Looking for the brightest minds in CPS

Because I have a puzzling job for you

This is what we have.


A 2000 Dodge Minivan with the following arrangment

C, 9 years, 65 lbs, backless Graco
M, 6 years, 35 lbs compass B510
J, 5 years, 35 lbs, compass B510
S, 3.5 years, 24 lbs, FF Britax Marathon
T, 21 months, 24 lbs, FF Britax Marathon

I have about convinced mama to turn T (and possibly S) rearfacing. She has looked all over the minivan and swears she cannot find places to tether them rearfacing. Anyone with a similar make/model have pictures, suggestions?

C and M cannot sit next to each other because they will kill each other. The Marathons cannot both go in the back seat because there will be no room for the third person.

The center back position in the third row is lapbelt only, everything else is shoulder belts.

Do your magic, folks

Oh and I should add, they are living hand to mouth right now, new seats are just not going to happen.

Ooohh! I want to try!

RFing baby in 3rd row center, Backless booster and 5yo in compass on either side, rfing toddler and other compass booster in captains chair.

Mom could buckle baby in from the back with the 9 year olds help. The kids who squabble are separated. right. Sound good?

Is it captain's chairs or a bench in the middle?

bench in the middle. i'm really hoping to get some pictures of potential rearfacing tether points too. lol.

I might do the older child in the marathon in the back, and then the compass boosters on either side. Then the baby and the nine year old in the captains chairs. However the PP's arrangement is great as well.

Wendy

Can she really fit a MA in the third row center with Graco or Compass boosters outboard? I could NEVER do that in my Windstar. NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS. I can just barely get three-across with a 17 inch wide Futura, a 13ish inch wide backless Starriser Comfy and a Bodyguard adjusted to about 14 inches. I have, so far, not been able to fit the Compass booster in a three-across with anything I own in that third row.

The Caravan must be wider! I certainly hope so.

I think the best chances of fitting everything (i.e. the older kids being able to buckle up their boosters) would be to put the youngest child rear-facing in the Marathon in the middle of the third row, 9yo in the backless Graco outboard in the third row and 5yo in the Compass in the other third row outboard spot. Then in the middle row bench I'd put the 3.5yo in the Marathon (ideally RF, but could be FF)on the side that is closest to the door, and the 6yo in the Compass on the side that's closest to the center of the van.

How have the seats been installed/arranged so far?

My mom has a 97 plymouth voyager (same car basically as the dodge caravan) and we also can not find a place to tether rearfacing in her van, unless I want to do it under the seat it's sitting on. That said here's what I would do:

Rear bench:J, S, C
Middle bench: M, T

This is looking at the seats from the front, so T and C would be middle and rear drivers side. M and S would be center, and J would be passengers side.

Here's what I would I try....

Driver / front passenger
T / C
M / S / J

I would want the least protected child (backless booster) in the center-most seat & I would want the FF kiddo in rear bench so other kiddo can easily access the other side. I'm thinking that the Compass' might need the inner armrests next to the Marathon lifted up to fit? I've never tried puzzling ours with a Britax convertible

Re: Here's what I would I try....

The Compass REQUIRES armrests to be down when travelling. The armrests are what hold the lapbelt low on the hips. That's why I said the backless Graco should go outboard in the third row, instead of both Compass boosters. And that's why I said I'd try the RF MA in the middle of the third row, because I think a RF MA would allow more room for buckling of the boosters outboard than the FF MA would.

My mom has the same van and there isn't any place to tether on it:thumbsdown: I would do the two kids in the compass seats in the middle since they're the smallest and least protected and the oldest in the back on the side with the marathons side by side. That way the oldest can help buckle in the younger two and the mom can make sure the older two are buckled properly.

A 2000 minivan MUST HAVE 3 tether anchors. MUST.

Everything model year mid-1999 and later MUST have at least 3 tether anchors installed.

She should read her owners manual to find them.

Middle row- J center and T outboard rf. The seatbelt would make access to the third row difficult if the MA is in the center. Remember that Britax recommends using the top tether at all times, but it isn't required. It still performs well rf without it.

third row- C DS outboard, S ff center and M PS outboard. Having S rf would make access to the far seat difficult.

Does the third row have headrests?

Re: Here's what I would I try....

scatterbunny said:

The Compass REQUIRES armrests to be down when travelling. The armrests are what hold the lapbelt low on the hips. That's why I said the backless Graco should go outboard in the third row, instead of both Compass boosters. And that's why I said I'd try the RF MA in the middle of the third row, because I think a RF MA would allow more room for buckling of the boosters outboard than the FF MA would.

Click to expand...

