The great carseat shuffle: Take 46

zeo2ski

Well-known member
Which of these would you try most to avoid?

-preschoolers next to each other face to face (RF/FF) who will beat each other

-newborn in 3rd row

-16 month old in 3rd row

-losing the ability to shut the door and climb in to de-coat and buckle everyone

-untethering FF 50 lb 5.5y.o


I don't even think buying new seats for anybody would help anything, except if the Foonf sits high enough/tall enough sides to create a solid wall between the two fighters!

Here's the deal. 1998 Suburban, can FF top tether only in 3rd row, which is very narrow. Lap belts in center seats. Middle row passenger side is flip down seat to access 3rd row. Bigger 3 kids can climb without that, but 3 y.o. needs me to buckle.

Kids:
newborn (next month, and today's windchill is -7 so cold is a factor)
15 month old (currently at the height limit in CCO, has RXT waiting)
3.5y.o. (RF RXT. Fights with 5 yo, takes stuff from 1 y.o.)
5.5 y.o. (50 lbs, top notch of harnessed FR85)
7.5 y.o. (55 lbs?, at or over harness on FR85, currently boostered ProSport)

If I put the 5 and 7 y.o.s in the 3rd row in the PS and FR it does not leave space for any other seat back there. I can get RF RN/PS/RF RN but that puts the fighters by each other and the 5 yo would be close to the 52 lb tether limit in that seat...not sure how I feel about that. The ProSport does not work well outboard 3rd row harnessed. I don't *know* if I can FF a Radian in the 3rd row, install wise.

I only have a pink CCO so far for the newborn boy. I think I want a bucket. Probably KF30 but not decided yet.

I really want to be able to get in and shut the doors to buckle...it takes so long, smelling the exhaust the whole time, ick. I've had 5 and 6 carseats in there this year and it was fine, but kid growth has really messed up the options! And 6 was in warmer weather and yes I threw the 1 y.o. into the 3rd row and yes the fighters were next to each other and yes we all survived :) I'm just being fussy now.

The other possibility would be bucketing the 1 year old as well as the newborn and putting them and the 3yo all RF in the 2nd row and having the door open just long enough to buckle the 3 yo which is reasonable. Which bucket though is the tough part--she's at the height limit of the CCO right now in a trimmer cloth diaper, she gains a smidge by using a disposable. But her overall height is just over 31". Oh and she just started walking last week so there's no way she'll be an outdoor winter walker this year and a bucket might be very nice to have her in.

Any other ideas? I'm open to any suggestions!
 
ADS

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
No real help, but I would try the hardest to avoid the first and the last. Those are safety issues, the other three are convenience issues.

I am sure you know that already, but thought it might help to hear it :)

I will come back and help with the puzzle later, when I have brain power... I am pretty good at puzzles but have no thoughts left at the moment! LOL!
 

MommyShannon

New member
No real help, but I would try the hardest to avoid the first and the last. Those are safety issues, the other three are convenience issues. I am sure you know that already, but thought it might help to hear it :) I will come back and help with the puzzle later, when I have brain power... I am pretty good at puzzles but have no thoughts left at the moment! LOL!
Ditto. I've had a nb (now 17 month old) in the 3rd row of our van but weather wasn't an issue. I had a ff beside her and if I wanted to climb in to buckle everyone due to rain or whatever, I had the ff kid stand somewhere else in the van while I sat on the edge of his seat.
 

BarbieWD

New member
If it was me and I only had those 5 options, the only option I would go for is the 16m.o. in the 3rd row.

I agree with the previous posts about the 1st and last options being out.

Given the weather I wouldn't want to be wrestling a nb in a bucket (or otherwise) into the vehicle. I would want newb to be in the fastest and easiest. Eliminating option 2.

Also given that you already need to buckle the 16m.o. and 3yo, I wouldn't want to give up the ability to climb in and shut the door, again, given your weather. Eliminating option 4, and leaving only option 3!

I would do this until it warms up, then re-evaluate from there!
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Would you be open to a different booster for 7.5yo? If so, I might try 3.5yo driver 3rd row, 5.5yo passenger 3rd row. 7.5yo in easily removable booster on flip seat. 15mo RF center & noob 2nd row driver. Approach from driver side, pop newbie into base. Walk to pass side, pull booster out, throw up front or something. Allow 7.5 to sit up front to wait out of cold (as long as he/she is trustworthy enough not to touch driver's stuff.) Have 3.5 crawl into back while you buckle 15mo, then sit in 5.5's seat while you buckle 3.5. 5.5 can sit on flipped down pass side seat... or wherever. Exit vehicle, replace 7.5's booster, have 7.5 move into booster.

When 7.5 is in school and you are running around w/littles, booster can stay buckled into front passenger seat, for one less step.

More ideas later if you don't like that one :)
 

zeo2ski

Well-known member
Thanks for the thoughts. I agree about avoiding the safety issues first.

Barbie--I'm realizing though that the 1 year old can't be in the 3rd row (for a 3 across) without the 3 y.o. also being there, and being next to 5 y.o. OR the 1 yo, 5yo and newbie could be all back there. I can't get 2 RF radians next to each other.

Carrie--I'm not opposed to a different booster, that's a possibility. But I realized last night perhaps the easiest thing to do would be put a keyfit on that flip seat. We did that when we had 6 and just put the baby in the bucket right in the front passenger seat while we did all the loading/buckling, then popped baby into the back. Then it would be the 3 RFers across the 2nd row. The big boys can climb in the back cargo area where they can kick off boots, coats and climb over the seat and buckle themselves (I can still reach back to check them without flipping the seat down). Then I can climb in and either kinda sit on that keyfit base or just uninstall it and stick it on the floor while I buckle the 1 and 3 y.o.s without even flipping the seat up and down. I'm not entirely sure if it *will* flip with a radian in the middle spot, but it does not fit to flip with a CCO in that spot, so we'll see.

We homeschool so all the kids are usually with me. Today we went to a homeschool gym class in very cold weather and yeah, I did not enjoy wrestling them in with the door open. Their seating is currently all out of whack because of a pee incident and I have 3 across the 2nd row and it is pretty difficult to reach the 1yo in the center, reaching over the 3 y.o. outboard, I can just barely do it so it takes extra long. I'm gonna aim for being able to shut the door.:eek:
 

kathysr98

Active member
Is the 7.5yo competent enough to buckle any of the littles? I'm thinking maybe the 1yo or 3yo while you deal with the noob and the other of those two. Also, can you check seats from the driver's seat, like harness tightness & such?
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
No real help, but I would try the hardest to avoid the first and the last. Those are safety issues, the other three are convenience issues.

:yeahthat: I absolutely agree. Unless your third row doesn't have access from the rear, it actually might be EASIER to put the rear-facers in the third row.
 

zeo2ski

Well-known member
Just took a quick peek at the specs and see the orbit is 18". I'll go look for pics of it, but does it puzzle with anything?

I wouldn't mind RFers in the 3rd row, except if the newbie is back there I do want one of the FFers to be able to keep an eye on him.

ETA: 7 y.o. would not be able to buckle the littles, but he can unbuckle them.

Looking at the Orbit baby, it looks like it might sit high enough to puzzle with a RF Radian? But I'm guessing you're recommending it for the swivel feature. Does that still work when it's between two other carseats? Or carseat and wheelwell.

But that does remind me a classic Britax next to radian worked back there (duh, my siggy pic has that combo, why have I not thought of doing that?). Wonder if I could get a narrower booster back there with those...hmm.

ETA again: Gah, can't do that, that leaves no tether for the harnessed FFer.
 
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