2008 Grand Caravan 3 carseats across the back bench

Hannahives

New member
We have only one vehicle a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan and at the moment we have 3 boys ages 3, 2 and 1... two of them are in the back bench and our youngest is seated behind the passenger seat in the middle captain seat. Here's our dilemma we are expecting twins in March 2017 and we don't have the funds to purchase another vehicle so we are looking for a way to fit three carseats across the back bench and put the twins in the two middle captain seats.

At the moment our options are purchasing three Diono Radian R100's. Have any of you ever fit three Diono Radian R100s across the back bench of a 2008 grand caravan? When you fit them were they FF or was one RF? If you have pictures can you please post them? My husband is stressing out with the financial side of things because he will be experiencing a pay cut in Jan and we have monthly mortgage payments making it impossible for us to purchase a new vehicle.

Thank you all for your help. :)
 
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lgenne

New member
Hi and welcome, and congrats on the twins!

So the 3rd row of the Caravan and its clones is difficult. There is only one tether anchor for the center seat, so you shouldn't have more than one forward facing harnessed car seat back there, and it should be in the middle.

In addition to that, there are very few rear facing seats that work outboard 3rd row. And Radians don't work back there at all.

The only convertible I know of that works outboard is the Cosco Scenera NEXT. It has to be very upright, which is allowed for children with good head control, but not for newborns.

I would get a pair of Scenera NEXTs for the two outboard seats, and put the 1 and 2 year olds in them. That means loading through the tailgate. Then you need a narrow forward facing seat for the center for the 3 year old. What car seats do you have right now? One of them might work, or we can make alternate suggestions.

Then put the twins in the captain's chairs in whatever works. Do you have at least one infant seat handed down from your older kids?
 

Hannahives

New member
Being as funds kind of always seem to be limited we only went with convertible/3-in-1 carseats for all our children. They are all Safety 1st brands that we got on sale at Walmart as each child was born.
So what you're saying is ultimately we need a new vehicle in order to fit 3 across the back unless we got with the more expensive Costco brand and even then it may not fit 3 across the back. We kind of wondered if that was where it was gonna run...
Thank you for your help and advice though we appreciate it. :)
 

MamaChirpy

New member
Being as funds kind of always seem to be limited we only went with convertible/3-in-1 carseats for all our children. They are all Safety 1st brands that we got on sale at Walmart as each child was born.

So what you're saying is ultimately we need a new vehicle in order to fit 3 across the back unless we got with the more expensive Costco brand and even then it may not fit 3 across the back. We kind of wondered if that was where it was gonna run...

Thank you for your help and advice though we appreciate it. :)



Hang on a minute..... You can make it work. Lots of people here will help you. We just need more information.

The "more expensive Costco brand"?
The Scenera Next that was mentioned is about $45. It is a great seat that lasts a while .

Can you upload a picture of the seats you have? What's the name of them? Do you have the manual?


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lgenne

New member
We can definitely keep this cheaper than a new vehicle! Even if it means buying 5 new car seats, we should be able to keep each car seat under (or at least very close to) $100. Like MamaChirpy said, the Cosco (not Costco--totally unrelated) Scenera NEXT is under $50. And it's available at Walmart.

Can you tell us more details about the car seats you have now? Maybe a picture? Do you have any infant bucket seats (the kind with a handle)?
 

mom of six

Active member
Hang in there!!! My #4 and #5 are also twins. So I understand where you are coming from. I wish I could offer advise on car seats and your vehicle. We did it in a 2003 Caravan but it is a VERY different body style. (and I knew a lot less and we made a lot of mistakes with our set up) Glad you've come here to get advise from a lot of people who are in the know.
 

Hannahives

New member
Okay so our two older boys are in Safety 1st's Alpha-Omega 65 3-in-1's.... our youngest is in a Safety 1st Guide... (it's red and black in color if that makes any difference)...

So I missread the cosco... sorry... so those are narrower than a normal carseat? I'll have to do some research. :)
And yes a 2008 grand caravan is actually narrower than a 2003... I think they changed widths around 2005 but I could be wrong.

We don't have any infant bucket seats with handles... as I mentioned funds are tight which is why we only bought the 3-in-1s and are now are trying to figure out carseats over a new vehicle... we may end up getting a couple for the twins but not sure.

I can't figure out how to upload a picture on here... but we have our two older boys on the back bench.. either side... and our youngest is behind my seat. There's about 10 inches of space max between the boys carseats. we usually have the other seat in the stow and go position so we can get in and out easier and unbuckle our children better. :)

I'll talk with my husband about the cosco's at walmart and we may need to ask if we can do some "fitting" in their parking lot with display models or something...
Thank you all so much for your help this gives me hope. :)
 

momtoo3

Well-known member
Is your 3 year old rear facing or forward facing?

