please help me rear face my triplets

Hi everyone,
Some of you may remember my multiple questions a few weeks ago...I have narrowed them down but of course have more! I'm hoping you can help me.

We just bought a new '09 Toyota Sienna 8 passenger van- there are 5 separate LATCH sets -3 across the 2nd row bench, and 2 in the 3rd row.

I did have 3 Radian 65's which we "installed" in the van....they did OK forward facing, but rear facing they are just too long to work for us anywhere but the 2nd row center. Anywhere other than that they are hitting the backs of seats or leaving no room for maneuvering through the car.

I returned 2 of them to Target, and kept 1 because I want to be able to fit all 3 of our triplets across the 2nd row at times. My question now is - what 2 carseats to buy now? I went today and tried my friend's 2 marathons on either side of the rear facing radian, and all 3 fit comfortably across.

My instinct is to go out and buy 2 marathons, but wanted to make sure I was buying the right seat this time. I feel like we wasted a bunch of money when we bought the roundabouts for our other car, when we could have gotten seats that would have lasted us a lot longer.

The 3 I have looked at the Marathon, Boulevard, and True fit, although I've only tried the Marathon in the van and really don't know too much about the True fit but have heard it has more leg room for the RF. I want to avoid buying more carseats any time soon. Would like to keep them rear facing as long as possible (35 pounds), and then have plenty of growing room after we turn them around FF.

The kiddos are 22 months old, about 25 pounds each. I'd be guessing at height, so I won't even try.

What seats should I get that would last me the longest? I am open to any and all suggestions, and if you can think of any other seats that would work and allow me to all 3 across, please let me know.
THanks so much

The True Fit will last the longest RF. We just moved our rear-facing son out of his Marathon and into a TrueFit. We had the older 33lb. limit Marathon, and we anticipated that the addition of winter clothes through the next few months would put him over the limit. We went with the TrueFit mostly because the additional shell height ensured he wouldn't outgrow the seat by height before he had fully reached 35 lbs.

HOWEVER, if I had triplets I'm not so sure I'd pick the TrueFit. Before I was married I was the nanny for quadruplet babies. And now I have four small harnessed children of my own; I have a good feel for life with car seats and many little ones! It takes a chunk of time to get everyone buckled in and ready to drive.

We have a Regent, a Nautilus, a Diplomat, and a TrueFit. And I find the TrueFit the hardest to adjust properly. Some of that is the size of my son; he is still rear facing. The slots are a good distance below his shoulders, but he's still too short for the next set of slots. It's tricky to get the straps adjusted snugly, evenly, and correctly. The harness is continuous, meaning that it is all one big long strap. One side will frequently end up shorter than the other, so you have to tug it this way and that. And the harness adjuster is very deep , so it is difficult to access.

We still like the TrueFit, and think it is a good pick for what my son needs at this time. But if I was buckling 3 rear-facing toddlers, I'd go for Marathons every time.

Just my :twocents:

The TrueFit will last the longest of the seats you are considering, but the Marathon and Boulevard will also last to age 4+. The TrueFit has taller top harness slots.

I think I go with the MA as well. And so you know, you can fit 3 MAs across your second row as well. You don't need the RN if you don't want to keep it.

I second what one of the previous posters said ... if I had to do triplets every day, all the time, I'd go with Marathons all the time. I am a nanny, and I do a 1 year old, rear facing in a Marathon, a 3 year old rear facing in a Boulevard and a 5 year old forward facing in a Radian about 5 days a week. It's a total pain. I can't imagine having to stop and mess with harnesses all the time, making sure both sides are even.... even the Radian is too much for me in a 3-across! So my advice would be to get the 3 Britax seats that you like the best (Marathon, Decathalon, Boulevard), and then know that you will have to eventually buy at least one more set of seats, but could easily get a combination like the Nautilus for each child, and be done. :twocents:

I'm going to be the dissenting voice here...:duck:

I use two TF's (and a Frontier or RN) every day, and don't have an issue with buckling the kids in. Shelling out for three seats at once is a big chink of change, and considering that the TF is waaaay cheaper than the MA, I'd be inclined to go that route. Especially since the TF will rf for longer and has higher top harness slots. It also comes with built in lockoffs and is very easy to install. I will admit to never having used a MA, but I just don't think that anything the MA has makes it much better than the TF, or justifies the big price difference. That said, I do know plenty of people who love their MAs!

northernmommy said:

I'm going to be the dissenting voice here...:duck:

I use two TF's (and a Frontier or RN) every day, and don't have an issue with buckling the kids in. Shelling out for three seats at once is a big chink of change, and considering that the TF is waaaay cheaper than the MA, I'd be inclined to go that route. Especially since the TF will rf for longer and has higher top harness slots. It also comes with built in lockoffs and is very easy to install. I will admit to never having used a MA, but I just don't think that anything the MA has makes it much better than the TF, or justifies the big price difference. That said, I do know plenty of people who love their MAs!

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N Mommy: New Marathons also RF to 35 pounds, just like the TF. So that is not an issue.

