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01-07-2013 at 11:37 AM
prolixity
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XP: Carseat Q: moms who have (or will have) 3+ kiddos

I am expecting my third son and am absolutely stumped as to how to fit three car seats in my Mazda CX9. I bought the car because it has a third row seat, so if worse comes to worse I can put someone in the third row, but I'd prefer to figure out a car seat combination that would allow me to put all three in the middle row.

Right now my older two are in Britax Boulevard convertible seats. They are big and bulky. My infant seat is a Chicco Keyfit 30.

My oldest will be 5 when the baby comes so he is big enough to put into a booster seat. So I was thinking of keeping my 3 year old in his Britax on the passenger's side, the baby in the Chicco on the driver's side, and then finding a narrow booster to put my 5 year old in the middle.

Do any of you know of any safe, narrow booster seats? What are your plans to fit three kiddos in your cars?

Thanks so much!  And sorry this is so long!  Smile


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01-07-2013 at 11:52 AM
andrea0418
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I'm having the same issue. I have 2 step daughters both still in boosters and I will need to fit the infant seat in as well. My DH says all 3 will fit in my car but I don't believe it. Even if I can wedge them all in, would there be enough room to reach between and buckle the girls!? Guess ill have to just try it and see...

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01-07-2013 at 12:03 PM
llbta85
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My son and step-daughter are both in boosters, step-daughter doesn't have a back on hers, but to fit them as well as my step son in the back row of a Nisaan Rogue the other day was a serious PITA.  My step-children don't live with us, so I plan on having DS and DB in the middle row and then my step children in the thrid row when they are with us and we are all in one car.  Good luck!

 
01-07-2013 at 12:08 PM
LeggyNic
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I'm sad to give up my Mitsubishi Endeavor but there is no way I can get 3 seats across the back of that.  I'll be switching cars with DH who now drives a Chevy Tahoe.

My friend has 3 across the middle seat of her Suburban (same width as Tahoe).  The baby is in a Graco 35 on the passenger side.  2yo in a Eddie Bauer convertible booster on the driver's side. Then the 4yo is in a Graco high backed booster in the middle seat (has shoulder strap).


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01-07-2013 at 12:26 PM
ErinInVA
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When baby arrives we will have 3 in car seats, 1 in a regular booster and 1 regular rider (soon to be a family of 7). We also needed a narrow car seat/booster for my soon-to-be 4 year old in order to fit her carseat, the booster and the 12 year old in the back seat of our van. My girlfriend swears by this seat and in one of the photos on the website, it touts that it fits 3 across. We just sold our Boulevard and are moving her to this one and possibly my soon-to-be 2 year old too. It's the Diono Radian RXT. 

http://us.diono.com/en/car-seats/radian-rxt 


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01-07-2013 at 12:33 PM
mommacakes...
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I am going to have 3 carseats across the middle row of our Honda Pilot. I know it can be done because I had 3 in there when I babysat for a short time. I had two toddler forward facing seats on the outside and the booster seat in the middle. Id like to have the infant seat in the middle but I dont think I will be able to get the seat all the way into the middle. So the baby will have to go on the outside. So It will be 3 year old in her toddler seat, then 5 year old in her booster seat, I have the kind with no back, Then the infant seat.

I will know for sure if this works once we get the new carseat. Im hoping it all fits right, otherwise I may be using the 3rd row against my wanting to.


 
01-07-2013 at 1:01 PM
prolixity
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Thanks for the suggestions ladies! It is tough to fit three seats in there safely! It's also really tough and overwhelming to try and figure out will fit without actually putting it in the car. Baby stores should have car seat specialists to help with this stuff!

I've been doing a little research since I posted and found the widths of my current seats. The Chicco is narrow at 17.5 inches whereas the Radian R100 is 17.0 inches, so that is a plus. I believe I found a website that listed the Britax Boulevard seat as 19.5 inches wide.

I think that the Radian should fit with my other two seats. I guess the only way to find out is to order it and see! I don't think anywhere locally sells the Radian seats so I'll probably be ordering on Amazon.

Worse case scenario would be that I would order two Radians and replace the Britax. Actually, that would be four Radians because we have the same setup in my husband's truck. Bleh!

Wish me luck!

ETA: My Mazda CX9 backseat should be 56" inches wide in hip room, based on what I could find online.  


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01-07-2013 at 1:07 PM
radiant05
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I was just working on this 3 across issue last week. I'll need room for two infant seats and a toddler seat. I currently have a Graco Snugride and Britax Boulevard, but those really won't work well together with a 3rd seat. So, I worked through a couple different scenarios with the car seat guru at a specialty baby store in town.

They told me the narrowest infant seats were the Combi Shuttle or Cybex Aton.

The narrowest convertible chair is the Diono Radian.

We're going to end up using our Britax and getting two new infant seats for the twins. We thought about going straight to all Diono Radians to save cost of having to buy them down the road, but I really think we'll get use out of being able to transport the little ones in their car seats.

