I have a couple of friends with Radians so I'll have to try that combo and see if they fit...

[an_aurora]

This thread shows pics of a successful RF'ing Radian install, with 3 FF Radians.

[noahs.mom06]

The angle on the RF Radian you're talking about (I'm assuming you mean the pictures further down in the post) doesn't seem like it would work for a newborn... Seems way too upright to me for a little baby... Also it doesn't look like the front seats are all the way back, and DH's front seat HAS to be all the way back in order for him to even fit in the car.

I have 2 friends who have Radians and one who has a Coccoro, so I think the first thing I will do is try a Radian with the Scenera and the ComfortSport, and if that doesn't work, then 2 Radians with the ComfortSport, and if that doesn't work, then trying the Radians with the Coccoro to see if it would work. DH and I have also talked a little more about looking for an affordable used minivan, since even if we can fit 3 seats across in the back, we won't have room for anything else, and none of us will be comfortable...

[an_aurora]

Yes, it's too upright for a NB.  I was thinking the Radian would be RF in the center for the older kiddo with the baby's seat behind the passenger.  With the driver's seat all the way back the Radian would just fit in between the seats.  

[noahs.mom06]

I'm not too worried about RF'ing DD anymore, I'd like to based on her weight, but she has underlying health issues that make her more prone to vomiting anyway (like full-on, hollywood style projectile vomiting), and we finally figured out on a long road trip in December that the reason she was throwing up every time we rode in the car was because she was rear-facing and apparently getting carsick (I get horrible motion sickness myself, so it wasn't really a surprise). Since we've turned her, she hasn't thrown up at all. She did RF till age 2, I would've liked her to have RF'd until she outgrew the limit on her seat, but I also don't think it's worth it to have her get sick EVERY time we ride in the car (not pleasant for her, and awful for us to have to clean up).

So we only have to fit the baby's seat in RF, which is nice because there really isn't that much room between the front seats, and I don't honestly think there is a seat that is narrow enough to fit RF between them. In those pictures above, it looks like the Radian is in between the head rests on the front seats, but doesn't actually fit between the backs of the seats.

[an_aurora]

In that case, one RF'ing seat (say the Coccoro) would be fabulous either in the center or behind the passenger's seat.  :)  FF Radians for the older two would certainly fit, or if you want to go with a cheaper option the Evenflo Maestro is very narrow. 

The Coccoro is tiny, and even with it at the most reclined it doesn't take up much room at all.  If you use a different convertible it would be tight at a 45* angle but in a few months could go more upright which would save you some room.  The Scenera fits newborns well too, but I'm not sure about the ComfortSport--I think I remember reading it has pretty tall bottom slots.

[noahs.mom06]

When we first left the hospital with DD she was about the size of a normal newborn (although she was 4 months old) and she fit in the ComfortSport... but you're right, the bottom slots are higher than the Scenera's. My concern was that, according to their specs, the Coccoro has a 2" taller shell than the CS, which was a tight fit last time... we'll get it all figured out though I'm sure :) Thank you for your help!