Ford Focus Wagon, 2 Booster Seats + 1 RF infant?

[heathenmom]

Is this humanly possible?  We really can't afford a new car now, but my family is convinced that there's no way to fit 2 booster seats for the girls, plus a RF infant seat for the baby due in June, in the back of my Focus wagon.  I've tried Googling, but have no idea how to even begin to search for this kind of information.  Can anybody here help, or refer me to a website that could?

Thanks!!

[mama2soren]

Yikes, it could be difficult.  Boosters can actually take up more space than harnessed seats, since you need enough space to easily access the buckles.  I see, though, that your middle child is only 3 or 4.  That is definitely too young for boostering, and a harnessed seat is a must.  You might have luck with a narrow booster for your oldest (like a Turbobooster or Parkway), a Radian for the middle child (it is the narrowest harnessed seat you can buy), and a narrow seat for your newborn.  If I remember correctly, the Focus wagon does not have headrests in the back seat.  That means you MUST keep your oldest in a high back booster.  

The narrowest infant seats are the Chicco Key Fit and the Baby Trend Flex Loc.  The Flex Loc handle must be down in the car, though, which might make it feel like a tight front-to-back fit in a small car, if you're constantly needing room to move it up and down.  An alternative to an infant seat would be to get a Coccoro for the newbie.  It is a small, narrow convertible that fits newborns well and often takes up less space than an infant seat.  

Search this site http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=33226 for others that may have had luck getting 3 across in a Focus.

[heathenmom]

Thanks for the specific seat-recs!  That will be SUPER helpful.

My soon-to-be middle child is a few weeks shy of 4 now, and she's a big girl ... she meets the height, weight and age criteria shown on the booster seat we bought for her and had outgrown the 5-point harness seat she was in ... no matter how I tried I couldn't get the straps buckled around her anymore, and her shoulders were above where they were supposed to be.  We can certainly move her back to a harnessed seat, but since she met all the guidelines I thought she was fine.    I've always followed the guidelines on the seats; should I not be doing that?

You're correct that our car doesn't have headrests on the back seats.  Both booster seats we're using are high-backed seats.

[TheGirls]

From the thread the PP linked - it looks like it is possible.   There was one with a RF KeyFit, FF Radian, and FF HB booster that sounded particularly promising.     Those are all pricey seats, but there may be cheaper options.  If there is a Babies R Us near you you can try a FF Complete Air (nearly as narrow as the Radian and just as tall) and see if you can get any infant seats and boosters to fit with it.  You may find a cheaper combination that way.  I'd at least try the Complete Air, KeyFit, and a Turbobooster. 

Kids shouldn't go in boosters until they are mature enough to sit properly in one 100% of the time.  For most kids that seems to be around 5-6 years old.  The lower limits of most seats are too low to be realistic, IME.  Most seats allow forward-facing at 1yo and 20lbs, which isn't a great idea either (it's best to keep kids RF as long as possible - but at least until 2-3 years old) It sounds like your middle child needs a taller harnessed seat.  How tall is she?

[heathenmom]

Again, thanks for the specific recs.  I'm all of a sudden feeling like an awful parent.  I thought all seats had to meet the same safety regulations and felt comfortable just going with what seemed comfy for the kids, installed properly in the car, and fit our budget.  Looks like I've got some work to do ...

I'm not sure exactly how tall she is (been a while since I measured) but the last time I checked a growth chart she was at the 90th percentile for her age.

[mama2soren]

Originally Posted by heathenmom 

Again, thanks for the specific recs.  I'm all of a sudden feeling like an awful parent.  I thought all seats had to meet the same safety regulations and felt comfortable just going with what seemed comfy for the kids, installed properly in the car, and fit our budget.  Looks like I've got some work to do ...

No, you are not an awful parent!  Awful parents don't care about their kids' safety like you do!  It is true that all seats pass the same safety standards, and all are safe if they are installed properly and used properly.  However, young kids don't often use boosters properly.  It's not as much about height and weight as it is about maturity.  Most kids aren't able to sit well in a booster 100% of the time every time until they're closer to 5 or 6.  Examples of improper (and unsafe) sitting in boosters would include leaning over to pick something up, falling asleep slumped, etc.

What seat did she outgrow?  Many seats have tall enough shells and harness heights to keep kids harnessed until a safe boostering age.  The Radian's top slots are 17.5 inches tall.  There are 3 "models' of the Radian, but they all have the same shell and harness height.  The cheapest is the Radian 65, and that would be a great choice for a 3-4 year old.  It is a convertible seat (RF/FF), so when your newbie outgrows the Coccoro RF you could pass the Radian down to the baby RF, and likely booster your then 6-ish year old.  Recently, Radian 65's have been online for well under $200 ($185 at diapers.com, plus 10% off for new customers!), a Coccoro will run about $160, and a Graco Turbobooster is about $50.  

[an_aurora]

The Focus is definitely do-able for a three across!

The Evenflo Maestro is cheap and has high top slots, but it only goes to 50 pounds, so if she's close to that it wouldn't be an option.  It's easier to get three across with a harnessed seat than a booster, since it's difficult to buckle a booster when you have to squeeze your hand in between seats.  

[heathenmom]

I don't know how to thank y'all for taking the time to answer my questions.  I talked with my husband this afternoon, and I think y'all have saved us, literally, thousands of dollars, plus helped us to make sure our kids are safer.  Pregnancy hormones are kicking in and I want to just cry.

Thank you.