3 seats in a Dodge Intrepid& toodler seats

U

Unregistered

Guest
Anyone have an Intrepid with 3 seats in the back? I have an almost 2 year old in a ff seat,a 5 yr. old in a backless booster seat,and my baby in a carrier car seat. She will soon need a big girl seat. I am thinking that they are usually wider than the carriers.anyone know? I have alot of trouble trying to get my 5 yr. old buckled up trying to fit my hand between the seats.
Also it seems I know nothing for carseat safety. I just recently learned that over head sheilds are not very safe (I have one now :/) I am probably terrible. but why do they sell them if they are not safe? What would you recommend for a toddler. I here Britax is good but I need one for baby as well and thats way more than our checkbook would let us have :( Thanks for any suggestions/advise
 
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scatterbunny

New member
Convertible carseats aren't always wider than infant carriers, it really depends on the seat. There are some pretty narrow boosters out that may work better for your 5yo.

Don't feel bad about the overhead shield. Lots of parents don't know. See this page for information on overhead shield seats: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/fivepointshield.aspx

And here's a quote:

Why are shield seats for sale?

Tray-shield and t-shield seats pass the required federal safety standards, just as five-point harness seats do, and they are perfectly legal to buy and sell. It must be understood that the federal safety standards are minimal - currently only a frontal crash test with a partially instrumented dummy is required. In addition, the crash test dummies that are used in these tests are not children. Where a child is soft and flexible, a dummy is more rigid. Where a child will move and squirm in a seat, a dummy stays in the same place. The difference between five-point harness seats and tray- and t-shield seats is that real world crash experience shows us that children in five-point harness seats have less potential for injury than those in tray- and t-shield seats. T-shield seats have been discontinued by all manufacturers; tray-shield seats are still widely available.

Tray-shield seats continue to be popular sellers for two reasons:

Most retail stores give the impression that a tray-shield seat is a "better" seat when they carry more -tray-shield seats than five point harness seats. The majority of car seat retailers carry a larger selection of tray-shield seats.
Those purchasing a seat may assume that the tray-shield provides a measure of safety, believing that it is actually putting a barrier of protection between their child and any danger. In reality, the tray is only cosmetic; even the car seat manufacturers will tell you this.

These mistakes contribute to a vicious cycle where consumers buy tray-shield seats because they are stocked and retailers stock tray-shield seats because they are bought.

There is one other way to look at this issue - a comparison. Car seats are similar to cars, in that they both have to meet federal safety standards to be sold. Both the Toyota Sienna and the Chevy Venture pass the government safety standards and allowed to be sold and driven today. However, they do not perform the same in a crash. The Toyota Sienna provides excellent protection for the occupant, just as a properly used five-point harness seat does. The Chevy Venture allows more potential injury, just as a tray-shield seat does.

First of all, what year is your Intrepid? What seat is your 2yo in and what booster is your 5yo using? What are the childrens' stats (height and weight)? What is your budget? We can list seats in all price ranges (my #2 recommended convertible carseat is only $40). :)
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
First of all, what year is your Intrepid? What seat is your 2yo in and what booster is your 5yo using? What are the childrens' stats (height and weight)? What is your budget? We can list seats in all price ranges (my #2 recommended convertible carseat is only $40).

Sorry I thought of this to,lol. I have 2004 Intrepid. My 2 yr.old is in and Eddie Bauer seat with the sheild and is 27 lbs and about 34 in.tall. My 5 yr. old is 77 lbs. and about 51 in. tall he is in the backless booster from WalMart. My baby is 8 months 15lbs. and about 26 in. tall. She is in the Eddie Bauer carrier combo.I want something decent priced really I didnt really want to spend more than $150 on her seat,but would love a Britax.Thanks for your help :)
 

j4m4d8

New member
Aside from the safety issues with overhead-shield seats, they tend to be wide. So you might want to consider getting 2 new seats.

You could possibly get 2 Cosco Sceneras, or a Scenera and a combination seat like the Graco Ultra/Platinum CarGo for the 2-year-old. That should still be under $150 total.

Is the booster on the side of the car with just one buckle? That can make it a little easier.

Julie
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
I know someone with an older Intrepid

I've installed a FF Graco CarGo, Britax Parkway booster (both outboard) & RF Britax Wizard in there - the booster was a bit difficult to buckle, but not horribly so (less difficult than in my Escape). However, I didn't manage to get the install checked by a technician....

I've also installed a FF Graco CarGo next to a Britax LapTop with the high back Graco Turbo booster in that car - CarGo & Turbo both outboard, LapTop sharing buckle location with the booster (each has their own buckle, but the latch plates are next to each to make it easier to get them hooked). This was much more difficult to manage than the previous arrangement of seats & it probably doesn't help you out much since none of the kids were RF :rolleyes:

Compared to some vehicles, I'd the say the Intrepid is "relatively" easy to fit 3 seats across, LOL, but the Alpha Omega is a really wide seat ... I second Julie's recommendation of options ;) The Ultra/Platinum CarGo is the kind you'd want (instead of the 1 called Cherished) because it's easier to adjust the harness, plus both my cousin's preschooler & big kid along with my preschooler & big kid all find the seat comfy!

Whatever you decide, it would be a great idea to have a certified child passenger safety technician check the install ... it's free! :D http://www.nhtsa.gov/cps/cpsfitting/
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Is the booster on the side of the car with just one buckle? That can make it a little easier.