The TrueFit has higher top slots (for forward facing) and a taller shell. SO, it could keep a child RF a little longer if he/she is tall and slim. The TF costs alot less, which really adds up when you're buying 3. The TF could possibly get the child straight from a harnessed seat, to a booster seat (my 5 year old still fits in the TF)

The Marathon has straps that are less likely to twist, and that will stay the same length on both sides. The MA is very easy to install in the Sienna. The MA might not get the kids to boosters. My 5 year old would have outgrown the MA at least a year ago, meaning we would have bought a Nautilus.

It all comes down to which features are more important to you.

Personally, I would even consider putting 2 kids in the 2nd row (1 center, 1 outboard, remove other outboard seat) and 3rd kid in the center 3rd row. That way if it's raining or snowing, you can stand inside the van to get all the kids in their seats.

ETA: I also wanted to add, my daughter is 25 months and 24-25 pounds. So she's very close to your children. I also have an 8 passenger sienna (2008). She has a Marathon, and art of me wishes I'd bought the True Fit. But I have a feeling, if I'd bought the True FIt, part of me would wish I had the Marathon.

vonfirmath said:

N Mommy: New Marathons also RF to 35 pounds, just like the TF. So that is not an issue.

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Thanks for the update! Does that include the Canadian ones too?

No, just the U.S. certified Marathons manufactured since earlier in 2008 and labeled accordingly can rear face up to 35 lbs.

While I have never RF'd a Boulevard... I have 2 and I absolutely love them!! My 5 y/o is 48#(ish) and she still fits very comfortably FF'ing in her Boulevard. I wouldn't necessarily say that you'll only get ~4 years out of them... but then each child is different. She's a stocky girl and still harnessed in hers, while her 3 y/o brother is 3 1/2, ~40" and ~40# and long and lean. He's got a long ways to go before he outgrows his Boulevard.

I've actually been contemplating purchasing another Boulevard in order to reduce the inches across that we have 3 car seats latched/buckled into one seat in our 05 Chevy Express. It would be RF'ing for our 2 1/2 y/o DD. I'm not too worried about her growing out weight wise anytime soon, though... She's ~22# soaking wet... I'm thinking she may go to the prom RF'ing!!

GL!

The TrueFits are not way cheaper than the Marathons you can buy online. Amazon.com has come patterns for $171-180 (counting the $15 rebate) and travelingtikes.com has sales too. And considering there isn't tax or shipping, they would be cheaper than a TrueFit. Count my in the camp that thinks the Marathon/Boulevard harnesses are easier.


*I have bought two Marathons from travelingtikes.com and got very recent DOMs even though I got a sale. I have had good experiences with albeebaby.com. I know that this isn't recommended here anymore since the seat's DOM would be 7/07, but considering your need for 3 seats at once the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe at albeebaby.com is the same as the Marathon for $129. Since your kids are already two they wouldn't expire until your triplets were 5 (hoping my math is correct) and possibly outgrown anyway. Since you know three Marathons will fit across, it is the same shell and made by britax, but won't tether rear facing.

northernmommy said:

I'm going to be the dissenting voice here...:duck:

I use two TF's (and a Frontier or RN) every day, and don't have an issue with buckling the kids in. Shelling out for three seats at once is a big chink of change, and considering that the TF is waaaay cheaper than the MA, I'd be inclined to go that route. Especially since the TF will rf for longer and has higher top harness slots. It also comes with built in lockoffs and is very easy to install. I will admit to never having used a MA, but I just don't think that anything the MA has makes it much better than the TF, or justifies the big price difference. That said, I do know plenty of people who love their MAs!

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Unless I misread your signature, you are using your TF's forward facing? Just wanted to add...I think that once my son is forward facing, our buckling issues will disappear. It's the folded legs + the harness coming from well below the shoulders + the continuous harness feature of the TF that makes a toddler a little challenging to buckle rear facing. Not un-doable, but certainly less fluid than other harnesses. The MA is much easier to adjust in this scenario. On the other hand, my sons legs are significantly less folded in the TF, so there is a bit more room to fuss with the challenging harness!

Not sure if flying is in the picture? Thought I'd mention that MA's stack oh-so-nicely on a luggage cart. The base of the seat fits neatly into the seat above, and that was a big help on our last big trip when we had two MA's and a FPSVD, which is the same shell as the MA.

diaperjoys said:

Unless I misread your signature, you are using your TF's forward facing? Just wanted to add...I think that once my son is forward facing, our buckling issues will disappear.

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My DS is currently rf in the TF, and my dd was up until about three months ago when she hit 35lb...she was 3.5yo, and I never had an issue buckling her in. She rides ff in it now, as does dd1 on occasion.:thumbsup:

Rosey said:

The TrueFits are not way cheaper than the Marathons you can buy online. Amazon.com has come patterns for $171-180 (counting the $15 rebate) and travelingtikes.com has sales too. And considering there isn't tax or shipping, they would be cheaper than a TrueFit. Count my in the camp that thinks the Marathon/Boulevard harnesses are easier.

Click to expand...

Wow! I didn't know you could get MA's for that price!!! Sometimes I wish we lived south of the border

Keep in mind that "our" (Northernmommy and us other Canadians) TF's are usually $149.99, since they go on sale about once a month, and last I checked, MA's are somewhere around $300. So that's where the instinctive MA's are too expensive compared to TF's statements come from.

That being said, I love my TF, and had no problem rf'ing, but now that I had to turn Riley FF, I'm finding that continuous harness a major PITA. I can never get it even!