3 in 2005 corolla? Help!

PeanutParent

New member
After reading may of the wonderful threads on this site and others, I'm confident that I'll be able to puzzle 3 seats into the back of our 2005 Toyota Corolla, but I'm having some trouble!

Our kiddos are:

4 1/2yrs, 32 lbs, 38 inches (currently riding FF in a Sunshine Kids Radian)
2 1/2 yrs, 30 lbs, 34 inches (currently riding FF in a Britax Roundabout)
newborn on the way

I thought the FF Radian in the center would puzzle well with the FF Roundabout, but when I did the install, the Roundabout seemed tilted and pushed further toward the door than I would have liked.

I did my research with infant seats and bought a Baby Trend Flex Loc, which I think, is the narrowest seat out there, but I couldn't get a tight install in the Corolla with either the Latch or the seatbelt.

Are there other seats I should try? I'd love to hear from others who've made this work b/c I'd really like to avoid buying a new car!

Thanks in advance!
 
ADS

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Hi there! We'd love to help you with suggestions. :)

I definitely find the install with the BabyTrend infant seat difficult in that car. And, well, most. Try not locking the retractor and using a locking clip on the seatbelt instead- or if you just really want to switch it out, I'd go for a Chicco Keyfit if you want an infant seat. Narrowish, easy to install, allows handle up to take up less room and for rebound control...

Make sure you're using seatbelt installs for all the seats to maximize your room. Your installs need to be "independently tight"- that means if you take the Radian out, the Roundabout is still tight, etc.

Are you aware of the benefits of rear-facing your 2 year old? If not, and you'd like to know more, let us know.

I had a lot of three-across scenarios in my '03 Corolla (there's one pictured in my signature pic), including puzzling a classic Boulevard (same basic shape as the classic Roundabout- do you have the classic Roundabout with the 40 lb. limit, or the one with the 55 lb. forward-facing limit?) facing the same direction, and they worked, but I did need to use seatbelt for both seats to do that.
 

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