Question I need some help BAD!!!!

briannamay · Jan 8, 2013

I am expecting my 3rd child, due in Aug (complete surprise!!!

). When the baby is born I will have a 4 year old dd, almost/maybe 1 year old dd. I am trying to figure out a vehicle that will work best for 3 car seats. I will have all 3 in Britax. My oldest dd will be in a 5 point harness booster seat (we are about to purchase it soon), my middle dd will be rear facing in a convertible seat and the infant will be in a carrier. I don't want my oldest in the 3rd row of a vehicle alone because of buckling issues...I want to be sure she is buckled correctly. I need advice/tips on the best vehicle for 3 car seats and also advice on the best car seats. I am a car seat "freak". I have to have the best

. I have never posted on here so I hope I have included all of the info needed for good help. Thanks for your help!!!!

clmchrissy · Jan 8, 2013

What kind of vehicle? Do you own any of the seats you want to use yet?

Kegracin · Jan 8, 2013

Hi what kind of vehicle are you looking for....as a mom of three I would look at a mini van personally (I dont have one wish I did, I instead drive a large suv, my particular suv is not overly car-seat friendly). Maybe this one http://carseatblog.com/8090/2011-ho...ids-carseats-review-with-tons-of-pics-videos/ (I would also look for something that does have a third row for later on....my three are now 3,4 and 9 when they are all in the same row its horrible as they can touch each other and fight non stop.) Also you may find that you will have to compromise from having them all in Britax as they are not always the most three across friendly...in the video she uses a Keyfit 30 because it has a nice rectangular base so it works well for three across.

Also you may want to check out the section of the forum for car shopping its called Car and Vehicle Safety you may find some stuff to lead you in the right direction.

Good luck.

briannamay · Jan 8, 2013

I have a kia borrego now but 3 car seats won't fit in this SUV so I know I have to purchase a new car. I just don't know which way is best...minivan, large SUV, etc. I have a Britax Advocate CS 70 which I am looking at replacing. We have had this seat since Jan 2010. My 5 month old is in the Britax Chaperone infant carrier but I am getting ready to put her in a rf convertible within a month or two.

briannamay · Jan 8, 2013

Kegracin, thanks so much for your help!!! The only thing I worry abt having my then 4 yo in the 3rd row alone is getting her buckled properly and/or giving her food/drink while I'm driving. I won't be able to reach her. That is very good active abt the infant seat. Would I put the key fit 30 in the middle and then the other on the sides if they are 3 across?

clmchrissy · Jan 8, 2013

briannamay said:
I have a kia borrego now but 3 car seats won't fit in this SUV so I know I have to purchase a new car. I just don't know which way is best...minivan, large SUV, etc. I have a Britax Advocate CS 70 which I am looking at replacing. We have had this seat since Jan 2010. My 5 month old is in the Britax Chaperone infant carrier but I am getting ready to put her in a rf convertible within a month or two.

A mini van is going to be better on fuel than a large suv. I find that our Sienna is much easier to get kids in/out all rows vs our 3rd row Yukon was. The 3rd row on the Yukon was a joke if you needed an adult back there ever and it ate up cargo space. Unless you get something like a Yukon/Tahoe (large suv) I doubt 3 Britax seats will fit across most anything elses backseat. I would suggest looking at adding a Radian or a Foonf to the mix for the middle DD rf.

Stelvis · Jan 8, 2013

The Odyssey is the car seat nerd's ultimate fantasy vehicle.

The '11 and newer body styles will be VERY easy to get 3 across in because of the "wide mode" feature. Any of your seats would fit in any of the three center row seats, although the Frontier fits better in a captain's chair.

You would not need a radian or Foonf to accomplish 3 across in an Odyssey.

clmchrissy · Jan 8, 2013

Stelvis said:
The Odyssey is the car seat nerd's ultimate fantasy vehicle.

The '11 and newer body styles will be VERY easy to get 3 across in because of the "wide mode" feature. Any of your seats would fit in any of the three center row seats, although the Frontier fits better in a captain's chair.

You would not need a radian or Foonf to accomplish 3 across in an Odyssey.

Wow, I didn't realize they were so wide.

Stelvis · Jan 8, 2013

clmchrissy said:
Wow, I didn't realize they were so wide.

