Best way to get 2 convertibles and 1 infant seat installed in 1 back seat?

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Holly

New member
I'm not pg yet, but we're planning our 3rd baby in a few months.
I'm pretty sure we're still going to have our same car, a 2007 Toyota Camry, when we have our 3rd baby, most likely in spring of 2009. I've just been thinking about how we're going to arrange the seats at that time.

DD#1 will be FF for sure by then, I'm planning to FF her in July of this year. We'll most likely have a compass true fit for her, but if for some reason it has issues or we don't like it, we'll get another Radian.
DD#2 will be just turned 2 1/2 when #3 is born (again if our planning and timing works out, it could be longer of course)

I've been planning to RF my kids to age 3, not neccessarily to the exact 33 lbs mark. So if she is still RF at that time, her seat will have to stay in the center in order to fit. The infant seat I have is a snug ride, and I already know it will have no problems fitting behind the passenger side (Not drivers though, but my dd#1 can be on that side FF).

So I could do:
True Fit FF behind drivers, Radian RF in center, and Snugride RF behind passenger, but then I'd have to lean over the snugride base to buckle DD#2 in and that just sounds like a PITA!
The radian HAS to be in the center to fit RF, so my only other option would be to put the snug ride in the center, and turn DD#2 FF in the Radian behind the passenger seat, and I could easily lift the snugride into the center to it's base. My dh and I would have to put the handle down at the same time though, or lift the seat in with the handle already down, or buy a new infant seat that can have the handle stay up.

I was just asking dh what he thinks we should do, he hadnt even thought about it. He thinks it's going to be a PITA to have 3 kids in car seats, he doesnt even want to plan out what we're going to do. Maybe when #3 is actually on the way, he'll think about it more and get us a Mini van, that would be better!

So, if it were you, what would you do? Lean over an infant base constantly to keep a 2 1/2 yr old RF, or would you be ok with her FF by then and put the newborn in the center?
We could always forgo the base and we'd have room to kneel on the seat like we do now to get dd#2 in, and then just always buckle in the infant seat each time.
Putting off baby#3 until later is not an option. I am so baby hungry already, I'm going to have a hard time waiting until August as it is!

How have you guys arranged 3 kids into one backseat (when one of those was an infant seat)?
 
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tiggercat

New member
I also have a Camry (2003), but with a Marathon and a Parkway back there it is going to be super tight to fit #3's Snugride in.

Right now I have 2 options (that I see anyway):

1) use the seatbelt to install the MA FF outboard as far over as possible, baby in the middle in Snugride, and Parkway in other OB spot. This is very, very snug, and I'm nervous that the infant seat will be difficult to snap fully into the base because of how it sits next to the MA. :thumbsdown:

2) get a Radian for the baby and put it RF in the middle (so I'd have to lean over the FF MA or the Parkway to strap a wiggly newborn in :thumbsdown:, with the MA and Parkway in OB positions.

3) Replace my beloved MA with a Radian.

I don't think it will be that difficult to lean over an infant base to buckle a toddler in the middle RF. Hard to say until you try though.
 

Misty-Bug

New member
I lean over a RFing AO and I have no problem with it and my son is not yet one. With 2.5 I would keep them RFing. Too bad you can't put them outboard considering that out of the three, if I am correct, the FFing child is the least protected. I would think, again if I am remembering correct, that the baby is the most protected then the child RFing in the convertable. So I would have it go like this from drivers side to passenger side. FF, RF radian and then RF infant seat.
I have had a set up in my car like that and it was really no problem. It would be more of a PITA to buckle the infant seat in EVERY time with the seat belt then just popping the baby into the base. Just my opinion
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
I never used an infant seat when we had to do 3-across. DD was RF in the center of our VW Golf, and I'd just slide her in over the top of the seat from the front seat. Can't imagine it did my back any good though - lucky she was always so petite! Our car's a 2-door, so even if I'd wanted to give up my legroom to have her outboard, it wouldn't have made it any easier.

(Wait, actually I did do 3-across with an infant seat, but it was before infant seats came with bases, so that was never part of the equation!)

