Help me start brainstorming

With one more on the way, I've got to start thinking about our current vehicle situation. We'll have 3 in boosters and 2 RF'ing. Currently driving a 2007 Durango. The third row is pretty roomy, though I'm not sure what the side-to-side measurements are. Currently we've got a FR85 and a Monterey in that row....those will have to go if we have any chance of getting 3-across anything back there. I've also currently got 2 TB to play with, but can buy pretty much anything we need to make this work (within reason...I do have a dh ).

Q is in a Coccoro and we have a KeyFit, though I'm not opposed to other options there if necessary.

Suggestions for seats and configurations? We can tumble either of the two outboard seats in the second row for access to the back, or the kids can climb over a folded-down middle seat (that's what we're going right now). Only issue there is if the two second row seats are RF'ing...kind hard to climb under those to get to the middle seat and then climb over that. So, I'm thinking either both RF'ing seats next to each other in the middle and one outboard position and keeping the other outboard seat tumbled, or having one booster and one RF'ing seat outboard on the second row. How much trouble is it to load a RF'ing child from the back of an SUV? I know some people do it, but will it be a huge pain?

I'm pretty sure there are no airbags in the third row....do I need to aim for HBB in the outboard positions?

I can easily load from the rear of my mazda5. Loading from the back of my sienna is a total pain in the butt. The third row is high and there is a well that the third row can fold into. I'd say loading from the rear is likely to be a pain, especially is the littles are the only kids with you the majority of the time with the bigs in school.

Is your oldest close to being in a no back booster? If so, you could put the 2 rfers next to each other in the middle row with the NBB on the 3rd seat, leaving it still easy to tumble when you have all the kids. Then whatever HBB's you want in the third row.

I think the easiest solution is keeping the RFing babes in the 2nd row and then being able to tumble one of the outboard seats to access the 3rd row. There is now way I would want to load from the hatch in my van and your cargo area is higher up than mine. Dillipop's idea of putting a backless on the other 2nd row outboard seat is also a really good one. It might be hard to buckle 3 boosters in the 3rd row without some parental involvement!

As far as narrow boosters go, I just ordered a Parkway SGL to try for Cadence. I think that's about the narrowest HBB and it's also one of the tallest.

Dillipop said:

Is your oldest close to being in a no back booster? If so, you could put the 2 rfers next to each other in the middle row with the NBB on the 3rd seat, leaving it still easy to tumble when you have all the kids. Then whatever HBB's you want in the third row.

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Yes, he's ok in a NBB. That setup is a definite possibility that I hadn't thought of, as long as I can find convertibles narrow enough to allow the seat to tumble up and down without hitting side wings.

daniele_ut said:

I think the easiest solution is keeping the RFing babes in the 2nd row and then being able to tumble one of the outboard seats to access the 3rd row. There is now way I would want to load from the hatch in my van and your cargo area is higher up than mine. Dillipop's idea of putting a backless on the other 2nd row outboard seat is also a really good one. It might be hard to buckle 3 boosters in the 3rd row without some parental involvement! As far as narrow boosters go, I just ordered a Parkway SGL to try for Cadence. I think that's about the narrowest HBB and it's also one of the tallest.

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I so wish the Parkway worked in our car. I ordered one several months ago and I really liked it, but the buckle stalks in the third row are waaaay too long for it, as Britax specifically prohibited them from riding up into the belt path. It wasn't a great fit in the second row either because of the angle the seatbelt comes out at. It was a sad day for me to box that up and send it back.