Help me fit 6 carseats in an 08 Sienna

Kindermama · Sep 4, 2008

We are now carpooling with another family and I have to figure out how to fit 6 carseats in my van. Thing is, I would like to arrange them so it's not a total pain to get in & out of the car every morning. I don't know how to do it!

I have to take all 6 kids out of their seats EVERY morning! It's not a drop- off situation at school.

Here are the stats:

my neighbors kids-
5yo-in a Parkway in their moms' car
6yo- in a Parkway in their moms' car

my kids-
2yo- in a FPSVD
3yo-in a FPSVD
6yo-in a Nautilus
9yo-in a TurboBooster

We, and the other family as well, are willing to buy new seats if we have to!
I was thinking of getting the FPSV Boosters (4 of them for the older kids) and leaving my younger two in their FPSVD seats.

How would you arrange them for ease of getting in and out!??

Kindermama · Sep 4, 2008

I should mention I don't even know how I'd pull a seat in teh 2nd row forward for the kids to have access to the 3rd row. Right now, I have the 8th seat in the garage and haven't used and my kids use the middle aisle to access the 3rd row.

I suppose I'd have to have a booster in the seat I would have to tumble forward????? Any Sienna owners want to chime in?

Citrine · Sep 4, 2008

I do not have your car, seeing the seats your have, and needing to get to the 3rd row, Parkways and Nautilus 3rd row, FPSVD captain chairs, TurboBooster in bw captain chairs.
Or if the Nautilus is to wide in 3rd row for you to buckel the parkways in, put GN in captain chair and the older FPSVD in 3rd row. Good luck and befor the big day this needs to be done, try and get a trial at it the day before.

Chameleon · Sep 4, 2008

Sienna owner here. I would put the Nautilus and 2 of the HBBs in the back, they should fit either way,(make sure to have the Nautilus in either the middle or Passenger side for the Tether, and then the 2 FPSVD's in the middle and either outboard side, with the 1 HBB in the other outboard spot where you would have to tumble the seat. It maybe difficult, but definately easier. If they can squeeze through without tumbling, I'd do that by just pulling the seat forward as far as you can.

Kindermama · Sep 4, 2008

Chameleon said:
Sienna owner here. I would put the Nautilus and 2 of the HBBs in the back, they should fit either way,(make sure to have the Nautilus in either the middle or Passenger side for the Tether, and then the 2 FPSVD's in the middle and either outboard side, with the 1 HBB in the other outboard spot where you would have to tumble the seat. It maybe difficult, but definately easier. If they can squeeze through without tumbling, I'd do that by just pulling the seat forward as far as you can.

This sound like a good fit! I just switched around the seats (adding the 3rd seat back into the middle row) to this configuration (without have the FPSV boosters yet) and it looks like it will work. Either way, I'm going to have to tumble the outboard 2nd row seat (where one booster will go) to buckle in my friends' daughter in her booster in the 3rd row. My two can get into their seats unassisted.

Thanks

Do you know if two Parkways would fit next to the Nautilus in the 3rd row? I measure what was left of the 3rd row with the GN installed and it was 29 inches! I need to find two boosters to fit in that space now!

NannyMom · Sep 4, 2008

I have an 08 Sienna, This winter I'll be putting a GN and Turbobooster in the 3rd row, so I've already tried it out. If I recall correctly, there wasn't alot of room left in between them! Maybe a Radian would fit. Also, the GN was a pain to install with the seatbelt on the passenger side because of the angle of the buckle stalk. THe driver's side has no top tether. So....something to consider.

NannyMom · Sep 4, 2008

Chameleon said:
If they can squeeze through without tumbling, I'd do that by just pulling the seat forward as far as you can.

I didn't know the seats could pull forward? Maybe only on certain models? I'd love to be able to pull an outboard seat forward so the kids won't have to tumble the seat! Is there a nice feature I don't know about?

emandbri · Sep 4, 2008

NannyMom said:
I didn't know the seats could pull forward? Maybe only on certain models? I'd love to be able to pull an outboard seat forward so the kids won't have to tumble the seat! Is there a nice feature I don't know about?

There is a black bar under the seat, you pull it up and can move the seat.

To the OP You might end up still getting the fisher price boosters, it is a little snug back there the kids might not be able to buckle themselves in.

