Question 7 Kids in a 2006 Honda Odyssey

serinat · Feb 2, 2017

Hello there! Hoping my title got some attention, as I need help.

My seven kiddos and I can fit in my 2006 Honda Odyssey - very, very carefully. (The husband drives separately when we go places as a family.) It has always been a fun puzzle every time we add a new passenger or replace an expired seat.

Here's how it looks, front to back, driver to passenger:
Row 1: me (driver) & 14yo
Row 2: 6-month-old in Britax B-Safe, 11 yo in jump seat, 2yo RF in Graco MyRide65
Row 3: 7yo in Britax Frontier, 9yo in Safety 1st Incognito, 4yo in Radian 65

My dilemma lies in the 3rd row:
The Radian 65 expires next month. I will need to replace it with something narrow. I would just buy another Radian, but 1-they're more than I want to spend right now, and 2-Radians are very difficult to properly install in Odyssey 3rd rows. We get it because we research and try pretty hard, but I think we need something that fits a bit more naturally back there!

I can either move the 4yo to the Frontier and get a very narrow HB booster for the 7yo, or more likely, I can buy a very narrow combination seat for the 4yo. I don't mind moving the 7yo to a HBB (he uses one when he goes places in my husband's car) but it's already veeeeeery tight back there, and I don't think he can buckle a booster on a regular basis.

Help? I'm considering a Harmony Defender - do they puzzle well in a 3rd row Odyssey seat? I'm open to any combination/convertible seat that will fit and is well under $200.

ketchupqueen · Feb 2, 2017

The Defender installs about the same as the Radian honestly.

It isn't quite as narrow as the Radian but I am thinking it or the Graco Tranzitions/Wayz are probably your best bets despite the not so easy install; you need the narrowest available and those are it. I'd try the Graco first to see if it fits with what you have likely (Babies R Us usually carries it and will let you try it in your car.)

serinat · Feb 2, 2017

What's the difference between the Tranzitions/Wayz? (And what is up with those names?!)

lgenne · Feb 2, 2017

How good is the 9 year old at helping buckle? And how often do you drive places with the 2 year old without the 9 year old?

I would consider getting a Cosco Scenera NEXT, and swapping spots for the 2 and 4 year olds. Turn the MyRide forward facing for the 4 year old, and have the 9 year old buckle the 2 year old as often as possible. If the 9 year old is unavailable, buckle the 2 year old through the tailgate.

serinat · Feb 2, 2017

lgenne said:
How good is the 9 year old at helping buckle? And how often do you drive places with the 2 year old without the 9 year old?

I would consider getting a Cosco Scenera NEXT, and swapping spots for the 2 and 4 year olds. Turn the MyRide forward facing for the 4 year old, and have the 9 year old buckle the 2 year old as often as possible. If the 9 year old is unavailable, buckle the 2 year old through the tailgate.

I hadn't thought of this scenario. That's actually quite a possibility, except that the 2yo is very attached to the 11yo (she's a sister; the 9yo is a brother) and may not do well without her on a regular basis. The 9yo can assist in buckling, definitely, if the 2yo will let him.

How does the MyRide do with taller kids? My 4yo is a beast.

ketchupqueen · Feb 2, 2017

serinat said:
What's the difference between the Tranzitions/Wayz? (And what is up with those names?!)

Just the name and where they are sold.

The Tranzitions is commonly priced at $129 at BRU but if you point out on the Graco website that MSRP is $99 I've heard the manager will often match that.

As for the names... Don't get me started!

ketchupqueen · Feb 2, 2017

The MyRide is usually outgrown early with taller kids, because the seat often loses a lot of height forward facing.

serinat · Feb 2, 2017

ketchupqueen said:
Just the name and where they are sold.

The Tranzitions is commonly priced at $129 at BRU but if you point out on the Graco website that MSRP is $99 I've heard the manager will often match that.

As for the names... Don't get me started!

Ok, good to know. It's tons cheaper at Walmart, but I have a BRU gift card...why would they price it at $129 if the MSRP is $99? That's silly. (As are the names.)

serinat · Feb 2, 2017

ketchupqueen said:
It isn't quite as narrow as the Radian but I am thinking it or the Graco Tranzitions/Wayz are probably your best bets despite the not so easy install; you need the narrowest available and those are it.