Are you wanting to get infant carriers or convertibles for the twins? I can see carriers being extremely helpful and if you get some of the longer lasting carriers they can last at least a year, if not longer, even if you leave them in the van after it is hard to carry them. We can help you find the longer lasting ones so that you can potentially use them until you are ready to pass down whatever seats you end up with for your older children. OR there are many convertibles that fit newborns well, especially if your twins are full term. The Cosco Scenera Next is one of those seats. The Next is outgrown forward facing before rear facing in most cases. If you want convertibles from the start, getting 4 Nexts and rear facing the twins, 1 and 2 yr old in all the outer positions will be cheapest. That works as long as your 2 yr old is under 40 pounds and 40 inches. If your 3 yr old is small the Next may be an option as well, if you would like a rear facing seat.

Can you give the weight and height, as well as shirt size for your current three? Those things are really helpful in recommending seats :).

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MamaChirpy

New member
Ok I see 3 new seat purchases to begin with. The good news is you have plenty of time to space out the purchases.

First of all, as Igenne already said, there can only be 1 forward-facing seat in the third row because there is only one tether anchor. So, I would put the 1 and 2 year olds on each side rear facing (much safer for them to be rear facing anyway [emoji4]) and the 3 year old in the center forward facing in a narrow combination seat. The Radian would be my top pick, but if it doesn't work there, either the Harmony Defender or Graco Wayz. All of these seats except the Radian are available at Wal-Mart, but you may have to order online.

In the Captain's chairs, pick two of the seats you already have and use them rear-facing for the new twins.

Later down the road, When your 1 and 2 year olds start to outgrow the Scenera Nexts, move them up to the Captain's chairs and move the twins back to the Nexts.
This set up should work for you for a good long time. The tricky part will be figuring out which seat to get for forward facing in the third row, middle.

A very big congratulations, Mama! My children are close in age, also, and it's tough some days, but oh so much fun!!!! So many little people to love. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️[emoji16]
I'm expecting #5 in April so I too, am figuring out new seats.
Good luck! Please keep us updated with what you are trying and what is working/not working. We will all take the journey with you!

Side note: please get those seats switched now so that there is only ONE forward facing seat in the third row. And make sure you connect that tether anchor. It's so very important.

Please feel free to ask any and all other questions.


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Hannahives

New member
Thanks for all the info... my eldest is about a 3-4 t-shirt in size... he's 38lbs, I don't know his height off the top of my head and he's napping right now... :) he is forward facing though. My husband is picky about how things are installed and he does all the carseats himself... right now he says he feels the best would be to buy a bigger van and then not have to worry about getting more seats... but he always wants to keep our grand caravan and use it for his carpentry because we can't afford a truck right now. Honestly we've tried puzzling different seats into our back bench and so far haven't found a puzzle/strategy that will fit... I told him about the Cosco Scenera and he didn't sound like he really wanted to go for it. but once he's home we can really discuss how things will or wont fit in the van and he'll read the comments and advice. :)

In regards to the infant carriers... which brands are best/ last longest and have the longest usage? Are most infant carriers 16" or are they wider now?
 

mom of six

Active member
As a mom if twins with three older kids here is what I would do.

I would encourage infant carriers (buckets) so there is less buckling to do once you get to the car and so you have a place to put the twins when you are out and about (it is hard to baby wear two. Possible, but hard). Also, a good twin stroller that is compatible with the car seats.

3rd row Passenger Twin in a Graco SnugRide Click Connect 30 with front adjust
3rd row center 3 YO in a Harmony Defender, tethered (It puzzles really well with the Defender might give you an extra inch or so)
3rd row drivers 1 YO in the Guide if it will fit. It might as it is a pretty narrow seat, otherwise a Scenera Next or an Evenflo Tribute

2nd row Passenger twin in a Graco SnugRide Click Connect 30 with front adjust
2nd row Drivers 2 year old in his Safety 1st seat.

I used a similar set up with my twins except that my kids were older (3, 5 and 7). Here is how I would do it: tip the 2nd row passenger seat forward (not sure if the 2008 does that though), let the 3 year old climb in and get his straps on while you click one twin car seat into its base then help finish buckling the 3 year old. Then I would push the captains chair back in place and click the other twins car seat it to that base (LATCHed in so the seat could tilt forward). I would then load the 1 YO into the Guide through the back hatch (not as awkward as you think). Then come around and load the 2 YO into his seat. Sigh and drive away.
 

lgenne

New member
So there's not much that actually works in those outboard seats. I can verify that the Scenera NEXT does, though. It's not just that it's narrow, though. It's slightly wider than a Radian, but the Radian doesn't work there at all. It's that it's narrow in the right spots (the base where it sits on the seat is only 10.5" wide) and can be installed as upright as you want, which means there's enough front to back space for it, even if the seat in front of it is up.

