? for carseat techs re: 3 seats in a row

[Mere]

In our quest to fit 3 carseats in a row, I have a few questions:

1) Dh has figured out that if we 'flatten out' the indentations in the seats in our Subaru Outback, 3 seats actually fit back there (albeit snuggly). Is there a safe way to do this? He was thinking some sort of dense foam, or maybe a rolled up rubber mat or 2?

2) One of the seats is a booster, and it is going to be difficult for dd to reach down in the crack between the carseats and buckle herself in. Is there such a thing as a seatbelt extender, or something that could make the buckle strap longer?

3) In our other car, the middle seat only has a lap belt. I know we couldn't use a booster seat there, but what about a covervtible carseat? Oh, and there is no LATCH in this car either.

TIA!!! Figuring out how to deal with 3 carseats is quite the challenge...:

[thepeach80]

What seats do you have? I could get 3 seats in my Taurus, 2 convertibles and an infant seat. No, there are no seatbelt extenders and I'm not sure you can flatten your seats, just install them how the seat is. I have pics of my 3 in a row if it would help.

[moms3kids]

ok i'm not a tech... but do check out and hang a lot on the car seat forum...

#1 no nothing can be between the car seat and the seat of the car unless it's to get the seat in more tight, or to protect the seat a little, very thin towle or grippy stuff you use as shelf linners or the backing of rugs...

#2 i don't think there is anything like that, when i do three across i usally have to help my 6.5 year old buckle his booster seat but he can do it if theres no car seat by him.

#3 a lap belt is actully a very great seat belt for a car seat, it doesn't need a locking clip and usally you can get them in there nice and snug...

there are some fairly narrow seats on the market now... that maybe you could look into getting... how big are your kids now. how long has you oldest been in a booster? what kinda booster and car seat do you currently have???

[moms3kids]

cross posted with jennifer! sorry! LOL

[Mere]

Thanks for your help - this car seat issue has been a challenging one! We really don't want to buy a new car but we will if we have to.

Right now we have a Britax Roundabout and a Graco Turbo booster. However, ds, at 35 lbs., is about to outgrow his Roundabout; I'm planning on getting him a Sunshine Kids Radian because I hear they are narrow. I'd also like to use a Radian for the baby. We've been looking at more narrow boosters for dd, like the Britax Bodyguard or the [Britax] Starriser.

The deal with the Subaru is that it has those annoying indentations for people's bottoms on the right and left side, plus a hump in the middle seat. If you put the carseats in the indentations, there is 11-12" of room inbetween. You really can't put the seats outside of the indentations because then they are a little sideways and not very secure feeling. However, if we flatten out the indentations (dh used some towels, but I know that's not good), it makes a flat seat so you can install the carseats almost to the edge, right by the windows (instead of 2-3 inches in).

There's really no safe way to 'flatten' a seat then???

Even with the seats 'flattened' dd (or anyone for that matter) would have a hard time buckling her booster.

FYI we are open to buying pretty much any combination of carseats if we could save ourselves having to buy a different car! Maybe it's just not possible though. The Subaru is pretty narrow!

Thank you SOOOO much for your help!

[thepeach80]

The Radian was how we got 3 across. I had that ffing in the middle, w/ a Graco Safeseat and a rfing Alpha Omega on the sides. The Radian is great and installs well w/ a lap belt. The Starriser has been discontinued, but I think the new Fisher Price booster is just like it.

[MacKinnon]

For a configuration of seats that might work 3 across in a Subaru, I would try www.car-safety.org they have a forum with techs there that have had alot of experience installing varying seats in different cars. I am new to being a tech and don't know what to recomend. I do know that you can't safely "flatten" a car seat. Anything other than a thin towel or shelf liner under a car seat is a no-no. Also, the lap belts are great for installing car seats but should never be used as a lap only belt on ANY person- adult or child!

[techno_dara]

There are such things as seat belt extenders. My sister had one for her oldsmobile. Not sure where she got it though. Maybe it just came with the car? I wouldn't recommend using one with a booster though. Using the extender would cause the shoulder belt to be at the wrong spot on your DC.