2005 Mazda MPV Minivan and Regent

First off, I know you are going to tell me to go to a baby store and try out the seat - but the nearest store would be almost 3 hours away - so I would like to have some certainty that this will/will not fit before I make the trip, or decide to purchase something smaller.
Howdy - I am wondering if anyone out there has tried this combination. I have 3 children - Son (almost 5, 41" 38lbs) daughter(3, 36", 28lbs) and daughter (1, 27", 17lbs). I am looking at getting a new seat for my son. My son has an appt in just a few weeks, and I'll get an update on size and percentile and how long he probably has under 40 pounds.
He has always been below 50% in height and weight, and I do not feel he is mature enough for a belt positioning booster yet, and it just seems like his convertible seat has so much room on either side of him that without a harness, I am afraid it is just not safe. So I was thinking about the Regent. I talked with one of the baby stores today, and was told that this seat his huge, which I knew, but she said it would not fit in my van backseat (which is a tumble under seat - not removable) with any other seat, and there would be no leg room in my van. Putting in the 2nd row Captains chair there would be no leg room for him --- Can anyone shed any light on this?

There is another member here under the name of "Scatterbunny" she has a MPV minivan and also had a regent/husky in it. I'm not sure how it worked for her in her van -- but I believe she sold it because she could not get a tether anchor for it. (b/c of the weight of the regent it must be tethered) You may want to do a search for some of her previous posts and see what she had to say about the installation.

If you are concerned about the size of the regent, you may want to check out the marathon. My daughter is exactly the same size as your son (although I can't comment on actual torso height) and she still has about 2" of growth in the marathon and it goes to 65lbs. It has all the great features of a britax but has a much smaller footprint than the regent. Also, I would imagine that you would be able to pass it on to your other children once you feel your son is ready for a booster.

There are also a few other seats that harness to 65 lbs -- I believe the apex and radian (although don't quote me on that) and considering both your daughters are still able to rearface based on their weight (although you don't mention what seats they are in) that might also allow you to make three seats fit a bit easier than three FF seats in a row.

HTH

I have friends with an MPV, they put a RF (now FF) marathon behind the driver, moved the passenger side to the middle and put the regent there, and had a roundabout FF in the 3rd row on the passenger side. As the passenger I had to climb over the RA a bit, but it was ok, not horrible, and they didn't have passengers often.

They also had 2 RF seats in the 3rd row and put babies in from the back hatch, with the MA rf and the Regent in the 2nd row.

Wow Where to start.
Ok, you say the Regent MUST be tethered?!?! I guess that puts it out as I think that the only tether point we have is in the center of the 3rd seat - and we need to put 2 seats back there. I was figuring on doing the seat belt installation.
lisa2976
CPS Advocate - You said your friend put the Middle Captains Chair in the Center position and put the regent in that position? How did she do that? I ask this as my passenger middle seat - the seat belt attaches to the van on the outside and the seat on the inside (buckle). I tried putting the baby there when we brought her home last summer - and I could not get a tight fit at all - I would love to have the baby in the middle - but only if the seat is tight and safe. I did not even like sitting in this seat when in the middle position as I just seemed to slide back and forth. Getting past it is not that big a deal as the Drivers Side Middle Captains chair spends most of its time in the garage.

As for the Children and their current seats
Child 1 Son is in a Summit convertible, I hear these are great as harnesses, but not so good as belt positiners - There is A LOT of room on either side of him - he is (and always has been 10 - 25% for height and weight). I have ordered new straps for this from Cosco and plan to hand it down to daughter 2
Child 2 Daughter is in a Touriva, given to us by the Fire Department when we had a car seat safety check. I did not know then, but I do now, that Car seat straps are NOT machine washable. She is 36" and 28lbs. (she is usually between 25 and 50%)
Child 3 Daughter is in her Graco Lite Rider Coach Travel System seat (I think the name has changed since then). I do have a larger "punkin seat" to put her in until a new seat arrives. She was preemie - so at age 1, she is 27" and 17lbs. (She is in the 3% - but hey, she is finally on the charts! )

The seats I have been debating are......
Option 1 for both Children - the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe
Option 2 for son Britax Regent
Option 2 for daughter - Eddie Bauer Elite
Any other seat suggestions are welcome
Thank you for any and all help and suggestions

I guess that puts it out as I think that the only tether point we have is in the center of the 3rd seat - and we need to put 2 seats back there. I was figuring on doing the seat belt installation.

