Vans with built in carseats

Tiffanie · Aug 3, 2007

My friend has to rent a van because her's just went into service and they leave for vacation tomorrow morning which was already prepaid. So they are renting a Toyota Sienna that has the carseats built in. Now I'll be honest, the seats she is using now for her kids have LONG time expired and are not installed at all or near correctly so I'm already thinking it can't be any worse right?

I didn't even know they still made vans with the seats built in them? Is that actually really safe?

ThreeBeans · Aug 3, 2007

They're definitely safer than improperly installed expired seats.

Not ideal as they generally arent' adjustable and have no side impact protection, but again, better than nothing (or expired crud)

MomToEliEm · Aug 3, 2007

I used a built in harness in our minivan rental car last year. It harnessed to 50 pounds which surprised me (read the manual to see what weight limit they go to as they might vary). Since I had only brought a backless booster for use, I made a decision to use the harness over the backless booster.

It wasn't the greatest thing to use. The harness was hard to tighten, and it was awkward for my daughter to get her legs comfortable since they basically just stuck straight out (she sat indian style most of the time).

Tiffanie · Aug 3, 2007

"crud" is an understatement with her seats. I love her, she's a great friend, but sometimes I want to shake and say "would you just listen to me!" *sigh*

Jeanum · Aug 3, 2007

Tiffanie said:
My friend has to rent a van because her's just went into service and they leave for vacation tomorrow morning which was already prepaid. So they are renting a Toyota Sienna that has the carseats built in. Now I'll be honest, the seats she is using now for her kids have LONG time expired and are not installed at all or near correctly so I'm already thinking it can't be any worse right?

I didn't even know they still made vans with the seats built in them? Is that actually really safe?

I don't believe the built-in seats were ever an option in the Sienna?

I think they're available in Chrysler/Dodge/GM minivans, not certain about Fords, but not in Siennas. :scratcheshead:

UlrikeDG · Aug 3, 2007

Yeah, I don't remember built-in seats being an option on the Sienna, either.

Regardless, the cons to built-in seats are:
- They don't rear face.
- They don't tend to fit smaller kids as well as a convertible seat.
- They can't be moved to another vehicle or even to another seating position within the same vehicle.
- They don't provide sleep support.

OTOH, you know it's properly "installed", and they usually have a higher weight limit than 40 lb. They have *tall* harness "slots", so they fit older children nicely. They're always there.

lynsgirl · Aug 3, 2007

Jeanum said:
I don't believe the built-in seats were ever an option in the Sienna? I think they're available in Chrysler/Dodge/GM minivans, not certain about Fords, but not in Siennas. :scratcheshead:

:yeahthat:

Tiffanie · Aug 3, 2007

She could have gotten the name of the van mixed up. I'll know for sure tomorrow morning when it pulls up in front of her house

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