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Anyone have 3 carseats in the back seat/bench seat? Not a minivan/SUV..

post #1 of 21
2/10/05 at 5:55pm
Thread Starter 
Another car seat question....if you can take it!

Anyone have 3 seats in the back of a car? We have a Subaru and the back seat is 72" and are expecting a 3rd baby in June 05.

We trying to plan ahead in the event that we need to sell it the Subaru. I think if I replace my Graco and Fisher Price seats with narrower seats I can get through to at least Summer '06 with all three kids in the back seat until the baby is around a year old +/- and still rear facing in her baby seat.

My other 2 kids are slim/petite and I feel they'll need to be in substantial seats or boosters for years and in NY State we're required until they are at least 6. That's fine by me. I figure that even if I buy top of the line Britax seats it's cheaper than getting a new car.

Any thoughts? suggestions....
Thanks!

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post #2 of 21
2/10/05 at 6:18pm
NO suggestions but I can Sympathize,
one in a convertible carseat one in an infant carseat and 6 y/o dd in the middle, so ds1 won't try and poke ds2 in the eye!


In a 92 ford escort station wagon
post #3 of 21
2/10/05 at 6:21pm
i've been in the same boat for 5 years ... sigh. my oldest daughter has moved to the front seat 2 years ago to make room for baby #4. i now have 2 booster seats in the back and still my car seat in the middle. my son is just a few pounds shy of 60lbs which is when they can come out of there seats in canada anyway ...
good luck!
mandi

oh, i forgot to add that i bought the slimmest car seats possible with the 5 point harness to make them all fit in there. it was a darned snug fit!!
post #4 of 21
2/10/05 at 6:21pm
My SIL has a 4 yr old and newborn twins- all three in the back of a Toyota Matrix. Right now she has one bucket, one Roundabout and one booster, but she is planning to do 2 roundabouts and a booster (and she's measured/tried and they all fit) I don't know what kind of booster she has though (she doesn't do her homework on carseats, she only has the Roundabouts on my suggestion. She did have the 4yo in a seat with a shield : Don't have to do much reading to know that is BAD NEWS.

Good luck!

-Angela
post #5 of 21
2/10/05 at 11:05pm
We recently went to the musuem with my 2 kids and a 4 yr old friend in the back seat (and 2 adults in the front) of our Subaru Forester. We had a RF Britax Roundabout, a FF Britax Wizard, and the 4 yr old's booster seat (not sure what brand, but I think most boosters are roughly the same size) in the back, and we fit fine. This test was important to me--it showed me we can have a 3rd child ourselves and not have to sell the car.

Hope this helps...
post #6 of 21
2/10/05 at 11:10pm
We had an older Subaru (86) and I got quite a combination of three car seats across the back. I did home daycare. For a while I had two rear facing Graco Infant seats and a Cosco (I think it was) booster in the middle. Then, I had three Eddie Bauer (I don't know the brand...) boosters across the back. I'm not sure if the newer Subaru's just don't have as much room.
post #7 of 21
2/10/05 at 11:18pm
I had three in the back of a Ford Escort. Tight fit.

I'd recommend going with harnessed seats if possible (they might be a tiny bit wider than a booster, but you're kids won't get their hands pinched trying to buckle in OR accidentally unbuckle the other seats). If you go with a booster, I would recommend the Britax Bodyguard because it is adjustable across the width, so you can shrink it down a lot.

Do you have three shoulder belts in the back? If no, that really limits you anyway (you have to have a shoulder belt to use a booster).

While I *love Britax, sometimes it works better to get more than one brand--- one that sits high (like a Roundabout) next to one that sits low (certain Century combos are very flat bottomed). If you have a Babies R US they will let you try them out in your car. some other places will, too, but you have to ask around.

Here is a carseat measurements database (not sure how updated it is currently) so you can try to puzzle together what seats will work for you:

http://www.carseatdata.org/stats.html


Good luck!
post #8 of 21
2/10/05 at 11:26pm
It is possible, you'll have to do some experimenting however. I can get 3 seats in the back of my Mercury Tracer, but it isn't easy, and I'm assuming your Subaru is bigger. Regular infant buckets tend to take up a lot of room, because of the handle. You could probably use the Fisher Price seat(I'm going to guess and say it's a Safe Embrace) rearfacing, in the middle for the new baby, and then two combination seats for your other children on each side(if they're under 40lbs). Most combination seats are rather narrow, so you should be able to do it. Just stay away from the Cosco combination seats, they have low top slots, and twisty straps.

You could try Britax too, but the Marathon is a big seat, and I can't see 2 of those, plus some seat for the infant in the back of a Subaru.
post #9 of 21
2/10/05 at 11:34pm
I have a 2000 Dodge Neon and have a FF Britax Roundabout in the center spot (no shoulder belt so it works best there), a Graco Ultra CarGo behind the passenger seat (with the harness, not used as a belt positioning booster yet) and either an evenflo infant carrier without the base (won't work with the base...just not enough room) or a Backless Grco Turbo Booster (for a 9 yr old...she is too tall for the back but loves the bottom) in the back.

ETA - I used to have 2 FF Britax Roundabouts and a RF Britax Galaxy and they all fit as well
post #10 of 21
2/10/05 at 11:35pm
Quote:
You could try Britax too, but the Marathon is a big seat, and I can't see 2 of those, plus some seat for the infant in the back of a Subaru.
We've had two marathons plus a booster in the back of the Escort. VERY tight fit. When we were down to just one Marathon it was much easier!
post #11 of 21
2/10/05 at 11:46pm
See, when I did get 3 seats in the Tracer(which is basically the same as an Escort) they were all narrow seats, an Evenflo Scout, a Cosco infant seat, and a Britax Starriser Comfy(I was driving a friend to the airport, the Scout and the infant seat were her's, this was before I had DS #2) And yeah, they did fit, but I had to very carefully get the infant seat's handle positioned so that it wouldn't interfere with how the Scout was installed.

