No new van, but need new seats!

canadiannancy · Mar 20, 2013

So new bigger van is out of question, have to wait on that, and since we are expecting, will need to fit 5 seats in an "07 pontiac montana.

Current heights/ weights are
K-7 years old-61 lbs, 49 inches tall, 17 inch harness height
z- 6 years old- 54 lbs, 48 inches tall, 16.5 inch harness height
c- 5 years old- 56.8 lbs, 47 inches tall, 16 inch harness height
x- 3 years old- 44 lbs, 42 inches tall, 15 inch harness height
newborn, who I would prefer to get a convertible rather then a bucket seat for

Was considering getting 3 diono monterey for the rear, with an r100 for behind drivers seat, and an rxt or a r120(mostly for the extra padding and comfort for newborn.

Wanted to know if it was remotely possible to fit 3 montereys in the back of our vehicle, and if not what was the best option? The kids all have special needs, and I thought the high sides would make it easiest for them to remain upright, and with the oldest ones ages and heights and weights thought they might not get much use out of harnesses. Help please ?

Pixelated · Mar 21, 2013

Are the oldest three booster ready? I ask because you specify harness height but ask about a Monterey, but it sounds like they might still need a harness.

Do you know if the Radian sits naturally at a 45* recline in your vehicle? You can't use anything to make it more reclined, so if it's too upright naturally then it's not suitable for a newborn. Do you currently own anything that a newborn would fit into? What else do you already have?

What is the seating set up like in your Montana? I know there are quite a few options with the three captain's chairs in the 2nd row, or a bench, or ??? Some also have a built-in restraint too.

tiggercat · Mar 21, 2013

Does the back row have 3 lap/shoulder belts or is the center a lap only?
3 montereys are going to be pretty wide, and buckling boosters in a 3 across is a real pain in the behind.

Edited to add: do you mind elaborating on what type of special needs we are talking about?

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tiggercat · Mar 21, 2013

Google suggests that the 3rd row center had a l/s belt, but no head restraint, so the Monterey won't work there (the Monterey requires vehicle head support to the tips of the child's ears).

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canadiannancy · Mar 21, 2013

We have nothing usable at the moment...We had to use crappy graco backless boosters for an unexpected trip after we had accident with our 4 radians(purchased in 2009, so should have been good for a while yet).

Our vehicle had bench in rear with two headrests, and two captains in middle.

As far as special needs, we have developmental delays, and behaviourial issues, as well as 3 littles with sleep apnea who tend to fall asleep even after only a couple of minute drive, so the backless boosters are definitely a no go for me. I would be open to almost anything....I know we had an 03 montana previously and were able to get the radian to a recline that would work for a newborn, so I assume the 07 would be similar. I would be open to anything, ideally i would prefer to have newborn in a convertible rather then bucket, then convertible, but other then that I would be flexible to get whatever would fit.

Thank you for your help.

Boot · Mar 23, 2013

Do you know if you have 3 tethers anchors in the back? if so, I would suggest 3 radians for the 3rd row for the middle children. Then the eldest in a hbb (turbobooster?) and the newborn in a radian in the 2nd row. That way you can easily move the booster to access the 3rd row and it will be easier to buckle harnesses than seat belts. It sounds like it would be a good idea to harness for as long as possible in your situation.

Is insurance replacing your seats?

No new van, but need new seats!

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