I'm pretty sure I got a successful, rock solid install in the the 8th seat of our 2014 Toyota Sienna and wanted to share how and make sure that it is an acceptable way to install. Our goal was to have our two kids on three driver side captains chair and the center seat so that the passenger side captains chair was able to move freely to allow access to the back row when we drive my nieces and would also be available for me or my husband to sit in the middle row next to our kids on long car rides. The car seat on the drivers side captains chair is a forward facing britax marathon 80.
First we tried a rear facing clek fllo in the center seat. It hung over the front of the seat a bit (the base was too long front to back), the anti rebound bar would not lie flat against the back of the center seat because of the captain chairs' arm rests, an because the width of the base is exactly the same as the width of the tiny center seat and the center seat sits slightly lower than the captains chairs, there was no way to check for movement at the belt path.
We removed the inner armrests of both captains chairs and then tried a friends maxi cost mico which had the same problems. Too much of the base hung over the front of the center seat and there was not enOuch space between the sides of the base and the captains chairs (which, again, are slightly higher up than the center seat sits) to check for movement at the beltpath.
We ordered a combi coccoro and with both inner captains chair armrests gone I easily got a rock solid install on my first try using the seat belt (no movement at the belt path and plenty of room between the captains chairs and the side of the combi to check this.) the combi is completely on the center seat with room to spare on all sides, not hanging over the front edge like the clek fllo or maxi cost mico were. The combi is narrow enough that the passenger side captains chair can move easily back and forth to allow full access to the third row. There is plenty of space between the britax marathon and the combi too.
Before trying this i read so many different opinions online about whether or not this center seat is usable for a car seat install but I feel really good about the install with the combi coccoro (in rear facing position only since there is no forward facing tether on this 8th seat).
Does it sound like a good install or is there something I'm missing?
First we tried a rear facing clek fllo in the center seat. It hung over the front of the seat a bit (the base was too long front to back), the anti rebound bar would not lie flat against the back of the center seat because of the captain chairs' arm rests, an because the width of the base is exactly the same as the width of the tiny center seat and the center seat sits slightly lower than the captains chairs, there was no way to check for movement at the belt path.
We removed the inner armrests of both captains chairs and then tried a friends maxi cost mico which had the same problems. Too much of the base hung over the front of the center seat and there was not enOuch space between the sides of the base and the captains chairs (which, again, are slightly higher up than the center seat sits) to check for movement at the beltpath.
We ordered a combi coccoro and with both inner captains chair armrests gone I easily got a rock solid install on my first try using the seat belt (no movement at the belt path and plenty of room between the captains chairs and the side of the combi to check this.) the combi is completely on the center seat with room to spare on all sides, not hanging over the front edge like the clek fllo or maxi cost mico were. The combi is narrow enough that the passenger side captains chair can move easily back and forth to allow full access to the third row. There is plenty of space between the britax marathon and the combi too.
Before trying this i read so many different opinions online about whether or not this center seat is usable for a car seat install but I feel really good about the install with the combi coccoro (in rear facing position only since there is no forward facing tether on this 8th seat).
Does it sound like a good install or is there something I'm missing?
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