Help me decide which arrangement is safest

I am needing to move DS2 to a HBB. It is not going well with drop off and pick up at school with the RN. He and DS1 are having a hard time getting him out of the harness and back into it this week. We are not allowed to get out of our vehicles while in the pick up line and I am not designed like Mr. Fantastic or I would reach back to the 3rd row and do it myself. I am not uncomfortable with him being in a HBB, but I will have to do some accomodations with DS4 and that is where I am at a loss.

So here is my questions....

I would like to keep DS4 ERF, but I am going to have to move him to the 3rd row. He is currently RF in a MA on the 2nd row and outboard, but the MA won't fit back there RF. I was planning on taking DS2's RN and turning it RF outboard for DS4 to use, but I am a little uneasy about him being RF outboard in the RN when there are no side curtain airbags or any protection in the 3rd row area. Can anyone tell me or link me to how the RN does RF without side airbags? Oh, also can I thether the RF RN to the anchor for the seat on the second row? Would DS4 be safer FF and tethered in the center position of the 3rd row? Any suggestions would be appreciated and I need to be able to use what seats I currently own.

DH would kill me if I "needed" to buy another seat, especially since I lost my job this past week.

ok looking at your siggy i'm assuming ds 4 is gabriel. i think that a rf seat is safer then any ff seat. especailly since he is just over 2 yrs. i would use whatever seat you need to keep him rf. are your tethers for the second row on the bottom of the seat or the floor. i would guess you could use it but i'm not sure how you normall do a rn rf tether. i know if it was me with my ma i would use the d ring and do the leg of that seat. just because i think if you were hit on that side in an accident that seat migh be pushed sideways and i feel that the seat leg would move less the the bottom of the seat tether. i wouldn't want a seat pulled sideways that didn't have to be if that makes since to you..it does in my head but not sure if it does in words.

a rf seat offers inherently more side protection just by BEING rf... so with no side curtain airbags, no matter WHAT seat you use, you're better off with it rf.

what vehicle do you have? I'm sure you've mentioned it before, but you didn't here and I am sitting scratching my head on that one.

Does Caleb still fit in a Marathon?? Britax seats are easier for kids to learn how to do up and undo themselves.

if not, then I agree, at 5, he'd be fine in a booster for the school year. Maybe give him big brother's turbobooster and get him a Recaro Vivo/Vivo Lite on sale at albeebaby.com??

I was thinking trying to switch the radian and marathon as well. My son is almost the exact same age as Calab (2 days younger) and he can buckle himself in the marathon but not the radian. How old is your marathon? If you have an older one it might help to order a new harness from britax because newer ones have an audiable click with both harness tongues which really helps my son. With the older one he was never sure if it was buckled or not and would keep pushing and now he knows.

Good Luck!

ok I am not a tech and am not sure if this would work....

but what if you put the RFing seat in the center in the third row then put the seat in question (For the older child FFing) outboard in the second row, closest to the opening door. Then you should be able to reach back.

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestions.

I may try him in a MA, both of mine are new ones.:thumbsup: Just not sure if all of them will puzzle together back there, but I am always up to playing around with them. I could just put the RN outboard on the second row for DS4 and see how he likes that seat.

Misty thanks for the suggestion :thumbsup:, but I have to keep DS2 in the 3rd row since the 2 youngest are on the 2nd row and I need to tumble one seat to get access to the back.

I am going to work with him on the RN buckle and see if I can get him use to unbuckling it. He used to be able to do it, but I think he has just gotten lazy and not "wanting" to do it.

bring the seat inside and let him play at practicing it.

also, maybe keep a spoon back there to help him?