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The tether has nothing to do with seat belt installation, I think you're thinking about LATCH. The tether is the strap that attaches to the back of the seat. I don't have the same vehicle, and I don't know where the tether anchors are in MPV's, but here's a pic of my Regent, tethered -
Tether anchors on minivans are often found in that location, though I think some are on the floorboard instead. LATCH is "Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children" - so technically, the whole system includes the tethers, but the lower anchor part is the part that you can use instead of the seatbelt if you want.

Oh, I forgot I had this pic - this is where the lower anchors are found in vehicles (this is my marathon)

Here's all of my carseat installation pictures - lots of the Regent. I've got a Chrysler Voyager, not an MPV, but maybe it will at least help to see actual pictures of the seat installed. http://kellyr2.googlepages.com/mycarseatpics

(and yeah, its technically a Husky, but the Husky and Regent are the same seat - it just got new covers and a new name this past winter)

I know about the tethers and LATCH and such - I guess what I MEANT to say (oops) is that I need to put 2 seats in the back row, and only have 1 tether point (in the middle) and so cannot put it in the center back there. If this seat MUST be tethered as well as seat belted (or LATCHed) as the first reply said, that I don't think I will be able to use it.
Thank you for the pictures though - that gives a good idea as to the scope and size of the seat.

I know about the tethers and LATCH and such - I guess what I MEANT to say (oops) is that I need to put 2 seats in the back row, and only have 1 tether point (in the middle) and so cannot put it in the center back there. If this seat MUST be tethered as well as seat belted (or LATCHed) as the first reply said, that I don't think I will be able to use it.
Thank you for the pictures - that gives a good idea as to the scope and size of the seat.

kelly - it looks like you removed the headrest in the photo of the regent outboard - im wondering why? (I have the EXACT same car).

also... my recline bar doesnt sit like that. i wonder if there's something wrong with it. it does not stay in unless it's leaning against something.

additional tethers

Maybe someone can pipe up on the MPV, however, I asked about the tethers for my Odyssey. I only have one in the center of the 3rd row too. Someone told me I could add them to the other two seat positions. I called the dealership and they said they were only 12 dollars each to add them and you can just screw them in yourself. Maybe there is something similar for the MPV. You might want to call your dealership so that you can move your regent to the side.

Unregistered said:

Maybe someone can pipe up on the MPV, however, I asked about the tethers for my Odyssey. I only have one in the center of the 3rd row too. Someone told me I could add them to the other two seat positions. I called the dealership and they said they were only 12 dollars each to add them and you can just screw them in yourself. Maybe there is something similar for the MPV. You might want to call your dealership so that you can move your regent to the side.

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Thank you, I will give that a try. I know we discussed it when we bought the car last year - but things can change in a year. The 2 seats that are back there now can latch and tether both - Adding the tether to the car would enable them to do that as well.

Is there any reason you cannot put the Regent in a front captain's chair?
I have a Regent installed in my van in the third row passenger with it tethered to the middle tether. Yes, Britax DID okay this. So you can still put it on the side and tether it to the center, then get one rear facing seat on the other side, and another rear facing seat in one captain's chair. Tumble the other chair and you should be all set! This is how our van is set up (rear facing BV in captain's chair, RF roundabout behind it in third row, regent on other side of third row tethered to center bolt)
I would not pass his summit down to your older daughter yet, as she is still so small she should be rear facing still.
And run FAR FAR AWAY from the alpha omega elite.

to the pp about additional tethers- you can't just screw them in yourself. Unless there are predrilled holes for them, then they must actually be installed by drilling into the vehicles frame. I'd double check with someone else on putting tethers in your van.

I can't remember if I even tried to get the Husky installed without the headrest behind it. I always just remove them because usually, it has to come off or at least flip around backwards to get the seats installed right, so I'm just in the habit of removing them. I'm pretty sure that it does indeed get in the way of the Husky's installation.

