Need 3 Car Seats in 2010 Prius III

We just had a new addition to our family ( he is only 2 days old today ).

I have a 6 year old that weights about 45-50 pounds that is currently in a Generic Backless Booster with arm rests from Wal-Mart.
I have a 2 year old that weights about 20-25 pounds that is currently in a Front Facing Cosco 5 Point Harness
I have a 2 day old that weights 6 pounds 11 oz. that is currently reusing a Rear Facing Graco Removable Carseat from the previous child ( the kind that you can purchase additional bases )

I can't seem to get the Backless Booster in the configuration.

Any help on selecting the correct car seat combination, so I can keep my 6 year old out of the front seat would be helpful.

I currently have a 2010 Prius III, and a 2001 Ford Tarsus.

Congratulations!

Do you need help with both vehicles, or just the Prius?

I'm PMing someone who I know has done three across in a Prius to help.

It would be great to get help with both cars, but our highest priority at the moment is the Prius, since I will be driving the other kids back and forth until Mom is feeling up to leaving the house with the little one; followed by the Tarsus.

Hi, welcome to the board & congratulations!

It would help to know which backless booster you've got. Walmart could mean anything from a fairly narrow booster to the widest one available, and they sell several brands. If you flip it upside-down, it should have a sticker with the manufacturer, model number, and date of manufacture. If you just post the manufacturer we can probably figure it out from there.

The Cosco seat for the 2-year-old is possibly this one? Or is yours the type that can also be used rear-facing?

And the infant seat is probably a Graco Snugride, like this one? (Probably different colors, of course.)

How tall is your 2yo? S/he cannot forward-face in a Dorel seat before 34". You're probably looking at two rear-facing seats and a booster. Are you willing to use the infant seat without the base, or to consider a convertible seat for the baby?

Do you have a budget to work with? I've done a few Prius 3 acrosses. Easiest was 2 Radians and a Keyfit.

First question was "What are the make and models of your car seats"

Cosco High Back Booster Car Seat - Five Point Harness rated for 22-80 lbs and 34-52 inches
Cosco/Eddie Bauer Prospect - Five Point Harness rated for 22-40 lbs and 34-43 inches

Cosco Ambassador - Backless Booster rated for 30-100 lbs and 34 - 57 inches
Cosco Protek - Belt-Positioning Booster Car Seat rated for 30-100 lbs and 34-57 inches

Graco Snug Ride - Five Point Harness rated for 5-22 lbs and 29 inches or less

Graco Snug Ride Base - Model 8402L04

Second question was "How tall is your 2 year old"

I am not 100% how tall my 2 1/2 year old is, but I will make sure to measure her when I get home.

For an sanity check I compared how tall 34 inches would be compared to me, it is in the general area on me where her head hits me when she begs to be picked up.

Third question was "What is your budget to work with"

Naturally, I would like to reuse any car seats that I currently have in at least one of my two vehicles because I would prefer not to have to purchase at total of 6 new car seats.

On the other hand, I understand the safety of my children are at risk without the proper car seats configuration, and will be able to set aside approximately 500 dollars.

Thanks in Advance for All the Help,

~Ken

Bumping for OP. I'm not familiar enough with the seats/vehicle to be much help.

Ken, the Cosco High Back Booster has a limit of 40 pounds with the harness. I realize you are not currently using it with a child near the limit, but it is something for you to be aware of.

I'm not familiar enough with the Prius to know for sure, but there are some general things to try for any 3-across that might help. I'm going to list them in terms of easiest/least expensive and move up:

1. Are you installing the two harnessed seats with the seat belts instead of LATCH? Installing with LATCH usually takes up more space because of where the lower anchors are placed. Try installing with the seat belts instead and see if that gets you enough room. Remember to rearrange the seats and try different configurations, too - sometimes parents think the infant seat must go in the center, but that's not always the best way to fit 3-across, and it's fine for it to be outboard. (Remember that the top tether still needs to be used for the 2-year-old's seat even when installing it with the seat belt.)

2. Have you tried installing the infant seat without the base? Instructions for how to do this are in the manual. It's less convenient because you have to re-buckle it every time, but sometimes it means you get more space for your other carseats.

3. You can get a narrower and shorter backless booster called the Harmony LiteRider at Walmart for about $13.50. That alone, or combined with either or both of the two suggestions above might work.

4. You could get a Ride Safer Travel Vest for your 6-year-old, which eliminates the need for a booster. We don't usually recommend them for every-day use, however, because they're not very convenient for getting in-and-out of the car quickly. Other similarly-priced options would be buying a narrower infant seat, like the Chicco Keyfit. There are at least a couple of other infant seats that are narrower than the Graco, but the Chicco is the only one I can remember, sorry. Or you could purchase a narrow convertible like the Combi Coccoro for your newborn - less convenient than an infant seat, but it could be used longer and would take up less space.

5. The most protection for your two older children would be a high-back booster seat instead of a backless for your 6-year-old, and a rear-facing convertible for your 2-year-old. Obviously that would require new seats for both of them, though. The Sunshine Kids Radian is the narrowest carseat on the market, and is often recommended for 3-across. You could get one for your 2-year-old and rear-face her, or get it to use forward-facing. Either way, installed in the center it would leave much more room for buckling the new high-back booster next to it, which would give you more options for boosters.

If you want to get really convenient, you could get two Radians and re-harness your six-year-old, and not have to bother with trying to squeeze your hand between a carseat and a booster to buckle the booster every time you go somewhere. (This is assuming your 6-year-old fits in the Radian by height, of course.)

Yes, I finally got three car seats installed in the back seat of the 2010 Prius. I have dodge the bullet of having to get a gas hungry minivan.




Next I have to puzzle the 2001 Tarsus.

How does your 6y fit the raidan? What his weight?

For the taurus, try a booster (might need a different one depending on 6y height), ff cosco for 2y, infant seat withor without the base.

Booster kids need seat to the tops of the ears. The cosco boosters need support for the kids ears. Other (non dorel, cosco, safety1st, eddie bauer, maxi cosi) boosters doesn't require this.

Unregistered said:

Yes, I finally got three car seats installed in the back seat of the 2010 Prius. I have dodge the bullet of having to get a gas hungry minivan.

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That's great! :thumbsup: I'm glad you found a solution that works!