Making room for baby

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Yellie417

New member

• Feb 10, 2015

• #1

My 8 yo, 51 lbs and on the short side and my 6 yo, 54 lbs and on the tall side (they are actually the same height), are both in the wide frontier seats. We just welcomed baby 5 and need to fit thee across in the 3rd row with a radian xt. Any suggestions on narrow boosters and advice on whether to go high back or backless? They are used to the comfort of the frontier s, but at the same time, we home school and do not spend a lot of time in the car. They are both asking for backless b/c they seem more grown up, but know that I get the final say. I'd love for these to be our last car seat purchases for these two kids. Thanks!

 

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tobypuppy

New member

• Feb 10, 2015

• #2

I'd get a narrow backless booster for the 8yo, such as the harmony youth booster or cosco topside (the topside has a special routing where you route the belt OVER the armrest) and a highback britax parkway for the six year old.

 

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Yellie417

New member

• Feb 10, 2015

• #3

Thank you! Is the Parkway narrow enough at the top to have the Radian FF next to it?

 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician

• Feb 10, 2015

• #4

What car do you have and what other car seats and kids do you have to fit into it?

 

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Yellie417

New member

• Feb 10, 2015

• #5

We have a Town and Country that has 3 top tether anchors in the back row. The newborn is in a Britax Chaperone. 2 yo rear facing in Radian XT. Four year old ff in Radian XT, although she is tall and 49 lbs and about to outgrow it height-wise. Not sure who to put in the middle back row. I would anticipate more arguing with the 4 year old back there, but if we put the 2 year old back there rfing, it will be hard for the big kids to get in and out. I might keep the 4 year in the 2nd row in a frontier.

When my oldest two were small, we were t-boned. I'll admit to having some anxiety about having anyone in a backless booster without side impact protection, which is why I brought the Frontiers a few years ago, but I also realize that I have to let them grow up at some point. We'll buy a safer car down the road, but for now, this car is what we've got.

Thanks for your help!

 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician

• Feb 10, 2015

• #6

What year Town and Country?

 

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bnsnyde

New member

• Feb 10, 2015

• #7

We have a crazy narrow back in our Odyssey and have a Harmoney backless (age 7), Incognito (age 8), and a FF Evenflo Sureride (3.5 YO).
It works but not an inch to spare. They are pretty squished.

The Radian I took out. I know it's supposed to be super narrow, but the design of the Sureride seems to give me better room for the child next to it to buckle, due to the base.
We just figured out how to fit baby #6, lol. Puzzling but doable! Finally, thanks to the suggestions of many year.

(I wanted a Clek in the back due to latch but it (when latched) sat on the buckle so she couldn't buckle at all, at least with our 3 in a row. I don't like an unlatched one behind my RF babies' heads but right now...it is that way. She's not big enough to fit the Incognito, which is light. And she hops out for carline so I can't get back there and buckle anything. It is somewhat secured by part of the belt, routed through the armrest, at least.

 

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Yellie417

New member

• Feb 10, 2015

• #8

2001

 

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Yellie417

New member

• Feb 10, 2015

• #9

2001 is the easy answer. We swapped out the back row a few years ago for a 2001 bench to have more options with top tethers. The car itself though is 03.

 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician

• Feb 10, 2015

• #10

Well, your narrowest combination is going to be the two Radians going opposite directions. If you put the 2yo rfing in the 3rd row on the driver's side, then the 4yo ffing in the center, you might just barely have enough room to put a Frontier back there too. Since the rfing child is on the driver's side, the big kids won't have to climb over that seat and you should be able to reach over the top of the second row and buckle as long as the baby is second row driver's side. How close exactly is the 4yo to outgrowing the Radian?

 

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Yellie417

New member

• Feb 10, 2015

• #11

That would be awesome to not have to buy new seats, but the Frontiers are 85 SICTs. They are crazy wide. Do you really think one would fit back there? 4yo does have one more belt height adjustment to go in the Radian before her torso is too long, so we're still okay in the Radian just now.

 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician

• Feb 11, 2015

• #12

Yellie417 said:

That would be awesome to not have to buy new seats, but the Frontiers are 85 SICTs. They are crazy wide. Do you really think one would fit back there? 4yo does have one more belt height adjustment to go in the Radian before her torso is too long, so we're still okay in the Radian just now.

Click to expand...

Oh, SICTs. Hmmm. IDK, it's worth a shot anyway. If it works, then when the baby outgrows the Chaperone you could just move everybody up a seat without even uninstalling the Radians. With an entire slot to go for the 4yo, you likely have at least a year before he outgrows it by height. Either way, by putting the 2 Radians in the back you will still give yourself the most room for a booster back there.

 

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Yellie417

New member

• Feb 11, 2015

• #13

We'll give it a try! Thank you so much for your help!