I'm wondering if some Husky's have differently angled holes for the recline bar. On mine, there is just literally NO other way it could possibly go in. The holes are at what I'd estimate to be about a 45 degree angle - maybe even more downward than that, and then the recline bar itself is just the rectangle minus one side, so its not that it could be flipped differntly... And I'm pretty sure that when we first got it, the bar just kinda rested in there - but after many months of it being very tightly installed in the car, I actually struggled to pull the bar out to play with it when I took those pics.
Oh - yeah, I just looked back at the pics - the top one, where you can see the holes for the headrest - you can see that the Husky is smooshing the vehicle seat in all the way to the things that hold the headrest in, and and then the headrest itself goes forward a bit when its facing the right way. I might could stick it back in there backwards just for storage - but I just keep them in the garage.

I had asked about using the center tether with a side car seat when we bought the van, and at our car seat check and was told it would not be as safe.

Wood I will screw into -- cars - nope - I'm a wimp, you never know what you might tear up. Wood is cheap, cars are not. (Did I mention I am a wimp - ) I would let the dealer do this. They did it in our Taurus for us - Twice.
I could put my son up front, and the two girls in the back seat. We had not done that this far because of the babies "pumpkin seat" and with her being preemie, we did not want her that far away from us. But she is over a year old now, and doing well so.....

I am not sure my older daughter will ride rear facing again - or that her legs would let her. She is 3, 28 lbs and 36+ inches (almost 37).

Splash said:

Is there any reason you cannot put the Regent in a front captain's chair?
I have a Regent installed in my van in the third row passenger with it tethered to the middle tether. Yes, Britax DID okay this. So you can still put it on the side and tether it to the center, then get one rear facing seat on the other side, and another rear facing seat in one captain's chair. Tumble the other chair and you should be all set! This is how our van is set up (rear facing BV in captain's chair, RF roundabout behind it in third row, regent on other side of third row tethered to center bolt)
I would not pass his summit down to your older daughter yet, as she is still so small she should be rear facing still.
And run FAR FAR AWAY from the alpha omega elite.

to the pp about additional tethers- you can't just screw them in yourself. Unless there are predrilled holes for them, then they must actually be installed by drilling into the vehicles frame. I'd double check with someone else on putting tethers in your van.

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Turn her around and give it a shot. Most kids go back with no complaints at all. And legs are not an issue. They cross them, put them on the back of the seat, flop them over the sides, etc. It's actually more comfortable because they aren't dangling. Check out these pictures of kids rear facing past a year. My son's legs bend, and have since he was about 9 months old. No big deal.

As for tethering to the center. Well, Britax allows it, and Ford allows it (so I would assume the same goes for Mazda, as it is a Ford owned company). Many people also feel that even if it DOES fail at some point in a crash, it will likely have already done it's purpose. For example, many cars only allow the use of the top tether to 48 pounds (Ford actually allows it to go pounds with a seat or 80 with a vest) but a lot of parents choose to go over 48 pounds with the tether (NEVER with the anchors) because a) the tether is a supplemental restraint, not primary (like the anchors or seatbelt would be) and b) even if it does break or deform, it will likely have already slowed down forward movement and been beneficial.

Oh, and it only HAS to be tethered after 50 pounds. Your son is not there yet! He might not even be in that seat once he reaches 50 pounds (if you pass it to a sister) so it's not mandatory. If you use the long belt path, it is also very secure even without the tether.

I think it would be a good option for you. And if you do not rear face your oldest daughter again, I think you would be best off with the Regent in a captain's chair, oldest daughter forward facing in the middle of the third row (with tether) and youngest daughter rear facing outboard in the third row. If your seat is wide enough to do this! But it should be, because a Touriva is a really narrow seat.

My friend uses LATCH on the passenger side 2nd row seat to secure the Husky - that way she can slide it back and forth if the kids are really bothing each other in the 2nd row, or to let someone get in the 3rd row. The tether point is on the seat too, so it all slides like one big unit.