I'd vote for putting the FF child in the center, if possible - you could reach between the front seats to buckle.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
The True Fit I think is going to be on the wide side, so it might have problems. But with the removable headrest (to some size anyway, I can't remember now what) it may fit RFing behind the passenger. If so, I'd try that, then put the Radian FFing in the middle, then the baby outboard. That way DD#1 climbs in behind the passenger and sits in the Radian. DD#2 climbs into the RFing seat outboard and gets buckled. You go around to the passenger side and put baby in the base. Then get in the car and lean back through the middle and get DD#1 buckled. Or lean over the base. :)

What about a Scenera instead of a True Fit for now? Put the Scenera RFing behind the passenger, and then pass it to the baby when it outgrows the infant seat. It makes a great seat for an infant, isn't a price buster at all, and it should fit pretty well upright for a 2.5 year old.

Also, what year is your Snugride? Does it go to 20 or 22 pounds? The 22 pound ones can have the handle in the A, D, or E positions in the car, but not B or C.

Wendy
 

Holly

New member
I'm not sure of the manufacture date of the snug ride, I'll have to check. It's in the Emerson pattern and I bought it as a travel system with a duoglider stroller in October 2006. I'll have to check the date on it, I'm sure it isnt more that a few months before October 2006. I read the manual when I got it though, and I think I remember seeing that it only had one position the handle could be in when driving.

My FF dd will HAVE to be outboard behind the driver, nothing will fit RF there because of how far back the drivers seat needs to be for my dh. We already have a Scenera too, my dd#2 is using it now. I just planned to get a true fit though because I want another HWH seat and really like the look of the true fit. If it doesnt turn out to be really cool, then we will get another Radian.

We could keep using the scenera, but I just want to get something sturdier and cushioned thats just more comfy for them.
The Scenera was cool when we got it because we needed 2 new seats, but couldnt afford 2 new ones, the price was right.
I want to give the Scenera to my Mil pretty soon too because her convertible seat is almost expired now, or just has expired.

Before we get the true fit, I'll see if I can try it in my car first. I'll leave my radian in the center, and see if I can get it in outboard. If I can, then great, because I already know that my snugride can fit outboard on the passenger side if the radian is in the center.
Once my #3 needs a convertible, we'll most likely have our van by then. I want to try to get a cheap Regent from the Sept (2009) sales, then DD#1 will move to regent, and Baby will either get DD#1's old seat, or DD#2 will get it and baby will get #2's seat.

So It shouldnt be a pain to lift dd#2 (at 2 1/2 years) into the radian in the center leaning over the outboard snug ride base? If so, cool, she can RF to 3 afterall. If not though, would it be horrible to turn her at 2 1/2?
 

tiggercat

New member
So It shouldnt be a pain to lift dd#2 (at 2 1/2 years) into the radian in the center leaning over the outboard snug ride base? If so, cool, she can RF to 3 afterall. If not though, would it be horrible to turn her at 2 1/2?

It also depends on the child, my daughter hit the RF weight limit of her MA at around 2 yrs old, so we had to turn her FF. I'd have liked to RF her to 3, but it just couldn't be (legally) done.
 

singingpond

New member
I had the infant seat (base permanently installed) outboard, and a RF child in the center. It never even occurred to me to lean over the infant seat in order to get the middle child (who was almost 2 1/2 y.o. when the baby was born) into his seat; that just sounds really hard on the back. I always brought him in from the other side of the car, and I would sit sort of half sideways in his older brother's outboard seat while lifting and then buckling the 2 1/2 y.o. into the center spot. In our smaller car, our oldest was riding in a Parkway booster at the time; he was in a Wizard in the larger vehicle. Perching on the Parkway is not too bad; I just have to be careful not to bang my head getting into the car. The Wizard (with that big base) was more of a challenge, but that car was bigger too, so it worked out OK. It's not the most comfortable thing, and might not work if I was a larger person :), but definitely more comfortable (to me, anyway) than lifting a toddler into the middle while trying to stand outside the car. I briefly considered putting the infant seat into the middle, but I knew I didn't want to challenge my back lifting that in from the outside either.

I still sit in DS#1's Parkway every time I buckle in the baby (who currently is sitting in the center). Even though she is smaller and lighter than the child who sat there previously, I don't want to lean over an outboard seat to lift and buckle her in either.

The True Fit, not having a base, may not be bad for this maneuver (compared to something like a Wizard, anyway).

Katrin
 
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