tablefor10
New member
Hi. We have eight kids and I'm looking for advice on adding seats to a large suv, specifically a 2005 ford excursion. Our regular family vehicle is a ford transit 12 passenger van but we need something to use when we need to tow as well as for icy weather when the rear wheel drive van gets difficult to handle and four wheel drive would be better.
Our options are:
-swap out the driver and passenger seats for a front row bench. It would only seat nine so we would have to take two cars if we all go somewhere together but I could use it myself with all the kids, a cost of about $700
-have another third row third row bench added to the cargo area by a conversion van company which would be a factory seat but the kids would be right up against the rear window, center lap belt and no headrests at all, a cost of about $2800
-get a rear facing seat made by little passenger seats, would have three shoulder belts and three headrests which would also hang over enough to function as headrests for the third row bench seat (we've priced out headrests for that row and it's nearly $600 to have them retrofitted), a cost of about $1200
Our kids are in:
-rear facing britax advocate clicktight with anti rebound bar
-forward facing britax boulevard clicktight
-another ff britax boulevard but non clicktight
-ff britax marathon
-ff britax pavilion
-high back britax booster whose name escapes me
-low back booster
-12 year old who no longer needs a car seat
A few other things:
-a newer/better 4x4 vehicle is not in the cards
-yes, we will be using the van whenever possible
-I'd prefer not to have to buy a bunch of new car seats
-the youngest will not be forward facing for about another two years
-the third row only has one single tether anchor
-the little passenger seats stuff do not have tether anchors and car seats are not recommended to use with them but they're smaller seats and younger kids can step out of car seats earlier with them
Our options are:
-swap out the driver and passenger seats for a front row bench. It would only seat nine so we would have to take two cars if we all go somewhere together but I could use it myself with all the kids, a cost of about $700
-have another third row third row bench added to the cargo area by a conversion van company which would be a factory seat but the kids would be right up against the rear window, center lap belt and no headrests at all, a cost of about $2800
-get a rear facing seat made by little passenger seats, would have three shoulder belts and three headrests which would also hang over enough to function as headrests for the third row bench seat (we've priced out headrests for that row and it's nearly $600 to have them retrofitted), a cost of about $1200
Our kids are in:
-rear facing britax advocate clicktight with anti rebound bar
-forward facing britax boulevard clicktight
-another ff britax boulevard but non clicktight
-ff britax marathon
-ff britax pavilion
-high back britax booster whose name escapes me
-low back booster
-12 year old who no longer needs a car seat
A few other things:
-a newer/better 4x4 vehicle is not in the cards
-yes, we will be using the van whenever possible
-I'd prefer not to have to buy a bunch of new car seats
-the youngest will not be forward facing for about another two years
-the third row only has one single tether anchor
-the little passenger seats stuff do not have tether anchors and car seats are not recommended to use with them but they're smaller seats and younger kids can step out of car seats earlier with them