Ah Latch -- yes

Duh! Give me a dunce cap!!! Though the base on the babies carseat was lot latch, so I could not ahve latched her, but I could latch one of the larger ones, now couldn't I!
I have just seen the talk about the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe that harnesses to 55lbs -- I think it is made by Britax - is this true? Is this a good car seat?
Also, I thought my children's measuremetns might help, so hubby and I measured them last night.
Son seated 14.5" to top of shoulder, 20" to top of head ( I was not sure which) overall height 40.5" 38lbs I think - I want ot double check)
Daughter1 12" to top of shoulder, 19" to top of head, overall height 36" 28lbs.
I've looked at the growth chart, and if my son and daughter follow their present growth curves - they will be like me and be in high school before they hit 80 lbs - I think I was a Sophomore My husband is tall, but thin - He was 110 until college when he filled out.
I was looking to put the baby in the alpha omega 3 in 1 seat - the birth and up seat - but I have seen so many car seat ads lately that I just don't know what to pick.

Do NOT buy an AO. Just don't. Let me state that again- DO NOT BUY THAT SEAT.
Now that we have THAT out of the way...

Yes, the FPSVD is made by Britax. It is similar to the marathon, but lacks a RF tether (which for me just counts the seat out), nice anchor attachments (it has standard hooks instead of the nice clips Britax has), it has only one anchor strap that goes through the belt path instead of having two of them attached to bars on the side, and it does not have lockoffs. With all that said, it is a good inexpensive seat. It would be a good choice for your daughter. Or for the same price you could get a Radian which has higher top slots, a RF tether, is super narrow and folds for travel, and has the nice anchor hooks. It has some installation issues, so make sure you know it will work in your car.
FOr your son, I would not get a convertible seat. You're paying for the convertible aspect, and he can't use it. The Radian would be the only convertible I would consider for him, because of the taller top slots. Otherwise a Britax Regent would get him the most time possible in a harness. The Cosco Apex is decent as well, and cheaper, but you must have vehicle headrests for it.

If you really want a 3n1 seat, the only one worth anything is the Safety 1st Intera (NOT Enspira). It still has the high RF weight limit of 35 pounds, has really nice tall top slots so most kids can get to 40 pounds in it, and makes a decent booster (possibly could buy your son a regent and buy your daughter this... and when she outgrows it move her to the regent and let him use it as a booster until it expires).

I think I'd rather the Radian over the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe, but I haven't tried either out in person; of course it depends on which fits the vehicle most securely

For your bigger kid I agree that the Regent is an excellent choice & also suggest the Apex if you need a seat that will be usable for travel

The Intera is also the only 3-in-1 seat that I like & I do actually like it a lot, except that as a backless booster I personally feel that it is only good for small adults

If possible, because you said you need to fit 2 seats in the back I'd try the Radian or FPSVD or Intera & Regent both outboard (Britax said it was OK for me to tether to the center anchor with an outboard install) -- but if you want the FF kid in the middle I'd try the Apex with Radian because the shape of the Apex & narrowness of the Radian lead me to believe they could work side by side....

GOOD LUCK!

Remember there must not be more than 1" movement at the belt path & each seat must be independently secure (not relying on pressure from the seat next to it to appear tight).

New plan for MPV - I hope

Howdy all, well it looks like we have a new plan for the MPV.
The Marathon should be on its way for Daughter # 2. (1 yo, 17lbs 27").Hopefully we will be able to get it to rearface LATCHED to the 2nd row captains chair and slide her over to the center. If not, I am sure our friendly next town over Firemen can do it!
Daughter #1 (3yo, 28lbs 36" )will stay in her Touriva and we will turn her around to be RF again, in the 3rd row bench, and see how she likes it. (I seem to read on these boards that this is an ok seat, better than I had thought it was.)
Son #1 (5 in early sept, 38lbs and 41") will stay in the Summit Convertible until Sept when we'll hopefully get him a regent and get it into the 3rd row as well.
Wish us luck with installations. Any tricks I should know - other than to go and see the fire dept when I am done for a check.

You should have no problem at all putting the Marathon in with latch in the 2nd row, it's an easy one! Good luck!