The good news is that your Guide 65 is also pretty narrow, and definitely worth trying in the center between the Scenera NEXTs.

For the babies, check out this blog post: http://carseatblog.com/9813/recomme...ies-multiples-carseatblogs-list-of-best-bets/

I might consider planning some contingencies based on how big they end up being. If they end up both being significantly under 5 pounds at birth, you might need a pair of Cosco Light n Comfy DX's or Evenflo Embraces. Or maybe just one of them will, or you'll decide that one infant bucket seat would really make your life more manageable, and you want one convertible and one bucket. Or maybe they'll both be well over 5 pounds from day 1 and you'll want convertibles for both. Note that none of the car seats you have have bottom slots low enough to be appropriate for a newborn, so you'll need something for the babies.
 

lgenne

New member
Pictures of a Scenera NEXT tightly installed outboard in the 3rd row of a Town & Country, if you want visuals:

f69208b82aa7079546c4d1e5ea782012.jpg

f9efa7b9a989869d19c887c161350baa.jpg

2d7bca184e4201b61b27d1cddc7d39a0.jpg
 

Hannahives

New member
Thank you everyone.... When we go to the city again we're gonna ask Walmart if we can trial puzzle things out and see what we can or can't use. :)
 

MamaChirpy

New member
Thank you everyone.... When we go to the city again we're gonna ask Walmart if we can trial puzzle things out and see what we can or can't use. :)



Generally speaking, WalMart won't let you take a seat outside until you purchase it. However, you can purchase a seat and return it if it doesn't work. That same day, if you want.


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lgenne

New member
Generally speaking, WalMart won't let you take a seat outside until you purchase it. However, you can purchase a seat and return it if it doesn't work. That same day, if you want.


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You could also order them from Walmart.com. Reasons this might be a good plan:

1) Same price as in store.
2) Free shipping if you order 2. (Or if you order one plus like $5 of anything else you need. But you need 2 anyway.)
3) Online has the nicer solid colors. Actually nicer fabric, not just nicer looking. (But nicer looking, too. Weirdly, unless you want gray, the solid colors are like 10 cents cheaper than the prints. Gray is a couple bucks more.)
4) Try them in your driveway at your leisure.
5) If they don't work for some reason, you can return them to the store the next time you go.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Scenera-NEXT-Convertible-Car-Seat-Choose-your-Color/41126745
 

momtoo3

Well-known member
You could also order them from Walmart.com. Reasons this might be a good plan:

1) Same price as in store.
2) Free shipping if you order 2. (Or if you order one plus like $5 of anything else you need. But you need 2 anyway.)
3) Online has the nicer solid colors. Actually nicer fabric, not just nicer looking. (But nicer looking, too. Weirdly, unless you want gray, the solid colors are like 10 cents cheaper than the prints. Gray is a couple bucks more.)
4) Try them in your driveway at your leisure.
5) If they don't work for some reason, you can return them to the store the next time you go.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Scenera-NEXT-Convertible-Car-Seat-Choose-your-Color/41126745
This is what I would suggest. They have a 2 pack for $85 which saves a few dollars. It's how I got my two Nexts :).

https://www.walmart.com/co/Cosco-Scenera-Next-Convertible-Car-Seat-Value-Bundle/17376977

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Hannahives

New member
Thank you Everyone for your advice. :dance: We went to Winnipeg yesterday because my husband had the day off due to rain. I checked walmart.ca in the morning and the cheapest pricing of the Cosco Scenera Next... the best pricing for prints or solids was the "otto" print at $74.95 each... we went to one walmart and they didn't have any in that print.... so we went to another walmart and they had like 15 of them.... LOL! Daniel installed them on either side of the back... with the Safety 1st Guide in the middle and it fits nicely. :) So We are now prepared for the twins... vehicle wise that is. :)

Thanks again. We really appreciate all the advice and suggestions on carseats.
 

lgenne

New member
Oh! I don't think anyone realized you were in Canada, hence the wacky reports on prices.

Is the Guide tethered? Do you have a plan for what to put the twins in?

Any chance we could see pictures of your 3rd row? Functional 3 across setups are so good to find for the Caravan and clones. [emoji5]
 

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