3 across in Toyota Sienna?

U

Unregistered

Guest
Hi all-

I have a 2008 Toyota Sienna and I want to fit 3 in the third row, all forward facing, all harnessed, for my three oldest kids who are 4,5 and 7. Right now I have a Regent and a Marathon back there with an open space between them. Should I buy a Radian 80? Any chance of it fitting back there? I have tried a Graco Turbo Booster with no luck.

Questions about the Radian: I know the Radian 80 goes up to 51", but any idea of about how old that is? My 7 year old is average height right now (49"). Also, is the Radian as comfortable as the Regent and the Marathon? (my kiddos love their seats!) It is also important that they can buckle and unbuckle themselves (they do this easily with the Regent and the Marathon). Do people like the Radian seat? Any reservations?

I am open to buying a couple more seats if I need to, but would love to use the ones I already have. I want the highest quality seat, with the most comfort for the child and I want them all harnessed.

Thanks so much in advance for your expertise.
 
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safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
Hi all-

I have a 2008 Toyota Sienna and I want to fit 3 in the third row, all forward facing, all harnessed, for my three oldest kids who are 4,5 and 7. Right now I have a Regent and a Marathon back there with an open space between them. Should I buy a Radian 80? Any chance of it fitting back there? I have tried a Graco Turbo Booster with no luck.

The RN80 might work if you puzzle them like this. Regent outboard, MA center (you have to put it so that the side wing of the MA is overlapping the Regent, and RN80 outboard, (again, the MA needs to have it's side wing slightly overlapping the RN80) I was able to fit those three seats, puzzled like that in a Nissan Xterra. If this doesn't work, you can still probably do three across back there if one of your younger kiddos cn rf.

Questions about the Radian: I know the Radian 80 goes up to 51", but any idea of about how old that is? Overall height doesn't really apply to car seat fit. You want to look at where your child shoulders fall in relation to the top harness position, and where the child's ears fall in relation to the top of the car seat shell. For most seats, the child's shoulders cannot be above the top harness position. The RN80 is an exception to this rule and does allow the shoulders above the top slot, (this is a little controversial, but I personally am very comfortable with it based on my own research. You can do a search for threads on shoulders over the top slot of the RN to learn all the different opinions) so you just have to make sure the child's ears are not above the top of the shell.Since children vary greatly in how much of their height is in their legs verses how much is in their torso, it is impossible to say what is a normal height for outgrowing it. I've heard of long-torsoed kids outgrowing it by 48", but my own kids are 6 yrs and 49" and 8 yrs and 53" and neither one of them is even to the top slot yet. In your situation, I'd say you really need to get your hands on one IRL. If you can't find one locally, there are web sites that have good return policies other posters can steer you towards. My 7 year old is average height right now (49"). Also, is the Radian as comfortable as the Regent and the Marathon? (my kiddos love their seats!) It is also important that they can buckle and unbuckle themselves (they do this easily with the Regent and the Marathon). Do people like the Radian seat? Any reservations?My kiddos don't find the RN as comfortable as their Britax seats, but dont find them uncomfortable either. The one main complaint I get from them is that the crotch strap depth is not very generous. They can buckle themselves up in the harness as easily as any other seat, but cannot tighten the harness on their own. As far as liking the seat, some people love it. I'm not one of those people. (at best I feel lukewarm about it) I despise the harness adjuster (you have to pull very hard), and have severe issues with patronizing a company that the owner of which changes his story on things every other day it seems and doesn't stand behind his products. The RN can have install issues in some cars but once you get to know it intimately you'll do ok. One thing to mention though, unless you have extremely short-torsoed kids like I do, or unless your kids are on the heavy side, it is likely they will get too tall for it way before 80#. If you think you aren't really going to get much past 65# before they get too tall you might want to look at the RN65, which has a 65# weight limit (you can't go over the top slot on this one though) and save a little money.

I am open to buying a couple more seats if I need to, but would love to use the ones I already have. I want the highest quality seat, with the most comfort for the child and I want them all harnessed.

Thanks so much in advance for your expertise.

I hope this all helps.
 

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