Even though the CRV has a LATCH system, we won't be able to utilize it and fit all 3 seats in. Everything will have to be seatbelted in, which the car seat guru informed me is just as safe as LATCH as long as properly installed.

 


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01-07-2013 at 1:45 PM
grace_smit...
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prolixity:

Thanks for the suggestions ladies! It is tough to fit three seats in there safely! It's also really tough and overwhelming to try and figure out will fit without actually putting it in the car. Baby stores should have car seat specialists to help with this stuff!

I've been doing a little research since I posted and found the widths of my current seats. The Chicco is narrow at 17.5 inches whereas the Radian R100 is 17.0 inches, so that is a plus. I believe I found a website that listed the Britax Boulevard seat as 19.5 inches wide.

I think that the Radian should fit with my other two seats. I guess the only way to find out is to order it and see! I don't think anywhere locally sells the Radian seats so I'll probably be ordering on Amazon.

Worse case scenario would be that I would order two Radians and replace the Britax. Actually, that would be four Radians because we have the same setup in my husband's truck. Bleh!

Wish me luck!

ETA: My Mazda CX9 backseat should be 56" inches wide in hip room, based on what I could find online.  

I just saw some Radians on sale at Kohls, free shipping and you get Kohls cash back...just giving you a heads-up. :) 

01-07-2013 at 2:35 PM
CelticWife
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I think we are moving ds to the 3rd row. We have a ford freestar, and I am fairly.sure we can fit 3 seats in the 2nd row, but I dont trust dd to have that much access to the baby. Lol

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to be over, it's about learning how to dance in the rain." -Unknown

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01-07-2013 at 2:40 PM
CelticWife
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If you go to bru, they will let you take the seats out to your car to try them out.

You will also want to check your manuel about the latch system, to make sure it can handle 3 in that row. My mom has a buick, and wanted to put seats in her car. There is room.for 3 seats, but the latch system will only support 2.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to be over, it's about learning how to dance in the rain." -Unknown

DS: age 4

DD: age 2

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01-07-2013 at 2:42 PM
Max'smom
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We have a Honda Odyssey. The middle row is supposed to fit 3 full size carseats but i have not tried. My boys are currently both in a Graco Nautilus, I have not decided if I will be moving DS1 to a high back booster(maybe converting his Nautilus) or leaving him in the Nautilus. He can buckle himself in so putting him in the back row would be okay but I think they might make drop off a little tricky. I am not sure how the car pool lane will be for Kindergarden. My hope was that I can put the baby in the middle in the snugride.


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01-07-2013 at 3:01 PM
kaylakim
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I was just talking to my BFF about this yesterday since she has 3 kids and I'm pg with #3. We both have vans (dorky I know but seriously awesome in convenience!). DD1 will be 5 when baby comes and will be moving the middle of the 3rd row and we plan on getting her a high back booster seat that will eventually just be a booster seat when she gets a little heavier. I wanted something that she can buckle in/out herself so I don't have to haul my butt back there every time. She should be able to manage. So then I'll have DD2 (will be 2 yrs) in her Britax Marathon behind the driver and baby#3 in their infant seat behind the passenger seat.

I'm hoping it all works out and I'm sooooo thankful to have a summer baby so we can have it down to a science before the North Dakota winter hits in Nov/Dec!

Good luck!



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01-07-2013 at 4:59 PM
kelly1377
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I'm in the same situation.  We are planning on putting our oldest in a booster, keeping 3 year old in the convertible seat and the infant seat.  I've been trying to figure out which booster to buy as well.  I also just had our local ems at a Mom's group meeting and was able to ask some questions.  I also had planned on putting baby behind the drivers seat, but EMS advised against it because I have side airbags.  So baby will go in the middle, the booster behind the driver (so I can reach over it easier for infant seat, and the convertible will go behind the passenger seat.  Also another great tip I got from them is to not add any after market toys/mirrors to the seat or rear of the seat.  Also the carrying handle should be down and not in the up position.  Just a couple things I learned, hope they help!

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01-07-2013 at 8:34 PM
ErinInVA
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If you happen to have a BuyBuyBaby around, they will let you take the seat out to your car to try it out. I've priced the Diono Radian out and if you can find a 30% off coupon code for Kohls and shop when they are doing Kohls cash, it's cheaper to get it at Kohls. If you can't find a 30% and you won't use the Kohls cash, it's cheaper to get it on Amazon. You could also ask around in your circle of friends to see if anyone is currently using that seat to try it out in your vehicle. 

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01-07-2013 at 10:32 PM
MotherMayE...
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ErinInVA:

When baby arrives we will have 3 in car seats, 1 in a regular booster and 1 regular rider (soon to be a family of 7). We also needed a narrow car seat/booster for my soon-to-be 4 year old in order to fit her carseat, the booster and the 12 year old in the back seat of our van. My girlfriend swears by this seat and in one of the photos on the website, it touts that it fits 3 across. We just sold our Boulevard and are moving her to this one and possibly my soon-to-be 2 year old too. It's the Diono Radian RXT. 

http://us.diono.com/en/car-seats/radian-rxt 

I see the photo of the three seat across but cannot believe they were actually installed or installed correctly. I don't see how on earth could someone wedge their hands in between them to buckle them into place.