I don't quiet understand the one buckle,but the booster seat is behind the passanger seat.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Compared to some vehicles, I'd the say the Intrepid is "relatively" easy to fit 3 seats across, LOL, but the Alpha Omega is a really wide seat ... I second Julie's recommendation of options The Ultra/Platinum CarGo is the kind you'd want (instead of the 1 called Cherished) because it's easier to adjust the harness, plus both my cousin's preschooler & big kid along with my preschooler & big kid all find the seat comfy!


My husband thank goodness always wanted an Intrepid they are roomy.:)
Otherwise it probably wouldve been an SUV. It's very cozy back there.Thanks for your suggestions. I am going to check out the Ultra/Platinum Cargo (never heard this one before) and the Scenero(sp?) one.:)
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
  • Graco Platinum CarGo ~ The Ultra is basically the same thing, but the Cherished version doesn't have the front harness adjuster & might also not have the EPS foam (???)
  • 8689CAV_s.jpg
  • Cosco Touriva ~ the Scenera is the newer version of this.
  • 561_1_22110WAL.jpg
I think positioning the booster behind driver's seat means that it is in the spot where there is only 1 belt buckle latch - on the other side there should be 2 belt buckle latches right next to each other? It could be the other way around, but I have found that it's generally easier to buckle boosters in the location where there is not 2 belt buckles next to each other =)

Sometimes, though, I had a really difficult time deciding whether or not it was best to have my RF baby behind the front passenger where I could reach her, or the boostered 5+ year old in that spot where I could keep my eye on her to remind her to sit still :rolleyes:
 

nisi

Senior Community Member
Unregistered said:
My husband thank goodness always wanted an Intrepid they are roomy.:)
Otherwise it probably wouldve been an SUV. It's very cozy back there.Thanks for your suggestions. I am going to check out the Ultra/Platinum Cargo (never heard this one before) and the Scenero(sp?) one.:)

I have a 94 Intrepid. I know the body style has changed but the back seat is almost the same. It is a huge wide back seat! I have had 2 infant seats (with the bases) and a Britax Husky in mine, so I'm sure you can find something that will work for you.

I second the recommendation to replace the overhead shield seat. Not only for safety reasons, but the arms on the shield will make it difficult to fit it next to anything else. The Cosco Scenera and Touriva are good budget-friendly choices and they are also pretty narrow. The Touriva is slightly narrower than the Scenera so if its all the same to you, I'd go with the Touriva.

The Graco Ultra Cargo is a nice seat, and it is also narrow, but I used to have one and honestly, I had a hard time installing it in the Intrepid. The buckle stalks ("female" end of the seat belt) are long and the Cargo's belt path is low and it was difficult to get it tight without the buckle being in the child's back. Difficult, but not impossible. Twisting the stalks down 2 or 3 times should help.


Good luck finding seats that work for you and your kids. Come on back if you have questions.

Nisi
 

nisi

Senior Community Member
nisi said:
The Graco Ultra Cargo is a nice seat, and it is also narrow, but I used to have one and honestly, I had a hard time installing it in the Intrepid. The buckle stalks ("female" end of the seat belt) are long and the Cargo's belt path is low and it was difficult to get it tight without the buckle being in the child's back. Difficult, but not impossible. Twisting the stalks down 2 or 3 times should help.

Duh! My Intrepid is too old to have LATCH, but yours isn't! The Ultra Cargo should be pretty easy to install with LATCH. The seat belt buckle in the back won't be a problem :)
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Yep, Nisi ... in my co-workers older (early 90s) Intrepid I had to twist the belt stalk, but in my SD's mom's newish Intrepid with LATCH the CarGo installed super easy! :D
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
I think positioning the booster behind driver's seat means that it is in the spot where there is only 1 belt buckle latch - on the other side there should be 2 belt buckle latches right next to each other? It could be the other way around, but I have found that it's generally easier to buckle boosters in the location where there is not 2 belt buckles next to each other =)

What a good idea!!

Where do you think I should put RF baby? In the middle?
 

scatterbunny

New member
The rule of thumb is to put the most protected child (in this case, the rear-facing child) in the least protected seating position (outboard), so I'd put the boostered child in the middle if there is a shoulderbelt there (I have NO clue about the Intrepid)--if not, like everyone said, on the side where there is only one buckle.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Yep - an RF harnessed kid is way more protected than any other passenger & a FF harnessed kid is much more protected than anyone in a regular lap/shoulder belt, but a kid in a booster that has deep head wings with EPS foam is more protected than a kid without them....

In my Escape I put my youngest RF outboard behind the front passenger (mostly so I could pass her things & also to keep my front passengers from reclining while the car is in motion - the manual says this is not safe!), middle kiddo in Parkway behind the driver (since I can't see her as well I locked the ALR shoulder belt in place to keep her from leaning forward) & oldest not in booster in the middle with a shoulder belt.

My Escape has side curtain airbags in the back, but I still feel safer having the most protected kids outboard & least protected in the middle (the local CPS tech said it's fine to have the carseat next to side curtain airbags), but my co-worker & friend with not-quite-new & older Intrepids don't have the side curtain airbags (not sure if it's standard in the newer ones?), so it's even more important for the least protected to be in the middle using the shoulder belt since the Intrepid doesn't test really well for rear side impacts....
 

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