5 carseats in minivan or is a larger van needed?

[elus0814]

Edited by elus0814 - 10/12/11 at 9:22am

[Carlin]

I don't have specific examples of how to puzzle the seats, but a friend of mine was babysitting her niece and nephew for a few weeks and with the help of a Car Seat Tech, managed to install 5 seats in her van. She had 3 rear facing across the back which she loaded from behind, and 2 up front. I believe 2 of the 3 rear facing seats were radians although I'm not 100% sure. So it can be done!

[DahliaRW]

It can be done with the right combo of seats for sure.  But, probably not all Britax seats.  For your oldest, I would look at a booster.  The only taller harnessed seat is a frontier and that is really wide and not 3 across friendly.  And at 7 she is perfectly safe boostered if she can sit properly (and most 7yos can).  Narrow booster wise I'd look at the turbobooster, parkway, and probooster.  If she can sit in the 2nd row and you really want her harnessed, you could swap seats between her and the 4yo.  Regardless, I'd put the 4yo in the third row in the radian since it's nice and narrow.  The baby in either infant seat shoudl be fine in the 2nd row.  For the two and one year old I'd put at least one of them in either a radian or maestro (both decently narrow) in the 3rd row (or both depending on where you put your oldest).  For the 3 across the third row it's really going to depend on seats.  Go search for the 3 across thread at car-seat.org.  People may have good suggestions there.

[Maedze]

When you say you've tried 'everything' to help the one year old, what did you mean?  I'm concerned on a number of counts. The fact that your pediatrician communicated that was ok to turn her forward facing (at before a year, no less), indicates that he/she has a very poor understanding of the recommendations and physics involving the subject.   

If you can give me an idea of what you've done, I'd like to be able to help you to explore options because it's really absolutely crucial that the one year old be turned rear facing.  The two year old really should be rear facing as well, but the one year old doesn't even meet the very generous bare minimums established by every safety organization. 

[elus0814]

Originally Posted by DahliaRW 

It can be done with the right combo of seats for sure.  But, probably not all Britax seats.  For your oldest, I would look at a booster.  The only taller harnessed seat is a frontier and that is really wide and not 3 across friendly.  And at 7 she is perfectly safe boostered if she can sit properly (and most 7yos can).  Narrow booster wise I'd look at the turbobooster, parkway, and probooster.  If she can sit in the 2nd row and you really want her harnessed, you could swap seats between her and the 4yo.  Regardless, I'd put the 4yo in the third row in the radian since it's nice and narrow.  The baby in either infant seat shoudl be fine in the 2nd row.  For the two and one year old I'd put at least one of them in either a radian or maestro (both decently narrow) in the 3rd row (or both depending on where you put your oldest).  For the 3 across the third row it's really going to depend on seats.  Go search for the 3 across thread at car-seat.org.  People may have good suggestions there.

Thanks, I just looked up carseat.org and they have some great info there. 

[elus0814]

Originally Posted by Maedze 

When you say you've tried 'everything' to help the one year old, what did you mean?  I'm concerned on a number of counts. The fact that your pediatrician communicated that was ok to turn her forward facing (at before a year, no less), indicates that he/she has a very poor understanding of the recommendations and physics involving the subject.   

If you can give me an idea of what you've done, I'd like to be able to help you to explore options because it's really absolutely crucial that the one year old be turned rear facing.  The two year old really should be rear facing as well, but the one year old doesn't even meet the very generous bare minimums established by every safety organization. 

Edited by elus0814 - 10/12/11 at 9:22am

[TheGirls]

If you need to do a three-across in the middle row, I'd do that with the 7yo, 5yo, and 1yo.  Put the 1yo in the center, it's the safest position in the car (since she has to be FF so young) and it's also the best spot for carsick kids because you can see out the front windshield as well.  I'd try her in the Radian.  I'd put the 7yo and 5yo in boosters if the 5yo can handle sitting properly (at almost 6, most kids can).  That way they can get in and out easy for school dropoff. 

Then put the baby and the 2yo in the 3rd row.  The baby can go in through the hatch pretty easily.  If you can RF the 2yo, that would be the easy way to get him in.  If he's staying FF, you can probably tumble one of the outboard seats (boosters don't really get installed, so you'd do this before your big kids get in the car) to get back there to harness him. Can he climb in himself if someone gives him a boost?  He'd be the trickiest to get in and out at that point (I've hatch-loaded an infant seat, it's easy). 

I also have an '07 Odyssey, and I do think you could get three across the 3rd row, but it would have to involve some Radians or boosters. If you put the two biggest back there in boosters, and maybe the 2yo harnessed in a Radian.  Britax seats are huge and don't play nice in 3-across situations.   Then the 1yo could go 2nd row center, FF in something that allows the seat next to it to tumble, and the infant could go 2nd row outboard, RF in an infant seat (or whatever).   The 2nd row is a lot bigger, I have my three-across right now with two Complete Air's and a TrueFit.  Before I had two SnugRides and a TrueFit.  The back row is trickier, you need really narrow seats. 

