How should I arrange my van for 3 kids?

Mommy0608

New member
I'm going to be helping a friend out with some babysitting... she found out today she got a teaching job (YAY for her!) and has to get her classroom set up ASAP. Anyway, she has a 6 month old boy, about 18lbs, and I have my two kiddos... DS is RF, DD is FF.

Seats available:

True Fit
Frontier 85
Symphony 65
Signo
Alpha Omega
SS1

DD will stay in her FR85. I just don't know who to put in the 3rd row, or if I should put two in the 3rd row for ease of loading. There's one tether anchor in the third row, offset in the center. Should I put DD and one of the boys in the back, and the other in the second row? I have stow-n-go, so I could fold down the other second row seat for ease of loading. Or, should I put DD and one of the boys in front, and the other boy in the 3rd row? I'm just afraid it would be a little more difficult to load this way, but it would be easier in the sense that I don't have to empty out my stow-n-go compartment, and wouldn't have to move either of my kids' seats, I'd just add another RF seat in the 3rd row. I'd rather keep the baby in the second row, just to make it easier to get him in. I know there's no right or wrong answer here, just looking for any been there done that input. I need to arrange seats before I go to bed tonight because baby is coming over first thing in the morning and we have to go to DD's school for a visit with her teacher. Thanks!

ETA: It has to be super easy, because DH will also be transporting all 3 kids when he gets home from work. I have to leave for a meeting, and he'll likely be taking the baby home.
 
ADS

HONEYhas3

CPST Instructor
Baby in the SS _____ DS RF

____ DD FF____

That way you can put baby on the drives seat, flip the seat with the base on it forward, strap in DD, put the seat back down and click in the SS. DH will also find it easier to wrangle the kids out, if baby is already strapped in and not a "worry".
 

Genevieve

CPST Instructor
I have stow n go, and I don't think it would be possible to flip the captain's chairs up while a base is installed. The back part of the seat has to be flipped all the way down and locked before you can pull the strap to flip the rest of the seat down. I have no idea if that made any sense!

I would put Jessica on the captain's chair passenger side. Baby in SS on other captains chair, and Tyler in a RF seat (whatever works best) in the third row drivers side. This is what I do with two RF'ers and of FF'er. Snap baby into base, put handle down, step up and lean over to buckle Jessica while Tyler is climbing into his seat. Lean over top of Tyler's seat to buckle him. I realize this will only work if A) you are small enough to climb halfway into the door, and B) Tyler is willing and able to climb into his own seat. I've just found that this set up is the easiest for me.
 

melniemi

New member
I would stow a captain's chair, put dd in the third row behind the stowed seat, put the 2 rfers on the other side, one 3rd row, one captain's chair. You can climb right in to buckle everyone in.
 

Mommy0608

New member
Thank you everyone! It's not possible to flip a seat up with a base installed, unfortunately... when I said fold one of the seats down, I meant stow it, which would mean that no child would ride in that seating location. Or I suppose I could install the SS1 baseless, but I don't want to make DH go through installing it.

I went back and forth with the idea of putting two in the 3rd row, or just one in the third row. I went out and first installed a seat for my DS in the 3rd row to see if I could easily get to it to buckle him. Turns out it won't be a problem at all, so that's what I did. Much easier than reinstalling all the seats and cleaning out the stow-n-go that's so full of uh... junk. :eek: I'm small enough to climb in in front of DD and stand in the center of the van to buckle DS, who is able to climb into his own seat in the 3rd row. DH, however, might have to buckle DS through the back of the van, but he said he's okay with that.

If it weren't for the junk in the stow-n-go compartment and reinstalling everything, I do agree that putting two in the 3rd row would be much easier for buckling everyone.

Thanks everyone! :)
 

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