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01-07-2013 at 10:39 PM
cyprissa
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If you get a Radian there is a trick to adjust the harness. Buckle the chest clip but not the crotch then ratchet tight then finish buckling. I wish I had known this sooner, otherwise we love the Radian.

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01-08-2013 at 7:37 AM
Grace0609
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We have a Subaru Outback and the only combo I could find that worked with the many seats we have is:

Radian FF in the center for DS1 (3.5yo).  But, I hear it's not the greatest for use as a booster, ven though it can be used as one, but I have no idea why since I have never tried to use it as one.

Britax Marathon RF on side for DS2 (20mo, and very small, so I plan to keep him RFing for a long time).

Graco Snugride with base on other side for DS3.  But, another Marathon would fit in this spot, too. 

I think the Radian in the center was the key to making it work.

Here's a pic:

 

 



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01-08-2013 at 10:32 AM
kremerks
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Can someone tell me how Diono Radian straps adjust when they need to be adjusted?  Is it manual thread and very cumbersome?  Or pretty easy?  I have a car seat now that it's a royal pain and it's one key feature I am looking at now to make it easy when I need to adjust the height of the straps.  Thanks all.

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01-08-2013 at 11:38 AM
Grace0609
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kremerks:
Can someone tell me how Diono Radian straps adjust when they need to be adjusted?  Is it manual thread and very cumbersome?  Or pretty easy?  I have a car seat now that it's a royal pain and it's one key feature I am looking at now to make it easy when I need to adjust the height of the straps.  Thanks all.

Mine is a manual rethread deal (we have the Radian RXT).  I do not like the Radian in terms of ease of use.  But, we are stuck with it to be able to fit 3 across in my car.  Tightening the harness straps is also much more difficult with the Radian than other seats, due to the racheting mechanism.

If you are looking for easy strap adjustment go with a Britax.  They are my favorites in terms of ease of use.  Simple turn a knob and it raises the harness straps and often the headrest.  So simple. 



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01-08-2013 at 12:17 PM
prolixity
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grace_smith03:
prolixity:

Thanks for the suggestions ladies! It is tough to fit three seats in there safely! It's also really tough and overwhelming to try and figure out will fit without actually putting it in the car. Baby stores should have car seat specialists to help with this stuff!

I've been doing a little research since I posted and found the widths of my current seats. The Chicco is narrow at 17.5 inches whereas the Radian R100 is 17.0 inches, so that is a plus. I believe I found a website that listed the Britax Boulevard seat as 19.5 inches wide.

I think that the Radian should fit with my other two seats. I guess the only way to find out is to order it and see! I don't think anywhere locally sells the Radian seats so I'll probably be ordering on Amazon.

Worse case scenario would be that I would order two Radians and replace the Britax. Actually, that would be four Radians because we have the same setup in my husband's truck. Bleh!

Wish me luck!

ETA: My Mazda CX9 backseat should be 56" inches wide in hip room, based on what I could find online.  

I just saw some Radians on sale at Kohls, free shipping and you get Kohls cash back...just giving you a heads-up. :) 

Good to know! Thanks for the tip!


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01-08-2013 at 12:20 PM
prolixity
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prolixity is not online. Last active: 05-24-2013, 9:42 AMBronze
Grace0609:

We have a Subaru Outback and the only combo I could find that worked with the many seats we have is:

Radian FF in the center for DS1 (3.5yo).  But, I hear it's not the greatest for use as a booster, ven though it can be used as one, but I have no idea why since I have never tried to use it as one.

Britax Marathon RF on side for DS2 (20mo, and very small, so I plan to keep him RFing for a long time).

Graco Snugride with base on other side for DS3.  But, another Marathon would fit in this spot, too. 

I think the Radian in the center was the key to making it work.

Here's a pic:

Thanks for sharing that pic! My car will probably look just like that soon - crammed full of carseats!  Smile


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01-08-2013 at 12:54 PM
Grace0609
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prolixity:
Grace0609:

We have a Subaru Outback and the only combo I could find that worked with the many seats we have is:

Radian FF in the center for DS1 (3.5yo).  But, I hear it's not the greatest for use as a booster, ven though it can be used as one, but I have no idea why since I have never tried to use it as one.

Britax Marathon RF on side for DS2 (20mo, and very small, so I plan to keep him RFing for a long time).

Graco Snugride with base on other side for DS3.  But, another Marathon would fit in this spot, too. 

I think the Radian in the center was the key to making it work.

Here's a pic:

Thanks for sharing that pic! My car will probably look just like that soon - crammed full of carseats!  Smile

 It is definitely going to be interesting!!! : )  DS1 and DS2 already pick on each other back there since they can reach each other so easily, so I am hoping DS1 will leave DS3 alone when he arrives!  Poor little guy!

 



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