Oh yeah. You could get a 3 across doing, like, Frontier- Britax Convertible - True Fit. Or something equally wide. I'm not sure you could quite do 3 Frontiers but almost.

Kegracin · Jan 8, 2013

briannamay said:
Kegracin, thanks so much for your help!!! The only thing I worry abt having my then 4 yo in the 3rd row alone is getting her buckled properly and/or giving her food/drink while I'm driving. I won't be able to reach her. That is very good active abt the infant seat. Would I put the key fit 30 in the middle and then the other on the sides if they are 3 across?

You would have to play around with it to see what fit the best and worked for your situation...I also agree I wouldn't put my 4 yr old in the back row...I was just thinking it will nice to be able to move her back there when she gets older...and the little two can talk and touch each other.

MommyShannon · Jan 8, 2013

I agree with minivans being good for 3. We have an '06 Odyssey so it doesn't have the nice wide seats in the 2nd row. It does let you scoot one captain's chair to the middle though which creates easy access to the 3rd row. When we had 3, we put two in the middle and one outboard or middle in the 3rd row. I could easily help buckle. On road trips, DH or I will sit in back if needed to give the kids stuff or entertain the baby. It worked great with 3 kiddos. We have 4 now but the older two can do their own buckles and reach to hand things around if needed.

MommyShannon · Jan 8, 2013

Oh, I really like our Britax seats, but they may not be the best seat for what you need depending on the vehicle you choose and your kids' sizes. I haven't tried their infant seats. I love their convertibles BUT taller than average kids normally don't fit rearfacing much past two in them. It's safest to keep kids rearfacing to 3 or 4 or longer so that's not great. The Frontier is my favorite combination seat, but its also very wide. I do like using the convertibles the first two years and then move to a taller seat to stay rearfacing and pass the convertible down.

mominabigtruck · Jan 8, 2013

I have 4 in seats and I much prefer to have the little ones in the third row. My 3yo sits back there alot by himself because he can't keep his hands to himself and tends to spit when he's bored. I have him in a frontier 85 and then a convertible back there for my sister who's rfing. To buckle them in I just get up in the van and lean over the middle row, I don't generally get clear in the back. Then I have another rfing convertible seat and a hbb booster in the middle. This works out well because when we hit the drive thru my 7yo in the middle can pass out to everyone without me having to get out.

carseatcoach · Jan 9, 2013

briannamay said:
I will have all 3 in Britax... I am a car seat "freak". I have to have the best

There's no reason to believe Britax is "the best" overall and in fact, it may not be the best for your situation: the Britax combination seat and infant seats are very wide, and won't play nice in a three across. Are you open to considering other seats that will work better for you?

canadiangie · Jan 9, 2013

Are you sure you can't get three seats in your Borrego?

Radian/Radian/KeyFit or something similar?

Please don't spend $30,000+ so you can have Britax if all you need to do is spend $600 on three new seats that fit your vehicle and children.

Is there a tech near you who can help you get this figured out?

carseatcoach · Jan 9, 2013

Yeah, a Kia Borrego is not a small vehicle. Three-across is definitely possible with the right seats, and new seats are generally a better deal than a new vehicle (especially since you already have a vehicle with a third row).

briannamay · Jan 9, 2013

I don't see how 3 will fit across at all. I am not against getting seats other than Britax as long as they are top rated safety. I'm not sure if there is a tech around but I definitely need help!!!

LifeAtHome · Jan 9, 2013

The Chaperone Puzzles extremely well with a forward facing Radian. I would try RF Radian, FF Radian, Chaperone.

carseatcoach · Jan 9, 2013

Most of us techs have gotten three-across in vehicles *much* smaller than a Borrego. You could puzzle rear- and forward-facing Radians for the two older kids and get a nice narrow infant seat like an OnboardAir or Chicco Keyfit.

jacqui276 · Jan 9, 2013

What area are you in? One of the techs from this site may be able to meet up with you and help you out with puzzling some car seats back there.

There are a lot of vehicles with small back seats that a lot of us have manage to get 3 across in, so I'm sure that some sort of combination would be doable in a borrego. There are some fairly narrow car seats available and some that have shapes that work well with one another.

All car seats pass the same safety testing, so there is no way to know which ones are at the "top". Some car seats have convenience features that may make them easier to use/install, but we have no way of knowing which one will be the absolute best in the event of a crash.

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