Middle / Center of Honda Odyssey third row "magic" seat

User123456 · Sep 27, 2013

Can I put a front facing car seat in the CENTER / MIDDLE of the third row ("Magic" seat) of a new (2011 - 2014) Honda odyssey securely using any method at all (seat belts, etc)? Does anyone on this message board have personal experience with that?

My wife and I are looking to buy a new Honda Odyssey (2013 or 2014) and we have a toddler (almost 3 yr old) who uses a Graco convertible forward facing seat (I think it's the GRACO MySize 70 from Babies R Us) and we are going to have another baby in January (we will probably use a Chicco KeyFit 30 for the infant in the middle row center facing backwards).

I have read (and been told) many times that the middle / center position is always the safest spot to put a car seat (because of possible injuries due to side-impact collisions).

Because the middle positions are the safest, I'd like to put my newborn in the center of the 2nd row of the new minivan and our 3-yr old in the center of the third row ("magic" seat). The problem is, there are only 2 LATCH positions in the third / magic row of the odyssey and neither of them is in the middle.

So - anyone have any luck putting the Graco MySize 70 or any similar front facing seat in the middle of the 2011-2014 Odyssey 3rd row using seat belts / hooks / whatever?

spokaneCPST · Sep 27, 2013

Does that 3rd row center position have a top tether? It appears to from a video I watched about the magic seat. The seat would be safe installed with a seatbelt instead of LATCH in that middle position of the 3rd row, but would be safest if it could also be top tethered.

Unregistered · Sep 27, 2013

Thanks for the quick response!

I think the 2011-2014 Odyssey does have a belt which comes from the ceiling. Does anyone here know for sure?

I know it has a hook on the back of the third row "magic" seat which makes me think it might be ok to put a child seat in the middle of the third row.

I guess I'm a little surprised I haven't heard more people discussing the need to put two children in separate rows in any vehicle so they can both be in middle seats.

thepote · Sep 27, 2013

Unregistered said:
Thanks for the quick response!

I think the 2011-2014 Odyssey does have a belt which comes from the ceiling. Does anyone here know for sure?

I know it has a hook on the back of the third row "magic" seat which makes me think it might be ok to put a child seat in the middle of the third row.

I guess I'm a little surprised I haven't heard more people discussing the need to put two children in separate rows in any vehicle so they can both be in middle seats.

Hi,
As long as the belt geometry works with the particular seat you are installing, the ceiling belts are fine to use for installation. Honda has a lower anchor LATCH limit of 40lbs child weight. Otherwise you'd use the seatbelt and top tether together.

As for having both children in the middle in each row, your vehicle and proper car seat use are inherently very safe. Having a child outboard is not something safety advocates take issue with. The center position is marginally safer, but is recommended only if it will work for each particular situation. In the case of center seating positions, issues of convenience with pickup/drop off, other passengers, etc. are real-world considerations that need to be accommodated for.

That being said, if your middle seating position setup works for you, by all means, go for it.

canadiangie · Sep 27, 2013

In terms of keeping your oldest child best protected in a motor vehicle, I would focus more on the direction he's facing, rather than the seating position he is in. At 2 years old (almost 3 is still 2) he would be much, much safer if he was rear facing. Being in an outboard seating position, and rear facing, in a correctly used seat, is so inherently protective in a side impact crash I wouldn't think twice. Then add the fact that he's in one of the safest vehicles on the road, and well, we're edging towards bubble territory.

He is still at an age where rear facing is beneficial, so that would be my focus, personally. I would seat my newborn 2nd row middle, and my 2 year old 2nd row passenger or driver side, depending on lifestyle/convenience.

seb3244 · Sep 27, 2013

Congrats on your new baby coming!

http://www.carseatnanny.blogspot.com/2012/01/is-rear-facing-safer-when-youre-rear.html?m=1

Above I have posted a link to a blog. Someone on this forum so kindly sent this to me. My baby girl is 15 months old & before seeing the link I have pasted our rear facing goal was age 2 and now that I have read this article on carseatnanny our rear facing goal is as close to age 4 as possible or rear facing until daughter reaches the weight limit on her seat rear facing.

Hope this helps you

Linqdz · Sep 27, 2013

I have a 2014 Odyssey (love love love it), and I just went into the manual to look for you. The manual shows a tether anchorage point in all seats in both rows. (I'm not a tech, so I won't speak to anything else. I'm only stating what the car manual shows)

Unregistered · Oct 8, 2013

Thank you all so much! I'm going to try the third row middle with our 2yr-old's car seat at the dealership prior to purchase, but based on your responses, it sounds like we are ok.

As for rear facing vs front facing, we really wanted her to be rear facing, but she was outgoing her chicco key fit 30 in our 2011 Acura MDX and we tried several car seats at babies r us prior to selecting this front facing one. The issue was we couldn't find a secure fit (rear facing) with any of them in any position which would still allow me to adjust the driver's seat in a position which would accommodate me & give her a secure fit.

In my opinion, Honda has done a very poor job with drivers seats for even average sized American males (or anyone over 5'9"). Anyway, this isn't the right forum for that, but we had a hard time finding a carseat which would accommodate our daughter's legs & my legs. There are issues with the odyssey as well (footrest is too high), but we can work around that.

cso1997 · Oct 8, 2013

Unregistered said:
In my opinion, Honda has done a very poor job with drivers seats for even average sized American males (or anyone over 5'9"). Anyway, this isn't the right forum for that, but we had a hard time finding a carseat which would accommodate our daughter's legs & my legs. There are issues with the odyssey as well (footrest is too high), but we can work around that.

My husband is 6'2 and fits comfortably with a rear facing seat behind him. The trick is to install the seat more upright for an older child than you would for an infant. Currently, we have a Clek Foonf that easily fits behind him and is at a nice recline angle for my 2.5 year old. I am sorry to hear that you had trouble finding a seat to work. We actually have more trouble installing a rear facing seat behind him in our 2011 Ford Explorer. The Odyssey second row is roomy in comparison.

Keeanh · Oct 8, 2013

I think you should give rear-facing another try. It's just so much safer. It's possible to install many seats more upright in order to take up less room. If you want to give that a try, we can help with that!

Here's a blog post comparing front-to-back size of several rear-facing convertibles. http://carseatblog.com/22818/the-ul...ertible-space-comparison-review-size-matters/

emntheboys · Oct 8, 2013

Unregistered said:
...we tried several car seats at babies r us prior to selecting this front facing one.

I wanted to point out that the MySize 70 is a convertible seat- you can use it forward or rear facing. Graco also makes the Nautilus and Argos which are forward facing only seats.

Since your little one is older, you can install her seat more upright to give more room to the front row. We have a Pilot which has less 2nd row room than the Odyssey and my 6ft husband is fine with my daughter's rearfacing seat behind him. Give it a try- you may be surprised!

smileyblue4 · Oct 8, 2013

If you do in fact have a convertible car seat (can be used rear- or forward-facing), the great news about your plan to seat both children in the 2nd and 3rd row middle seats is that legroom for you becomes a nonissue and you can revisit rear-facing your toddler.

If you find having a child in the 3rd row is inconvenient, or need luggage space for a trip and are going to fold down the 3rd row, you can put one child's seat 2nd row middle, one seat outboard passenger side, and again, lots of legroom for the driver's seat. I love our Odyssey because there are so many options for seating, among other reasons.

Unregistered · Aug 8, 2017

Britax told me their Frontier can not be belt secured in the center third row seat with a ceiling belt (I have a '11 Ody). Any other feedback on this?

Middle / Center of Honda Odyssey third row "magic" seat

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