ETA:  Not everyone is aware, but you can remove the armrests from the 2nd row captain's chairs to make it easier for them to tumble past a carseat in the 2nd row center.  It's pretty easy, just one big bolt to remove. 

[elus0814]

Originally Posted by TheGirls 

If you need to do a three-across in the middle row, I'd do that with the 7yo, 5yo, and 1yo.  Put the 1yo in the center, it's the safest position in the car (since she has to be FF so young) and it's also the best spot for carsick kids because you can see out the front windshield as well.  I'd try her in the Radian.  I'd put the 7yo and 5yo in boosters if the 5yo can handle sitting properly (at almost 6, most kids can).  That way they can get in and out easy for school dropoff. 

Then put the baby and the 2yo in the 3rd row.  The baby can go in through the hatch pretty easily.  If you can RF the 2yo, that would be the easy way to get him in.  If he's staying FF, you can probably tumble one of the outboard seats (boosters don't really get installed, so you'd do this before your big kids get in the car) to get back there to harness him. Can he climb in himself if someone gives him a boost?  He'd be the trickiest to get in and out at that point (I've hatch-loaded an infant seat, it's easy). 

I also have an '07 Odyssey, and I do think you could get three across the 3rd row, but it would have to involve some Radians or boosters. If you put the two biggest back there in boosters, and maybe the 2yo harnessed in a Radian.  Britax seats are huge and don't play nice in 3-across situations.   Then the 1yo could go 2nd row center, FF in something that allows the seat next to it to tumble, and the infant could go 2nd row outboard, RF in an infant seat (or whatever).   The 2nd row is a lot bigger, I have my three-across right now with two Complete Air's and a TrueFit.  Before I had two SnugRides and a TrueFit.  The back row is trickier, you need really narrow seats. 

ETA:  Not everyone is aware, but you can remove the armrests from the 2nd row captain's chairs to make it easier for them to tumble past a carseat in the 2nd row center.  It's pretty easy, just one big bolt to remove. 

Do you think that would work if what you have for the second and third rows was reversed? I can't really see climbing in the back to get a squirmy toddler in his seat then having to stand in a trunk that is often full of strollers and groceries to get the baby out, I'm pretty short and I think I'd be terrified of falling while climbing out with the baby.

[TheGirls]

While the newborn is in the bucket seat you shouldn't need to climb in the trunk, just pass the seat over the backs and click it in.  That way you can strap in baby wherever is comfortable for you.  I'd be worried about the 1yo in the 3rd row if she has a history of carsickness - the 3rd row seems to be much worse for that than the middle row. 

If you're ok with boosters, I bet you can get 7yo and the 5yo in boosters in the 3rd row, with the 2yo in a harnessed radian.  Try to get the 7 & 5yos next to each other where the two seatbelts meet, so they can share the space needed to actually buckle a booster  Then you just need to find a seat that will install in the 2nd row center seat and still allow one of the side seats to tumble so the big kids can get out.  That is probably the trickiest bit.  I know the TrueFit, and the Complete Air will not work, from personal experience.  The cosco scenera almost does, it's a bit iffy.  I'd try out the Radian since you have one, or maybe something like the Cocorro.  I know some people have issues with Radians in that spot, but that may be a RF issue, so maybe it would be ok FF.  That seat is very hard and totally level, plus extremely narrow, which makes it really tricky to get some carseats in well.  An infant seat base might work, but probably not with the infant seat in place, and having to move the baby to get the big kids out for dropoff sounds like it would be a problem. 

A note: The 2nd row center position is the only spot without a tether for a FF seat.  A lot of people feel that tethers are critically important.  I did a bunch of research on this when DD turned forward facing, and no one could tell me if the center spot provided more or less protection than a tether.  The best I got was that center is about 30% safer than outboard and tethered is about 9% safer than not.  Combined with convenience issues, we decided to put our FF 3yo in the center spot untethered. 

I just had a realization though.  Do you need the 6th seat?  Can you pull the "plus one" seat out altogether and just push the two 2nd row captain's chairs together?  That would solve the seat tumbling issue, and you could put nearly any seat on the market in those two captain's chairs, leaving you with just the 3rd row 3-across to battle with. I'd put the biggest three in the 3rd row, with the 2yo on the passenger side so you can buckle him when the big ones aren't around.  Put the 1yo FF, harnessed, tethered in the "center" captain's chair (in whatever carseat your wallet and her bottom enjoy), and the baby in a bucket directly behind the driver.  You can load the baby in easily from the driver's side, your 7 & 5yos should be able to slip past the carseat to get into their boosters, and then you can climb in behind them to buckle the 1yo and 2yo.   The big kids should be able to get around the 2yo to get out, I think.  Worth a trial anyhow!  I still think the 2yo will need to be in a Radian, but this way the only seats you need to buy are two narrow boosters, which are cheap and you're going to need anyhow.  (Assuming you use your radian for the 2yo and something else you already own for the 1yo and baby)

Edited by TheGirls - 10/6/11 at 8:11pm

[elus0814]

Originally Posted by TheGirls 

While the newborn is in the bucket seat you shouldn't need to climb in the trunk, just pass the seat over the backs and click it in.  That way you can strap in baby wherever is comfortable for you.  I'd be worried about the 1yo in the 3rd row if she has a history of carsickness - the 3rd row seems to be much worse for that than the middle row. 

