Car seats and my Corolla

Hello,
I'm trying to figure out how to work my car seat issues and am hoping for some help. Currently, I have my 3 year old ff in a marathon and my 10 month old in a safeseat. The car seats only fit in the passenger seats of my 2007 Corolla, which is why my son is ff. I know my daughter will fit in the safeseat for a while, but I want to be prepared for the future purchase. What I'm wondering, is if I were to buy two of the RadianXT's that are on sale right now, would they fit side-by-side so that the middle seat could at least be rear facing? I would also love to be able to car pool with friends more often, so if this would open up a seat to another car seat, I'd be ecstatic. Do any of you have experience with a Corolla and 3 car seats? I may have to head to a store to see if they'll let me try to install 2 car seats. Oh, also, are the Radian and Marathon similar in height (I know that the Marathon will fit rf in the middle seat)?
Thanks in advance!
Heather

Heather said:

Hello,
I'm trying to figure out how to work my car seat issues and am hoping for some help. Currently, I have my 3 year old ff in a marathon and my 10 month old in a safeseat. The car seats only fit in the passenger seats of my 2007 Corolla, which is why my son is ff. I know my daughter will fit in the safeseat for a while, but I want to be prepared for the future purchase. What I'm wondering, is if I were to buy two of the RadianXT's that are on sale right now, would they fit side-by-side so that the middle seat could at least be rear facing? I would also love to be able to car pool with friends more often, so if this would open up a seat to another car seat, I'd be ecstatic. Do any of you have experience with a Corolla and 3 car seats? I may have to head to a store to see if they'll let me try to install 2 car seats. Oh, also, are the Radian and Marathon similar in height (I know that the Marathon will fit rf in the middle seat)?
Thanks in advance!
Heather

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I can' be of much help, but I was just going to point out that you would want your least safe child in the middle seat. So id I had one RF and one FF, I'd want the FF child in the middle & the RF child on one of the sides.
But if it were a fit issue, than that is different.
Hope someone can chime in and let you know more about fitting these seats in your Corolla.

It's a fit issue.

1. What year Corolla?

2. I have a 2005 and I can fit a rfing Marathon (MA) behind my 6'4" husband as long as I put the MA pretty upright.

3. I can fit a rfing Radian in the center and a rfing MA outboard, but I can't fit the two seats with one rfing and one ffing.

safeinthecar said:

1. What year Corolla?

2. I have a 2005 and I can fit a rfing Marathon (MA) behind my 6'4" husband as long as I put the MA pretty upright.

3. I can fit a rfing Radian in the center and a rfing MA outboard, but I can't fit the two seats with one rfing and one ffing.

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It's a 2007. My two car seats don't fit side-by-side, but I didn't think to check if turning the MA rf would change that. Has anyone tried two Radians side by side and discovered whether it's different if it's rf/ff vs. rf/rf?

I'd like to add another question to the mix. Is there a car seat that has more leg room when rf than others? My son gets anxious when he is "contained" (too early to call it claustrophobia, but don't want to force him).

Heather said:

It's a 2007. My two car seats don't fit side-by-side, but I didn't think to check if turning the MA rf would change that. Has anyone tried two Radians side by side and discovered whether it's different if it's rf/ff vs. rf/rf?

I'd like to add another question to the mix. Is there a car seat that has more leg room when rf than others? My son gets anxious when he is "contained" (too early to call it claustrophobia, but don't want to force him).

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The Radian is excellent for leg room:thumbsup: It also has very very low sides, so often bigger kids (like 2-5 year olds) will just drape their legs over the sides, or cross them, or whatever. I know Ketchupqueen (a member here) has rear-facing Radians in her Corolla, but I'm not sure what year it is. I would think they should fit side by side (one rear-facing and one forward) no problem. And while it is ideal to have the forward-facing child in the center, a rear-facing Radian may or may not work outboard. So if you have to have the rf Radian center, that's ok.

Heather said:

It's a 2007. My two car seats don't fit side-by-side, but I didn't think to check if turning the MA rf would change that. Has anyone tried two Radians side by side and discovered whether it's different if it's rf/ff vs. rf/rf?

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Two RNs should fit side by side regardless of direction. I doubt you will get a MA and a Safeseat side by side though. It's worth a try, but I don't think it will work.

As mentioned, RF seats can be installed much more upright for older babies/children by changing how you push them down into the seatcushion, leaving a lot more room up front than when installed at 45 degrees for a newborn.

The Radian offers alot of legroom when RF, while the Marathon offers the least of the HW convertibles, I think. It also has relatively very shallow sides and is wider through the shoulders than the MA in terms of inside area so it's not at all like being wrapped in the seat like the MA might feel. How tall/heavy are your kids?

Also, if you have trouble making the setup work, you might want to meet up with a tech, especially since at times the Radians are a bit hard to get in until you figure out the tricks you need to make them work in the specific vehicle. Where are you located?

I would hazard a guess that 2 Radians would fit side by side at least when facing opposite directions and very likely when facing the same direction as well. I have had 2 Radians side by side RF/FF in my '07 Civic, which should be similar for size. Also, I was able to put the RF Radian behind the driver's seat to allow comfortable room for me to drive (I'm only 5'2" but I would think you would need less room for comfort in the passenger side for someone taller).

