Question Car recommendation for Twin Car Seat set up

Now that we are expecting twins (8 weeks away), we are in the hunt for a new SUV. We would prefer setting up the car seats as follows: one in the middle and one outboard behind the driver seat; both RF.

We recently purchased two The First Years True Fit Convertible Car Seat.

We have friends that say positioning the seats like this will be impossible. I on the other hand have seen pictures not only of this set up, but i have seen 3 car seats RF in the back seat.

We just need guidance in what midsize SUV's will meet our preferred set up.

Thank you for any recommendation you may have

The best thing to do is to take the seats with you on your test drives and try installing them. We do it everytime we car shop and while it is a pain, we know from the start if our seats will fit in a way that works for us. Depending on the height of the person in front of the RFing seats, space in between the front seats, etc. your desired set up may or may not be possible. I have never installed/owned a TrueFit so I am not familiar with the shell height or if they can touch the rear of the seat(s).

What year/price range of SUV are you looking at? Maybe consider the Pilot, Tahoe, or others similar in size. I wouldn't think you would want to go smaller with two babies and all the gear that comes along with them...

We don't have twins but have 2 small children and couldn't go with a smaller SUV as our main vehicle, in fact we finally had to choose between Suburban and mini-van this summer - LOL. We travel a lot and DH is very tall so we needed lots of room. One of our main problems in mid-sized SUV's was that the front seat had to be so far forward with our RFing Marathon behind it that it wasn't comfortable for whoever sat there and prob not safe to be jammed against the dash!

htwins2010 said:

Now that we are expecting twins (8 weeks away), we are in the hunt for a new SUV. We would prefer setting up the car seats as follows: one in the middle and one outboard behind the driver seat; both RF.

We recently purchased two The First Years True Fit Convertible Car Seat.

We have friends that say positioning the seats like this will be impossible. I on the other hand have seen pictures not only of this set up, but i have seen 3 car seats RF in the back seat.

We just need guidance in what midsize SUV's will meet our preferred set up.

Thank you for any recommendation you may have

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Hello,

Are you hoping to use the TrueFits from birth with the twins? Are they expected to be big babies? Most twins come on the early side and are smaller in size. The TrueFit like all convertibles is rated from 5 pounds and up, but it doesn't fit smaller newborns well. You may want to consider some really good preemie friendly infant car seats for the first while. The Chicco KeyFit is for example one of the best infant seats out there, especially with smaller babies.

Marvin711 said:

What year/price range of SUV are you looking at? Maybe consider the Pilot, Tahoe, or others similar in size. I wouldn't think you would want to go smaller with two babies and all the gear that comes along with them...

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not more than 3 years old/about$25,000. We just went to Carmax and looked at several vehicles. (Ford Edge - not enough cargo); Saturn Outlook (loved it but we have concerns about GMs future and the availability of parts etc). And still reviewing the Pilot, Cherokee Laredo and the Volvo XC90.

We want to stay in the MidSize SUV because we don't want the smaller ones for the reasons you mention and anything bigger than a Midsize is too big for me; I am just 5'2" and it's not easy putting the kids in the car if its anything bigger than a Midsize

canadiangie said:

Hello,

Are you hoping to use the TrueFits from birth with the twins? Are they expected to be big babies? Most twins come on the early side and are smaller in size. The TrueFit like all convertibles is rated from 5 pounds and up, but it doesn't fit smaller newborns well. You may want to consider some really good preemie friendly infant car seats for the first while. The Chicco KeyFit is for example one of the best infant seats out there, especially with smaller babies.

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Yes we were thinking about it. Luckily the babies are weighing in the same as a singleton (currently around 3#s and we are 31 weeks today) at this time and we are expected to go full term so the doctor is comfortable that they will atleast weigh 5#'s at birth (if not more).

I have read recommendations on the Radian which is more narrow than the True Fit.. Any comments?

The Radian will also fit a newborn well :thumbsup: It rear faces to 40-45lbs. vs the True Fit which is 35lbs.
On vehicles, I would look at the Pilot & Veracruz :twocents:

Considering your height, I would look at crossover vehicles. Getting a floppy newborn in a center seat when you're short & the vehicle is tall will be a real pain. Reaching over another seat, and adding in the possiblity of a difficult or surgical birth, and you've got a recipe for disaster unless you have full time help. Good crossovers include the Ford Flex, Ford Freestyle, and the Toyota Highlander. The Flex & Freestyle should have no trouble holding seats in the positions you've selected, but you'd have to try out the Highlander. It's smaller than the Ford models, so I don't know if it would work.

Just wondering...is there a reason why you are wanting to use convertibles from birth? I "wore" my kids a lot but still used the bucket on occasion. I just can't imagine two newborns/small infants and getting out and about by myself... so just curious.

I agree with looking at some of the crossovers - Toyota has a crossover called the Venza that I've heard good things about. Not sure on seat compatibility though...
What about an Acadia/Traverse?

Even with twins who are supposed to be larger, confident they'll be over 5 lbs., I wouldn't use a Radian from birth with babies I expected to probably be as small as they'll probably be. It has 9 inch bottom slots. The True Fits may work. The Combi Coccoro is a seat that is even more likely to fit them, speaking convertible-wise, but would be a trade off in longevity. The Evenflo Triumph Advance is very likely to fit small-end-of-normal sized newborns well, and will last longer than the Coccoro but not quite as long as the True Fit and might be a good middle ground choice.

Neither the True Fits or Triumph Advance are a good choice for 3 across, though, while the Coccoros are. But by the time you need a 3 across they will probably be big enough for Radians anyway. It's just a whole big thing. If you plan on Radians for a 3 across for later, you might consider infant seats from birth instead until they grow into the Radians. There are a few fairly cheap choices with nice low bottom slots to choose from, and you could leave them in the car if you wanted to. The Dorel (Safety 1st/Cosco/etc.) Designer 22 (front-adjust models) or the Safety 1st OnBoard both fit small babies well and are cheaper than many of the other infant seat choices. The Graco SnugRide 22 (front-adjust models) also should be okay for a normal-sized newborn (though you may need a rolled cloth at the crotch to stop sliding) and has some more inexpensive versions available as well.