If you're ok with boosters, I bet you can get 7yo and the 5yo in boosters in the 3rd row, with the 2yo in a harnessed radian.  Try to get the 7 & 5yos next to each other where the two seatbelts meet, so they can share the space needed to actually buckle a booster  Then you just need to find a seat that will install in the 2nd row center seat and still allow one of the side seats to tumble so the big kids can get out.  That is probably the trickiest bit.  I know the TrueFit, and the Complete Air will not work, from personal experience.  The cosco scenera almost does, it's a bit iffy.  I'd try out the Radian since you have one, or maybe something like the Cocorro.  I know some people have issues with Radians in that spot, but that may be a RF issue, so maybe it would be ok FF.  That seat is very hard and totally level, plus extremely narrow, which makes it really tricky to get some carseats in well.  An infant seat base might work, but probably not with the infant seat in place, and having to move the baby to get the big kids out for dropoff sounds like it would be a problem. 

A note: The 2nd row center position is the only spot without a tether for a FF seat.  A lot of people feel that tethers are critically important.  I did a bunch of research on this when DD turned forward facing, and no one could tell me if the center spot provided more or less protection than a tether.  The best I got was that center is about 30% safer than outboard and tethered is about 9% safer than not.  Combined with convenience issues, we decided to put our FF 3yo in the center spot untethered. 

I just had a realization though.  Do you need the 6th seat?  Can you pull the "plus one" seat out altogether and just push the two 2nd row captain's chairs together?  That would solve the seat tumbling issue, and you could put nearly any seat on the market in those two captain's chairs, leaving you with just the 3rd row 3-across to battle with. I'd put the biggest three in the 3rd row, with the 2yo on the passenger side so you can buckle him when the big ones aren't around.  Put the 1yo FF, harnessed, tethered in the "center" captain's chair (in whatever carseat your wallet and her bottom enjoy), and the baby in a bucket directly behind the driver.  You can load the baby in easily from the driver's side, your 7 & 5yos should be able to slip past the carseat to get into their boosters, and then you can climb in behind them to buckle the 1yo and 2yo.   The big kids should be able to get around the 2yo to get out, I think.  Worth a trial anyhow!  I still think the 2yo will need to be in a Radian, but this way the only seats you need to buy are two narrow boosters, which are cheap and you're going to need anyhow.  (Assuming you use your radian for the 2yo and something else you already own for the 1yo and baby)

Thank so much! We don't need the extra little seat so pushing the captain's chairs together might work. I use the tether whenever a carseat happens to be in a position that has one. We do not have one for the center in the third row without stringing the tether across the trunk where it keeps snagging on things so I don't use it in that position. 

[Maedze]

What did you try?     Because failure to thrive is trumped by the injuries and death that can occur to an infant in a forward facing seat (not to mention, it is illegal to use a seat against the manufacturer's recommendations.

Originally Posted by elus0814 

Thank you for your concern but we will not be turning her rear facing again. The pediatrician was concerned about her failure to gain weight, she did know what she was talking about and did quite a bit of research and spoke with other pediatricians before recommending turning the baby forward facing early. Car seat safety is important but an infant failing to thrive because of vomiting in their car seat is important as well.

[elus0814]

.

Edited by elus0814 - 10/12/11 at 9:23am

[DahliaRW]

Can we stick to  the OPs question?  She's made it clear that the daily reality of a child loosing weight and not meeting milestones that WILL happen if she vomits rfing is a bigger issue to her than the remote chance that she will get in an accident and her child will be injured due to being ffing and just wants help figuring out seats without her choices being questioned.  The child in question is already 1 and 20, so legal at this point.  We all do the best in the situations we're given.

[Dandelionkid]

Originally Posted by DahliaRW 

Can we stick to  the OPs question?  She's made it clear that the daily reality of a child loosing weight and not meeting milestones that WILL happen if she vomits rfing is a bigger issue to her than the remote chance that she will get in an accident and her child will be injured due to being ffing and just wants help figuring out seats without her choices being questioned.  The child in question is already 1 and 20, so legal at this point.  We all do the best in the situations we're given.

[elus0814]

Originally Posted by DahliaRW 

Can we stick to  the OPs question?  She's made it clear that the daily reality of a child loosing weight and not meeting milestones that WILL happen if she vomits rfing is a bigger issue to her than the remote chance that she will get in an accident and her child will be injured due to being ffing and just wants help figuring out seats without her choices being questioned.  The child in question is already 1 and 20, so legal at this point.  We all do the best in the situations we're given.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.