You're right, I wasn't clear in my thought pattern there -- the question mark in my last post was indicating that I'm not sure it would work out (but after reading it again I can see how many words I left out to express that) Sorry....

Anyway, I found buckling the Parkway squeezed in next to FF MA just as easy as RF so I think that as long as the armrests can be lifted up then it should be fine. The Turbo was impossible squeezed in next to our BV in the Escape. Also, considering they'd have to unthread the the shoulder belt from the Compass belt guide in order to make 3rd row exit easy (I can just see the booster falling off the bench into the door when kiddo stumbles on the belt connecting booster to door) I think the backless should go in the center most seat.

It's too bad they can't manage 2 Parkways; I'm fairly positive that would work well!

It's been awhile since I've been in a 2000, but yeah, it has tether anchors. They should have come factory with a minimum of three... typically two on the middle bench and a third in the center 3rd row position. According to the LATCH manual, that particular van can have tether anchors in *all* seating positions. :thumbsup:

Under the passenger seat there should be a tray that pulls out. There are metal glides that slides the tray in/out. If you look from the second row under the front passenger seat, you will see a horizontal metal plate with two holes in it. Those holes are where the metal glides from the tray slide in/out depending if the tray is open or closed. That hole is big enough to wrap a d-ring around and still be able to open/close the tray without interference.

That same plate should be under the driver's seat as well, even though the driver's seat has no tray. I have also been able to wrap the d-ring around the seat track leg of my driver's seat... it was tricky but I could do it. This is all info from a 2003, but the 2000 should be the same.

This is the best picture I have at the moment of the d-ring wrapped around the driver's seat track leg of a 2003 Grand Caravan...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/176/413178546_2971ad1c95.jpg?v=0

At 3.5 years old, I would be okay with S FFing. I would put him FFing in the third row just for ease of getting a boostered child to that 3rd row driver's side outboard position.

S would be FFing tethered to existing anchor typically located on sill plate of liftgate - occasionally get lucky and it's right on the seatback. If she wants to turn him around, then his seat can be tethered to the 2nd row middle position's tether anchor, since no one else will be using it.

T would be rearfacing driver's side outboard in the 2nd row and tethered to one of the spots I mentioned previously.

I have quite easily been able to fit all kinds of three across combo's in my third row and with the flippable armrests on the Compass seats, it should be okay for buckling in the 3rd row.

That leaves the least protected backless booster in the most protected middle spot 2nd row.

The owner's manual for the Dodge is done fairly well... have her look in the Safety Section under Child Restraints. That will describe where her tether anchors are and all the rest of that jazz.

So, I would have ...
Driver/Passenger
T,C
M,S,J

ThreeBeans said:

Because I have a puzzling job for you

This is what we have.


A 2000 Dodge Minivan with the following arrangment

C, 9 years, 65 lbs, backless Graco
M, 6 years, 35 lbs compass B510
J, 5 years, 35 lbs, compass B510
S, 3.5 years, 24 lbs, FF Britax Marathon
T, 21 months, 24 lbs, FF Britax Marathon

I have about convinced mama to turn T (and possibly S) rearfacing. She has looked all over the minivan and swears she cannot find places to tether them rearfacing. Anyone with a similar make/model have pictures, suggestions?

C and M cannot sit next to each other because they will kill each other. The Marathons cannot both go in the back seat because there will be no room for the third person.

The center back position in the third row is lapbelt only, everything else is shoulder belts.

Do your magic, folks

Click to expand...

I would do

3rd row
outboard-C center ff'ing-S in MA ourboard- J

2nd row-
center-M and driver outboard-T

This will leave the passenger 2nd row outboard free and nobody having to climb under the shoulder belt portion of the seatbelt. For me even though the 3.5yr old is small weight wise I probably wouldn't push him being turned back rf'ing. Plus at that age mom will probably get a lot of resistants from the child. Plus his bone development is there at that age.

If that seating situation didn't work due to the 3rd row being to narrow I would do.

3rd row
outboard-M center ff'ing- S

2nd row
outboard-C center rf'ing-T outboard-J

Who ever sat in the 2nd row pass outboard position (probably C) would be the last one to buckle if the seatbelt came out of the door pillar to allow access to the 3rd row. Plus mom could teach C how to buckle S up in the 3rd row which would help her too. This would also leave open a l/s belt for a 3rd row rear passenger.

I believe the 2nd row bench only has two seats- center and DS outboard.

crunchierthanthou said:

I believe the 2nd row bench only has two seats- center and DS outboard.

Click to expand...

That's correct... it's a 7 seater, with a three passenger bench in the 3rd row and a 2 passenger bench in the 2nd row.