Question Good vehicle for 4 car seats?

I am having my 4th baby in December and like with every child I have, I swen to demand a new to me vehicle... That works. I live in Vegas, a/c is a standard, right? And windows that roll up, & down don't hurt either. Anyway, what other options are there other than minivans? I's love to have LATCH also. I currently have 2 in the Graco Nautilus and 1 in the My Ride. Not sure what I want to do when the baby comes yet, but I'm thinking of moving my daughter into a Nautilus and my 7 yr old into a booster.

Congratulations on you pregnancy!

What car do you currently have? What do you like or dislike about it? I know a lot of parents prefer a minivan when they have 4 children.

Moving your 7yo to a highback booster (or possibly converting the Graco Nautilus into a highback booster) sounds like a good plan. How big and old are your other children?

Do you have an infant seat that you want to use when the baby comes? If so, you'll want to double check the expiration date on the seat, especially if it was used by your older children. If you are starting over with a new seat, do you have a preference for getting an infant seat or are you considering going straight to a convertible? With the Vegas heat in the summer, I would want an infant seat that would get through the summer. You can easily take the infant seat into the a/c.

Melanie

Hi there We live in Louisiana, so I feel your pain on the heat!! We are due with our 4th in like 4.5 months (ACK) and ended up getting a minivan but it sounds like our kids are a lot younger than yours, our oldest will only be 3.5 when this baby is born. We got a 2005 Sienna LE because our older ones can't buckle themselves and it's easier to buckle them thru the hatch in the van than an SUV... we really wanted a suburban tho What kind of cargo space do you need on a daily basis?

I have a Yukon XL (same as a Suburban) and four kids and it works great for us. We have middle row captains chairs so my older kids can walk through to the third row and buckle in while I get the baby fastened into his seat. We have a ton of cargo room with no need to fold any portion of the third row down. I also like just having more space between my kids. Before the Yukon I had a MDX that I loved but with only 3 kids it was cramped because even spread between the middle and third row they could all very easily touch each other...and you know what that means.

Other cars I like for 4 kids is the Expedition EL and the Toyota Sequoia...both of which on the newer years you can get middle row captains chairs which is a *must* for me when you have a third row in constant use.

Thank you for all the responses, going to try to answer all these questions while on my phone. I apologize if I miss any.


What car do you currently have? Pontiac Montana mini van.

What do you like or dislike about it? No a/c, heating cooling problems, literally screwed together interior. Gets too hot in the back, especially for my RFing DD who is in the middle row.

How big and old are your other children?
DS1 is 7 in September, 45 lbs.
DS2 is 5, 41 lbs.
DD is 3 in October, 30 lbs.

Do you have an infant seat that you want to use when the baby comes? If so, you'll want to double check the expiration date on the seat, especially if it was used by your older children.
No infant seat, but I'd like to use the Myride. DOM is 08 or 09.

If you are starting over with a new seat, do you have a preference for getting an infant seat or are you considering going straight to a convertible? With the Vegas heat in the summer, I would want an infant seat that would get through the summer. You can easily take the infant seat into the a/c.
I plan to go straight to convertible since I'm due in December. By 6 months they're usually in a convertible anyway.

What kind of cargo space do you need on a daily basis?
Not much. The more space I have, the more junk I fill it with. I would like to at least fit a stroller, and groceries.

And I definitely know what "touching" means. Not a good trip for mommy. I'd like to keep the boys separated mostly. They drive me up the wall on a good day!

Thank you for the suggestions. I'm going to look done of them up. I don't mind a minivan, but I want to make sure it will get cool in the back so my kids aren't red and sweaty when we drive 10 minutes.

If you don't mind not brand new, you can find 05-ish Siennas for a decent price. Ours has A/C vents in all 3 rows (the kids LOVE it) and yeah... I don't love vans but it is so nice with 4 kids!! I can also fit a double stroller (baby jogger city mini, so a smaller folding double for sure) and groceries in the cargo area.

My Pilot does a great job staying cool. The only downside would be that you could only get one Nautilus in the 3rd row. I can fit an umbrella stroller and plenty of groceries in the hatch - but not more than that.

Carrie_R said:

My Pilot does a great job staying cool. The only downside would be that you could only get one Nautilus in the 3rd row. I can fit an umbrella stroller and plenty of groceries in the hatch - but not more than that.

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I would be okay with only one Nautilus in the back. I would also put my oldest in the back, and he'll be in either a hbb or a backless booster when I have the baby. That's a Honda, right?

I have a Pilot and I would NOT want to have one with 4 kids.

Access to the 3rd row is tough with two in the middle row. Leg room in the third row is limited, and with the 3rd row up cargo space is sparse. I can fit a compact stroller and groceries, but that's it. You'd need one of those roof cargo things for trips.

That said I LOVE it for me, but I have 2 kids and only need the 3rd row occasionally. I think being in Vegas you need to look for something with rear air vents in the ceiling, the Pilot's vents are in the center console. Which is fine for FF kids, but my rear facing kiddo gets hot on short trips... on longer trips the back stays sufficiently cool. And if you put a RF seat in the middle of the second row it blocks the air vents.

I looked at a lot of options for third row seating, and when it came down to it if I had more than 3 kids I would go for a minivan. The access to the third row seating stinks in most cases for SUV's and crossovers.

VanIsleMommy said:

I looked at a lot of options for third row seating, and when it came down to it if I had more than 3 kids I would go for a minivan. The access to the third row seating stinks in most cases for SUV's and crossovers.

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The more I looked at it, the more I realized it wasn't a great option. I'll stick with a minivan. Are there any that have windows that roll down in the rear?

JeDeeLenae said:

The more I looked at it, the more I realized it wasn't a great option. I'll stick with a minivan. Are there any that have windows that roll down in the rear?

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I don't know what your budget is but the 2011 Honda Odyssey has rear windows that roll down the most of any minivan. It also has AC vents in all three rows.

You won't need an '11 to get windows that roll down in the second row . Many of the newer vans have windows that roll down (not all the way I don't think) in the middle row. Third row - they're the kind that pop out - as you have on your Montana now.

I too have a Montana (2002) and I'd love windows that roll down in the middle row - but I can live with it for now.

Check out the:

Kia Sedona/Hyundai Entourage
Honda Odyssey
Toyota Sienna
Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town & Country
Nissan Quest.

My 2005 Sienna has roll down windows in the 2nd row.

Thanks for the info! I was looking at more tonight and I think I have some great options. Just need to hold out until tax return time!!!

Roll down windows started in 2008 for Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country. Air vents in all 3 rows and also at floor under front seats blowing back and at the back edges of the doors. My kids complain that the AC is too cold in ours!