I've had a star riser, a marathon, and a radian and my 9 year old couldn't buckle himself in, I had to do it. My choices were get my nieces out of their seats or quickly try to reach over and buckle him and hope I didn't give anyone a peep show since I was wearing a skirt that is right above my knee! I chose to flash people!

It was such a pain I decided next time I'm going to put three harnessed seats in the back, I didn't do it that time because I didn't want to move Benjamin's seat.

NannyMom · Sep 5, 2008

I pulled the driver's side 2nd row forward, and I doubt your kids will be able to get through w/o flipping the seat (unless they're really really skinny and can squish through). I have a very thin 8 year old, and I doubt she could do it....though I'll have her and her brother try!

btw- with the middle seat positioned more forward, DD RF was sticking her foot in a crevice created between the seats and A's booster, I was affraid she'd break her foot in a crash. Now it looks much safer

OP- have you tried installing the Nautilus in the 3rd row? Unless it can fit in the middle, it may not work. DD's sleeping, maybe I'll go try mine now

skipspin · Sep 5, 2008

I've done a Generations (about the size of GN?) harnessed, Parkway, TurboHB across the back seat in my friend's van. It was a big pain to get the Parkway buckled, however. I don't think any age kid that was in the PW would have been able to do it.

I'd bet that PW, FPSFV, PW would work in the back well. Also, if you put a HBB on the seat the flips forward, then you should still be able to get everyone out that way.

NannyMom · Sep 5, 2008

I just played with the 3rd row a little bit. The GN will not fit passenger OB because of the engle of the buckle stalk. Unless, you know a trick I don't (If you do, PLEASE share!!). It will fit in the middle. You can put a TB next to it passenger side, and I think a child's small hand can buckle. I could buckle the TB, but there was no child in the seat. A TB will not fit driver's side with the GN middle. I don't know how the PW and FPSFV compare witdth-wise to the TB, but that's all I had to work with.

Kat_Momof3 · Sep 5, 2008

Kindermama said:
We are now carpooling with another family and I have to figure out how to fit 6 carseats in my van. Thing is, I would like to arrange them so it's not a total pain to get in & out of the car every morning. I don't know how to do it!

I have to take all 6 kids out of their seats EVERY morning! It's not a drop- off situation at school.

Here are the stats:

my neighbors kids-
5yo-in a Parkway in their moms' car
6yo- in a Parkway in their moms' car

my kids-
2yo- in a FPSVD
3yo-in a FPSVD
6yo-in a Nautilus
9yo-in a TurboBooster

We, and the other family as well, are willing to buy new seats if we have to!
I was thinking of getting the FPSV Boosters (4 of them for the older kids) and leaving my younger two in their FPSVD seats.

How would you arrange them for ease of getting in and out!??

the sienna is pretty easy to work 3 across in, so, given all this, what I'd do is put the Nautilus, Parkway in the middle, then the turbobooster in the third row (the 6yr olds and 9yr old should all be able to buckle themselves, so all you would have to do is tighten the Nautilus and check that the other two are tight.

In the second row, I'd put the Parkway in between the FPSVDs, because that is the least protected child (same really goes for the 6yr old in the third row, as he/she is the younger booster rider)

Now, if the kids can't get out of the third row easily in this setup, then I'd switch the fpsvd to the middle and the parkway outboard so that you can flip that seat forward for access.

and if the Nautilus won't fit on the passenger side, try the driver's side.

Otherwise, maybe it would be better to have an FPSVD back there (and the 9yr old could certainly help with buckling) and put the Nautilus in the 2nd row

emandbri · Sep 6, 2008

NannyMom said:
The GN will not fit passenger OB because of the engle of the buckle stalk. Unless, you know a trick I don't (If you do, PLEASE share!!).

I haven't tried a GN but did you try reclining the seat, tighten the car seat, and then bringing the seat back up? That almost always works.

NannyMom · Sep 6, 2008

emandbri said:
I haven't tried a GN but did you try reclining the seat, tighten the car seat, and then bringing the seat back up? That almost always works.

I thought about that. But the problem is the stalk doesn't come upright far enough. It didn't look like leaning the seatback would help because the stalk isn't attached to that and that would make the angle worse. The other 2 buckle stalks in back are loose and twistable (not that they need to be twisted), but this one is hard and rigid. Maybe tomorrow if it's not raining I can put the GN there again and take a picture.

Help me fit 6 carseats in an 08 Sienna

Kindermama

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