Car seat in middle 2nd row of new Sienna

Hello! I am sure this question has been asked but I searched and did not find an answer, so forgive me!

My husband and I are mini-van shopping and discovered the lame middle seat in the 2nd row of the new Siennas. I read here that there is conflicting answers from Toyota on if you can put a car seat there or not. Husband brought our FF Marathon and put in in, and used the side top tether to secure it...he swears it's as safe as it could be...I question it of course. That's not how it's meant to be used I know! Any opinions on that?

Another WWYD question.... we just have one child right now and are looking to adopt a second...so we dont NEED that middle seat...but I have always wanted my DD in the middle seat, it's just the safest right? And I also like the idea of having her and the new baby right next to each other, not in two captains chairs, so she can help with binkies, bottles, etc. Husband thinks I'm silly and they can both be by the window...what do you think?

Thanks for your help!

Not sure if they still do this, but one thing I loved about the honda odyssey was that you could slide one of the captain's seats over to the other seat. That was nice because 1. the girls could sit next to each other and 2. it was easier to get to the third row because you didn't have to pass a chair to get there. Might be worth looking into the odyssey for that!

Thank you Laura! Yes I got excited about this possibility, only to find out that the new Odysseys and new Siennas do NOT have this feature! Grrrrrrr...... I'm trying to find a 2010 Sienna with low miles but it's proving difficult...

Purplegal said:

Thank you Laura! Yes I got excited about this possibility, only to find out that the new Odysseys and new Siennas do NOT have this feature! Grrrrrrr...... I'm trying to find a 2010 Sienna with low miles but it's proving difficult...

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New Odyssey doesn't need to do this cuz the middle seat is basically full size. If you want the two girls next to each other, just put one in the outboard, and one in the middle.

And the middle seat isn't the "safest" seat. The "safest" seat is the one furthest from the crash. If a side impact occurs on the driver's side, the safest seat is actually the outboard on the passenger's side, not the middle. The middle is more of a hedging your bets position.

Still, be more concerned about getting a proper install than where to stick the seat.

And don't just consider car seats when looking at a minivan <ducking from the thrown rotten vegetables>. Look at all the other features and see which one you're more comfortable with. If you get a van you don't like just cuz of a car seat, you're gonna kick yourself later. It's much cheaper to change a car seat than a vehicle.

Purplegal said:

Husband brought our FF Marathon and put in in, and used the side top tether to secure it...he swears it's as safe as it could be...I question it of course. That's not how it's meant to be used I know! Any opinions on that?

Click to expand...

I have a 2011 Sienna and a Britax Marathon - and I am not comfortable with the install in the middle 2nd row. That is the 'bonus' 8th seat. It's really narrow. I can get a SK Radian in that seat, but not the new Diono Radian. And I've heard others got a Corroco installed - but I don't have one of those to try. The problem is that the two outboard seats are higher than the middle and I found them to get a false sense of security. The seat needs to be independently tight. The two outboard seats should not be helping secure the middle carseat. Don't get me wrong, I'm trying everything I can to get a carseat in that seat too - I'm not against using it - I'm just struggling myself...

Also, he borrowed the side top tether? I don't think that's allowed. If you can get a seat installed, it really needs to be RFing since there is no FFing tether anchor designated for that seat...

I drive a 2011 8 passenger Sienna. Love to pieces and will be getting another one when we feel it's time.

That said, my family dynamic includes older children, so I don't need 900 top tether anchors or 6 useable child restraint rear seating positions. Our family-specific vehicle "needs" are different as well and I don't NEED, or desire, to have a child in the center rear seat fulltime. My outboard kiddos are in properly used and installed car seats and I'm comfortable with the safety involved there. Rear-facing, for as long as possible, provides additional protection.

Here's the deal with the 8th seat. It's very narrow and sits a bit below the captain's chairs. Toyota has OK'ed the installation of a child restraint there, provided the install is otherwise acceptable. However, because the 8th seat sits lower, and is narrow, it's difficult to feel confident in estimating side-to-side movement post-install. I'm not comfortable with having a child restraint there.

The other issue, for a FFing (forward-facing) install, is that there is no dedicated top tether anchor and you can not borrow an outboard tether anchor, under any circumstance(s).

I rarely leave my 8th seat in place - it's usually in its cubby in the cargo area. I'll break it out when I have a car load full of passengers and I have 5-stepping child or petite adult to cart around. That's about all it's good for, which is really all I need it for.

If you're stuck on having a child in the center of the vehicle, I'd skip the new gen Sienna and go back to searching for previous gen Sienna or new gen Odyssey.

Hope that helps.

Thank you for your replies!

Just wanted to update that we ended up purchased a 2012 Honda Odyssey, and so far LOVE it. We have my DD secure in the 2nd row middle seat, and once the new baby comes she will be on the side and they can be right next to each other...LOVE it!

Just wondering for the middle install on the Sienna can you unistall the two side seats(the actual seats not carseats) and than install the seat chalking the seatbelt so you know its tight?

The middle seat of second row on sienna is actually attached to the seat and base of the chair on the drivers side. So if you were to remove it you couldn't put middle seat in. (2011 model)