darn regent (size)

melaniev

New member
im have my older daughter's sister (yes, long story) for a couple days at a time, in the summer (and sometimes other times). now that the baby is in the regent, I can't fit 3-across my bench seat in my voyager, even with no other seats. she's 11 and my older one is 10. which means she has to sit in the front, which means that i'm pretty much not comfortable taking them out anywhere once we get home.

I really do need to find a workable solution for the fairly frequent times when I have an extra kid. the 3rd seat has been out not well cared for for so long that im not comfortable putting it back in, not to mention it's hottibly heavy, and if its in i cant fit groceries anywhere. the short wheelbase minivan really isnt great for space with all the seats in, just people hauling. ugh!
 
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bucket2

Guest
You didn't mention seat belt configuration for the van, the baby's height/weight or if the 10 and 11 year olds still need CR/boosters.

If you have lap/shoulder belts in all positions, have you tried the CR in an outboard position?

Depending on the baby's height/weight, there are other seats with narrower profiles: Radian, MA, etc. Or, maybe ;) it's just time for a new vehicle, LOL.
 

melaniev

New member
no new vehicle; i finally paid this one off. when it goes, we hoof it. ;) (im not joking)
the regent is outboard with LATCH, and the middle seating position is lap only. i forgot about that. :( i might try it with the seatbelt and see if it gives the other 2 any more room. I guess the baby (4) is 38# or so, and 43" maybe a little taller.
10yo 4' 5 1/2", 51lb; 11yo 5'2", 115lb.
 
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bucket2

Guest
melaniev said:
no new vehicle; i finally paid this one off. when it goes, we hoof it. ;) (im not joking)
the regent is outboard with LATCH, and the middle seating position is lap only. i forgot about that. :( i might try it with the seatbelt and see if it gives the other 2 any more room. I guess the baby (4) is 38# or so, and 43" maybe a little taller.
10yo 4' 5 1/2", 51lb; 11yo 5'2", 115lb.


Did using the middle position help? Still "thinking out loud:"

What seat did you have for the youngest before the Regent? Any chance she can still fit? [I'm hoping for a MA. . .]

Otherwise, a Radian or the FP/Britax clone or a combination seat with high slots? Keeping her harnessed in the middle puts the other two in lap/shoulder belts (much safer/preferred) and would allow more room for other passengers.

You didn't mention if/what the 10 yo is using currently. Based on height/weight, she proably should be using a booster (does the bench have head support?) and therefore needs a seating position with a lap/shoulder belt.

The 11 yo is too big for any booster I know. Hopefully the 5' 2" is mostly leg or she might not pass the 5 step test, although on a van bench, she should be alright.

IMO, I would (and I'm gonna get all kinds of flack) be comfortable with the oldest in the front seat using a lap/shoulder belt, given the choices of lap only or using 3rd seat installed (you ruled out for safety and space reasons). [At a check up event here a year ago, we - instructors and techs - decided/recommended that a 4 yr old was safer in the front seat with a booster (older car, lap only in back, no air bag) than in the back with lap only. We didn't have a B-LT - the mom came to the event because she did not have a CR for the girl and had been given a voucher to get a new seat for her. It was one of those times when you have to weigh the options - which is the safest of your less than perfect choices?]

If you had 4 kids, you'd have no choice but to put one in the front or leave one behind, or to use your words, "hoof it" :p - in that case, best practice is: seat pushed back as far as possible, seat back is upright, tallest/heaviest child in the front seat, using a CR if needed/appropriate for the child.
 

melaniev

New member
ya i've been putting the 11yo in the front with the seat all the way back. she definitely passes the 5 step test. my 10yo is in a cosco high rise. as long as it's just the 2 we're fine, but the biggest issue is when my older one brings a friend who's too small for the front and too big for the space left on the bench seat. UGH!
we just outgrew the roundabout ... no new seats ... and if i put the regent in the middle, the high rise wouldn't fit outboard. i wish the thing wasn't such a pain to take in and out or i might experiment more. im dreading her outgrowing the LATCH and having to use the seatbelt all the time!
 
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bucket2

Guest
melaniev said:
As long as it's just the 2 we're fine, but the biggest issue is when my older one brings a friend who's too small for the front and too big for the space left on the bench seat. UGH!
we just outgrew the roundabout ... no new seats ... and if i put the regent in the middle, the high rise wouldn't fit outboard.



How about getting another Cosco booster and using it in the front? It's cheap, portable, and fairly small.
 

melaniev

New member
for smaller friends you mean ... would that be safe?
I actually have 3 or 4 of them in various cars for my older one ... the last one i bought was on sale at kmart for $10 (and the others people have sprung for because they are so cheap). i knew i should have grabbed 2.
 
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bucket2

Guest
They'd need to be 40 pounds, of course. And while it's not as safe as the back seat, it is safer than lap belt only.

If < 40, then the 10 yr. old goes in the front and the little one goes in the back in your RA (until it expires).

Like I said before, it's basically the lesser of the evils: front seat restrained properly or back seat with inappropriate restraint.

"Best practice" is that when you HAVE to put a child under 13 in the front, you put the tallest/heaviest in the front, with the seat pushed back as far as possible. Using a lap/shoulder belt is safer than lap only.

The other alternative is more expensive: a new seat (MA, Radian, etc.) that has a smaller profile than the REGENT so you CAN fit 3 across the back.
 

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