And I have a Marathon now, and my son has outgrown boosters. I do keep meaning to get my Fisher Price SIV back from my inlaws(who never used it, used an infant seat someone else gave them instead) and see if I could still get 3 seats across, while having the Marathon.
post #12 of 21
2/10/05 at 11:53pm
Ooooo, you have a Fisher Price Stay In View? LUCKY YOU!!!! We had one with DS and Loved it, but it was the last one in the Seattle Metro area, lol, and we had to drive to get it (Fisher Price stopped making car seats).
post #13 of 21
2/11/05 at 12:06am
Yep, FP had just stopped making seats when I found out I was pg with #2. I managed to get a Safe Embrace when they were shipped to Walmart to sell(got it for $30 too!)

The SIV was tougher, I was searching everywhere online for one, and then I saw a post on the Baby Bargains boards that a Babies R Us in Alabama had a few. I called them up that day, and got the last one! That seat was also on clearance, with shipping it cost me $60. Worth every penny too. I'm short, and I can not stand regular infant seats, and I just really wanted the SIV. Funny thing is, we're probably done having kids, but I just can't give up completely on ever using the SIV again. Otherwise I'd pass it on to someone(the FPSE is being passed on to the same Inlaws when their son outgrows the infant seat)
post #14 of 21
4/12/05 at 1:19am
I saw this thread and thought I would mention
I have a 2003 Honda Accord. I can easily get 3 carseats in my car- my kids have a Roundabout and a Wizard. I have put in an Advantage, one of those cheap ones from Walmart that are really big- I think they are Graco but can't remember, an infant seat, and a few others. No problem. And it isn't a super tight fit- they don't all squish together when I close the doors like my sil's camry did with their very small carseats.
post #15 of 21
4/12/05 at 12:22pm
We had 3 in the back of our Taurus wagon for almost 3 years. Can be a bit of a struggle to find the seatbelts, but otherwise fine!
post #16 of 21
4/13/05 at 11:44am
Not anymore (we have a mini van & the two older boys are in booster seats) but we have when my 2 year old was born.

I've been trying to use Dhs car for going places when we can because once we hit October it won't be big enough for all of us anymore!!
post #17 of 21
4/15/05 at 3:54am
I have 3 in the back of a Toyota Corolla wagon. Two are boosters, one in a harness and other in shoulder belt, plus the infant seat in base. It's hard to flip the handle back with seats in way of buttons. Oldest DD has to rely on the seatbelt retracting to get in. She's a little contortionist! The buckle is underneath the infant carrier base and not accessable. The seats also tip in when the door shuts. We have about 6 mo. to go before DD is 8 and can get out of her seat, since she's a good 15 lbs shy of the required 60 lbs. I like my car and don't want to finance another, but I don't think this one will work for us long. We're not sure we're finished growing our family yet anyway.
post #18 of 21
4/15/05 at 9:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EHHMom
Another car seat question....if you can take it!

Anyone have 3 seats in the back of a car? We have a Subaru and the back seat is 72" and are expecting a 3rd baby in June 05.

We trying to plan ahead in the event that we need to sell it the Subaru. I think if I replace my Graco and Fisher Price seats with narrower seats I can get through to at least Summer '06 with all three kids in the back seat until the baby is around a year old +/- and still rear facing in her baby seat.

My other 2 kids are slim/petite and I feel they'll need to be in substantial seats or boosters for years and in NY State we're required until they are at least 6. That's fine by me. I figure that even if I buy top of the line Britax seats it's cheaper than getting a new car.

Any thoughts? suggestions....
Thanks!
I have a friend with an older Subaru Legacy and I saw the other day she had a Britax Roundabout (FF passenger side), a Graco Platinum Cargo (center) and a Fisher Price Safe Embrace booster (driver's side). I was impressed.

The narrowest convertible seat is the Cosco Touriva at 16.5 inches, but the Britax seats -- Marathon, Decathlon, Wizard, Boulevard and Roundabout all have the same 11.5 base, they sit up high so you might be able to get he seats to mesh together. The narrowest combo (harnessed to 40 lbs and booster to 100lbs) is the Graco Cargos (Ultra or Platinum). You don't mention how old or how heavy and tall your children are. This would help with suggesting seats. As for boosters, the narrowest Britax one is the Starriser/Comfy, but it doesn't offer much in the way of side impact protection. My favorite Britax booster is the Parkway followed by the Bodyguard.

I have a Volvo wagon and have a web page of some three in a row combinations I have managed with different seats. You can see it here. Yes, I am a car seat nut.

Anyway, I think three in a row is highly doable in your car.
post #19 of 21
4/16/05 at 1:09am
I have a Volvo wagon and there was a time when I had all three kids in seats. Two were in car seats, and one was in a booster seat. Now I just have two in the booster seats, and one in a seat belt.

It is a snug fit with the three seats in the Volvo, but I could get both doors shut with out smashing arms or fingers!
post #20 of 21
4/16/05 at 1:20am
Hi ladies...

Well i only have 2 of my own in carseats now but i often have my frinds in the car & require a 3rd seat in the back. I have a 2004 Suzuki Forenza & they fit fine. I think it depends on your car. I know most cars from like 2000 and newer accomodate 3 seats. Before i had this car ihad a 2002 Grand Vitara mini SUV & fit 3 fine & before that i had a 2000 Kia Sephia & i accomodated 3 carseats.. { not all mine LMBO}....

good luck
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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Parenting › Ages and Stages › The Childhood Years › Anyone have 3 carseats in the back seat/bench seat? Not a minivan/SUV..