cars and 3 carseats

[BusyBee]

Currently we have a toyota camry and two children age 6 1/2 and 4. We are expecting baby #3 soon. I think we can squeeze a third carseat into the backseat for the baby. WE have had other children in our car and can get another booster seat in there, but buckling them in can get tough.

I am reluctant to get a minivan or something like it, even though the roominess would be nice. I really appreciate the good gas milage we get in our car and its dependability. WE only buy used cars ~$5-7K.

One thing is that I will not be able to sit with the baby in the back seat and nurse if necessary like I am accustomed to while dh drives. There must be parents who have gone through similar situations. What was your experience and what ultimately worked for you?

Thanks

[shelbean91]

We had a mercury sable (same as ford taurus) and a mazda protege (small) when ds2 was born. It was a tight fit, but the seats fit in the sable, not the protege. We ended up getting a minivan when ds2 was 2 mos old. I wasn't able to sit back with them, but dd was helpful (mostly) and she was 4 at the time.

[nadia105]

There was a big thread about this a month or so ago, here's the link:


http://www.mothering.com/discussions...3+carseats+car

[CarrieMF]

We bought a Camry when our 3rd was about 6 months old. We had no problems fitting 3 seats into the back.

[MeganW]

how on earth do you fit in the back of a camry with two car seats? we have an accord 04 and a 2yr old and a 5wo and neither of us can get in there with the two seats. We're trying to save up for a bigger car.

[reducereuserecycle]

i've seen 3 carseats in a nissan (forgot the model name, but like a Camry.) it was people i babysit. the hardest part was buckling them in

[mommyddeville]

I think a big part of the solution for 3 car seats is finding three that fit well together. We ended up going to Babies R Us and trying different combinations of seats in order to find three that fit in the back of our Chevy Cavalier. It worked and I loved the gas mileage that car got. That car got totaled a year ago and now I drive a van. I love the space, but paying so much more for gas is a real downer.

[1happymom]

Our Toyota Sienna (mini van) gets the same gas mileage as a Camry and we bought it within the price range that you pay for your cars. Of course it tooks patience and persistance on our part to find one in that price range but what we got was a total steal for us. We love the roominess of the van. In your situation I'd buy a Sienna! : )