Is there anything narrow AND easy to install? :scratcheshead:

ketchupqueen · Feb 2, 2017

Not really. Not for the size kid you have.

Scenera Next is pretty easy but you'd have to shuffle as mentioned above and use it for the little one.

Unregistered · Feb 2, 2017

ketchupqueen said:
Not really. Not for the size kid you have.

Scenera Next is pretty easy but you'd have to shuffle as mentioned above and use it for the little one.

Do you know the torso height of the Scenera Next off-hand? All my kids have long torsos and the 2yo is already 31 lbs. I plan to RF her as long as possible, so I need the seat to last me a while.

Of course, considering the 4yo prob won't fit in the MyRide too long, I'm not sure this is the best plan.

serinat · Feb 2, 2017

What about the Evenflo SureRide? Still very affordable, lasts longer due to higher restraints. Install? Is it very wide?

ketchupqueen · Feb 2, 2017

It's not narrow, definitely the widest of the budget convertibles, though an easier install.

MamaChirpy · Feb 2, 2017

A SureRide might be worth a try on your third row. The base of the seat at the back is narrow. And since you have a booster beside it, the "hips" of the seat would go over the booster, allowing booster rider to buckle.
Honestly, I love that seat. I would try it. It's also at Babies R Us.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

lgenne · Feb 2, 2017

Agreed with MsmaChirpy on the Sureride.

The beauty of a Scenera NEXT is that your baby should be outgrowing the infant seat right around the same time the 2 year old is outgrowing the Scenera NEXT. Then maybe the current 2 year old goes back to the MyRide, the 4 year old moves to the Frontier, the 7 year old moves to a backless booster, and the 9 year old is 5 stepping.

Another option that might work is the Graco Contender in place of the Scenera NEXT (or if you want to spend a little more, a MySize, Fit4Me, or Size4Me.) They're not as narrow as a Radian, but they're fairly narrow, and have a bit of that sitting up on a narrow base thing going on. They last a lot longer than a Scenera NEXT, too.

serinat · Feb 3, 2017

MamaChirpy said:
A SureRide might be worth a try on your third row. The base of the seat at the back is narrow. And since you have a booster beside it, the "hips" of the seat would go over the booster, allowing booster rider to buckle.
Honestly, I love that seat. I would try it. It's also at Babies R Us.

Thank you for this! Looks like I have a couple to try at BRU.

serinat · Feb 3, 2017

lgenne said:
The beauty of a Scenera NEXT is that your baby should be outgrowing the infant seat right around the same time the 2 year old is outgrowing the Scenera NEXT. Then maybe the current 2 year old goes back to the MyRide, the 4 year old moves to the Frontier, the 7 year old moves to a backless booster, and the 9 year old is 5 stepping.

I do like this idea. I like the price, too.

My biggest concern is that my huge baby and huge toddler won't cooperate with this scenario. Haha. The baby is 6 mos. an 20 lbs, and the toddler is already 31 lbs. Both tall. So I'll have to try a Scenera NEXT out first.

serinat · Apr 22, 2017

Just as an update:

We tossed the expired Radian, moved the 4yo to the Frontier, and gave the 7yo a high back Graco Turbobooster that we already had. Miraculously, the 9yo still manages to fit his Safety 1st Incognito in between the Frontier and the Turbobooster, so we're all good for now! (He's a big 9yo, so I was convinced it wasn't going to work. I'm glad to be wrong.)

Next up: the baby needs to move out of the B-Safe bucket and into something else, which means another car seat shift. I think I'll move him into the MyRide, which means the 2yo needs a new seat. I'm thinking another Radian, because size matters here, and I know it installs fine in the middle row. But if we upgrade to a bigger van (OOOOOOOOH I HOPE), then I can get whatever seat I want, including something cheaper for her.

Thanks for all the help!

MommyShannon · Apr 24, 2017

I'd also look at the other Graco convertibles like the Headwise and all the other names. The base helps boosters or kids in a seatbelt buckle beside them. They are so nice and tall rearfacing! I'm not up on all the new versions with higher weight limits. I just passed our last convertible on to my niece.

Question 7 Kids in a 2006 Honda Odyssey

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