I can't remember now if I tried the FF Marathon in the center next to the RF Radian. I know I tried the Marathon RF next to the RF Radian and it went in great. They just puzzle very well together when facing the same direction. When puzzling the RN/MA having the MA in the center works even better because the wider shell sits even higher on the center hump, minimizing interference.

As I said, the Radian and Marathon puzzle really well together when facing the same direction especially, so if you did want to RF your DS again, I would put him in the Radian and the baby in the MA, side by side.

featherhead said:

I know Ketchupqueen (a member here) has rear-facing Radians in her Corolla, but I'm not sure what year it is.

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ketchupqueen's Corolla is an '03 and she has a 3across with 3 RF seats in there, apparently this works with 3 Radians but the picture in her siggy seems to show 2 Radians and a Complete Air:
http://car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=595507&postcount=288

I have 2 RF Radians next to each other right now. It won't work in your car, though. Here's why: in your car, you have advanced airbags, and the seat can't touch the seat in front. My Radian behind the passenger is touching. I know from experience that 07 and 08 Corollas install pretty much just like my 03 Corolla, except for the no touching issue, so my experience here is relevant.

You can fit a RF Radian in the middle though. And, you can fit a RF Marathon or Complete Air next to it, all seats at more upright angles (the Radian in the middle will end up about 35-38 degrees and that will take a bit of doing; the Complete Air can be between 30 and 35 to fit next to the Radian; the MA will puzzle right over at about the same angle as the Radian.)

You could also fit your current infant seat behind the passenger (and the handle can be all the way up to maximize space), and your Marathon more upright behind the driver.

I've tried a host of other seats RF in my car as well (okay, let's be honest, I own most of them. ), so if you have other questions I can probably let you know how they fit.

HTH!

Thank you! I didn't know about the no-touching rule, but luckily nothing touches right now. Your radian that is touching...is it behind a seat that is as far forward as possible? What would you guess the difference would be between the Safeseat (handle up) and RF Radian in terms of depth once installed? I think I'll have to go try one out (or convince a friend to buy one so I can try it out, ha ha).

The Radian that touches, is behind the passenger seat, where I ride. It is not as far forward as possible-- however, it's as far forward and as upright as I can possibly have it and remain a safe distance from the dash and airbag (and I'm only 5'5".) If you didn't care whether the passenger seat was usable, you could move it further forward (or let the seat touch, since it wouldn't matter without a passenger in that seat.)

The SS1 (handle up) probably takes up several less inches than the Radian installed outboard; Radian installed in the center may actually be very close.

Okay, I'm back with another question. We test-drove vans but finally realized we need to ride this lease out, so I'm back to car seat shopping. Ketchupqueen, would a Radian and a Marathon sit side-by-side in the back seat (Radian forward-facing in the middle and Marathon rf beside it)? Thank you again!

Oh, and if we end up having to put both children outboard, would it be smartest to buy a Boulevard for the ff child to give more side protection and put the rear-facing child in the Marathon? I'm assuming my Marathon will fit rear-facing. sigh. sooooo confusing.

I think I recall the Marathon/Boulevard hitting at a weird spot on the Radian when the Radian is facing the opposite direction. It might be possible but I'd try it first. Or buy from a store with a good return policy.

Really we don't know that one seat performs better than another as far as SIP. I do know though that the Boulevard gives less harness height than a Marathon. If I were going to have both kids outboard, and one forward-facing, I'd probably get a combination seat like the Nautilus or Frontier instead, for longevity, to make sure he gets to a safe booster age before outgrowing the harness.

Aaah, the combination seat... another option I hadn't thought of! That might be the answer. I think I'll head to e-children to try everything out. Thank you so much!

Re:Car seats and my Corolla-I have a similar problem

Hi,
I seem to have a similar problem with my 97 Corolla. I have two boys: one turns 6 hears November(2010), and the other tursn 4 January 2011. We are getting a new baby soon (this August) and we have bought a Graco Sunride car seat for her. The oldest son sits in a forward facing booster seat (with a back), and the younger boy sits in forward facing regular car seat. I have noticed that two car seats and an infant seat do not fit into my car, and I'm confused about what I need to do because I cannot afford buying a new car... any suggestions please??
thank you!

Re: Car seats and my Corolla-I have a similar problem

Could you please check and post back with what specific seats you have? (manufacturer and model name, eg "Graco TurboBooster" or "Cosco Alpha Omega" etc) Also, the weights of the kids and how much growing room the 4yo has before his shoulders reach the top slots on the harnessed seat.

It is very likely that you will need to get something narrow for at least the 4yo, like a Radian (best option usually for 3 across and while expensive cheaper than a new car) or a Safety 1st Complete Air (a little wider and not as good limits). The 4yo is too young to go in a booster so you will need to find seats that work. The 6yo is probably ok in the booster though it may be easier to fit the seats and save your knuckles buckling if he still had room to grow in a Radian. Then you could pass his Radian down to the baby once the bucket was outgrown and fit the 2 Radians with a narrow booster like the Turbobooster or a Britax Parkway.