Fitting 3 carseats

We need to fit 3 carseats in our 04 Trailblazer next summer. One child will be 3 1/2 and about 33 pounds, the second will be 18 months and about 25 pounds and then we will have a newborn. Right now we have 2 Evenflo Triumphs (which are huge) and a Graco snugride (not currently being used). There is no way we can continue using the Evenflo carseats because they don't leave enough room for a 3rd carseat. Our oldest is almost too tall for her Evenflo now so we're getting ready to purchase a 5 point harness booster for her. Before we buy new seats (we can't afford a new vehicle) can anyone suggest a way to fit 3 carseats in the backseat of our Trailblazer (keeping in mind that we have tall babies and the new one won't be in the Graco carrier very long)?

Radians will fit the bill nicely

Place your eldest forward facing in the center position, the 18 month old rearfacing on one side position, and the newborn in the carrier on the other side position. When baby outgrows the carrier a third Radian will fit in there nicely.

Sunshine Kids' Radian65 They harness to 65 lbs, 33 lbs rearfacing, are extremely narrow and fit great for 3-across situations, but have lots of room internally which is great for older broad-shouldered children.

I'd get three Sunshine Kids Radian's.

This is for an '03, not an '04.

http://www.car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=156680&postcount=26

It installs in all positions with seatbelt and tether, and outboard with LATCH. It's good for 3 across

the radian also has some of the highest topslots on the market

Just today I got 3 across my 05 Envoy (GMC's version of the Trailblazer). We have a Britax Husky, a FF Radian 80 and a RF Marathon. (It was a slow clinic and we were playing around with seats). It was tight but doable. You have to start with the Husky and work across.
(Please don't mind the straps, we were playing and only the Husky stays in there. The Radian and Marathon were borrowed. Obviously, for actual transport both ff would have tethers hooked)





Husky, FPSVD, FPSVD (Both of these were taken this summer)
I think if you avoid the wide seats like Husky/Regent, Apex and the Triumph, you'll be able to fit most seats. I've had 2 boosters and laptop, and 3 boosters across the back also. (I don't reco. the 3 boosters because it requires grown ups to do 100% of the buckling.) I've found that all seats install quickly with LATCH outboard or seatbelt all possitions, rf or ff. It's been a joy of a car!

Great pictures, Joni. I'm impressed to see the Regent in there.

Radians are great for tight spaces, but they aren't necessarily your only choice. I've done a few installs in an Envoy, and it has plenty of room for most 3 across situations. I would expect the same from the Trailblazer. Your younger child is small enough to stay rf, and likely still will be next summer. Can you get your two Triumphs side by side (one rf and one ff) with the snugride by the other door? If so, you''ll be able to fit just about any of the HWH convertibles.

It's easier to get 3 across if you use the seatbelt instead of lower anchors. You can install the outboard seats a bit closer to the door and maximize your chances for three fitting. You can move them as close to the door as needed as long as the door doesn't hit them and they have less than 1" of movement in any direction at the beltpath.

You can try a few different configurations to figure out which seats puzzle next to each other the best. It's generally safest for your forward facing child to be in the center, but not if you can't fit everyone.

Remember each seat needs to be installed independently of the others. It needs to still have less than 1" of movement if you remove the seat(s) next to it.

I would get two of the 65 lb Britax convertibles, FPSVDs, Radian65s or Triumph Advances (though try them out first. they are wide like their predacessor). Then after the new baby outgrows the snugride you can use one of the older Triumphs until either that child or the oldest needs a taller seat. Then you can pass one of the new convertibles to the youngest and re-evaluate the needs of the oldest based on what's on the market a couple years from now and whether she's ready for a booster.

It's generally safest for your forward facing child to be in the center, but not if you can't fit everyone.

Since the belt path in the center is pretty narrow, the ff seats worked out better for me. I'm sure it can be done with a rf seat there but I haven't had good luck yet.

One REALLY nice thing about this vehicle is that there is quite a bit of room in the back seat and all of my installations have been done with the front seats all the way back. So far, none of the seats I've tried rf have even come close to touching the front seats and there are great rf tether spots at the base of each front seat.