Questions about 2010 Toyota Highlander

Does anyone know if you can use a forward facing seat in the third row of a Toyota Highlander (not sure if this matters, but it folds down to make the trunk space larger)? There is nothing one way or the other in the manual about it. Is there anyway I can tell if it is okay?

My other question is whether it is okay to put a carseat in the middle seat of the second row. It is a shoulder belt, but I'm not sure if it is wide enough to accommodate a carseat. Again, the manual doesn't say either way.

We already have this car (it is our only one) and only have one baby currently. We are planning more kids in the future and will likely end up with a FF, RF and an infant seat. I'm wondering if that configuration will even be possible in the Highlander and if I should take into consideration the need to get three across when looking at convertibles for our son who is currently in his infant seat (I know this is slightly cart before horse, but I'm just trying to think ahead and try to avoid buying more seats than I need to) or if we're going to end up with a new car because this one is not car seat friendly. We are looking at a Britax Boulevard or a Sunshine Kids Radian.

ok disclaimer, I'm not a tech first off.

but if I recall, when I looked at the highlander it did not have top tethers for a FF car seat in the third row. From what I remember only the explorer and pilot did. But double check that! if it doesn't have top tethers you can technically put an infant seat or booster there, but nothing that requires an anchor.

as far as the middle seat I remember thinking it was basically useless because no car seat will fit there (from what I could imagine anyway) and no child out of a booster will want to sit there because it's tiny.

I'm sure there are ways you could do a FF, RF, and booster install in a highlander, probably by doing outboard FF and boosters and RF in the third row.

honestly though, I have to say I'm not a huge fan of toyotas when it comes to car seats. don't get me wrong, they're super well made vehicles, and if it wasn't for the wonky seat belts I might have gone for a rav4 to replace the 4runner... but it just seems to me with toyota that the whole car seat issue is a hurried afterthought and not a top priority. that's just my impression though, and it's not limited to toyotas. a lot of car manufacturers don't seem to put much thought into this.

You can put child seats in the third row, but the lack of a tether anchor will make it less than ideal for a forward facing model. Some models, like the Sunshine Kids [Diono] Radian and new Britax convertibles meet the stricter federal standard even without a top tether. In my 2011 that has a slightly different 3rd row seat than yours, I found the Radian did not install well forward facing. The new Britax covertibles did install acceptably forward and rear facing there.

The second row is actually reasonably wide overall. The middle seat itself is somewhat narrow, but if a child safety seat installs well, it can be used. Some seats won't install well, especially some infant and rear-facing seats due to the configuration of the vehicle seats. A booster would tend to make it more comfortable as it will essentially smooth over the gaps for a child there. The only problem is that an installed child seat may prevent moving the outboard seats. That can restrict access to the third row in some cases.

I have some comments on my 2011 model here http://carseatblog.com/9785/minivan...zle-gas-2011-toyota-highlander-hybrid-review/ . The second row should be identical, but the third row is a little different now.

The Highlander is not a great vehicle for families with at least a few young kids. You can certainly make do, but there are many options that are more family friendly. I really like my Highlander, but we only have one younger child and he often rides in a booster now.