quick 3 across question

Has anyone been able to fit anything other than a Radian between 2 Nauti's in the 3rd row of a minivan?? Or do you think that will even fit?? Or, worst case scenerio, between a Nauti and a Vivo (although I prefer both kids be harnessed - the oldest in this case is 50 lbs but only 4). I can't give you specifics on the van cuz I haven't bought it yet - I'm trying to coordinate carseats and vehicle for the best fit...

Also, of these, which ones must be top tethered, if any (in FF'ing and harness mode, respectively)?:
FF'ing Radian
Harnessed Frontier
Harnessed Nautilus

I have my Nautilus tethered, but can't remember off the top of my head if it's actually required... I could check my book later, but as long as I'm asking about the other... Depending on the placement in whatever vehicle I end up with, some may not be able to be tethered...

And where the heck is the 3-across thread, I can't find it!

No seats in the US REQUIRE the top tether below 50 pounds. That is in accordance with FMVSS 213.

The Radian80 passes the tests with an 85 pound dummy, untethered. They could legally sell that seat without the tether, because it passes the stricter, tethered excursion limits without it. If you're not going to tether a seat, this is the one to skip it on.

The Nautilus we have no info on how well it passed the tests. The Frontier passed the tests (or it wouldn't be able to be sold) but it definitely did not come close to the Radian's performance.

If you only had one tethered, I'd first not tether the Radian because of its stellar performance. Then, between the Nauti and Frontier, since we don't have info on which might perform better, I'd leave the one with the lighter child untethered. A heavier child puts more forces on the harness and seatbelt, stretching them more. Therefore the child will move farther forward.

Oh, and the 3-across thread: Successful three across thread

pixels99 said:

No seats in the US REQUIRE the top tether below 50 pounds. That is in accordance with FMVSS 213.

Click to expand...

What about above 50 lbs?
And what if I throw a Regent into the mix?

Because of the way the law is written, some manufacturers can/do require top tether above 50 pounds. The Radian doesn't, and the Nautilus doesn't. The Frontier requires it for 65-80 pounds harnessed.

The Frontier requires the tether at 65 lbs. and up in harnessed mode, and the Regent requires it for all installations for kids weighing 50 lbs. and up, and for certain installation methods at lower weights as well, such as the lap-shoulder seatbelt short belt path method on post-advisory Regents (Regents manufactured after approx. late June 2007).

I couldn't fit anything in the middle if I had two nautilus seats in my third row.

here is what it looks like with a Nautilus and Radian

Kat_Momof3 said:

I couldn't fit anything in the middle if I had two nautilus seats in my third row.

Click to expand...

Do you think you could fit another Radian in there with the Nautilus and the Radian?? That's another option I suppose...

Do you know off the top of your head how much lower the top slots are on the Radian compared to the Nauti?? Isn't it only like half an inch or so??

The top slots on the Radian don't matter. That's the only seat that is an exception to the harness must be coming from at or above the shoulders rule. Shoulders are allowed to go over the top slots in the Radian. They've done extensive testing to prove that it is safe.

pixels99 said:

The top slots on the Radian don't matter. That's the only seat that is an exception to the harness must be coming from at or above the shoulders rule. Shoulders are allowed to go over the top slots in the Radian. They've done extensive testing to prove that it is safe.

Click to expand...

Right, provided that the tops of the ears remain below the the top of the Radian's shell (a must mention detail for the many lurkers who may be reading and take this at face value otherwise ), Sunshine Kids allows use of the Radian with the shoulders above the top shoulder harness slots. It's somewhat controversial but allowed according to the manufacturer and the engineer who designed the Radian per the online CEU chat he participated in here at car-seat.org last year. That said, the Nautilus has measurably taller top shoulder harness slots compared to the Radian's, and the Nauti converts to a belt positioning booster, rather evening out the choice between the Nauti and Radian for the most part. :twocents:

Jeanum said:

Right, provided that the tops of the ears remain below the the top of the Radian's shell (a must mention detail for the many lurkers who may be reading and take this at face value otherwise ),

Click to expand...

Yes, I didn't mention the ears part of the height limit on the Radian, just as I didn't mention it with regards to the Nautilus.

Jeanum said:

Right, provided that the tops of the ears remain below the the top of the Radian's shell (a must mention detail for the many lurkers who may be reading and take this at face value otherwise ), Sunshine Kids allows use of the Radian with the shoulders above the top shoulder harness slots. It's somewhat controversial but allowed according to the manufacturer and the engineer who designed the Radian per the online CEU chat he participated in here at car-seat.org last year. That said, the Nautilus has measurably taller top shoulder harness slots compared to the Radian's, and the Nauti converts to a belt positioning booster, rather evening out the choice between the Nauti and Radian for the most part. :twocents:

Click to expand...

Honestly, that just doesn't sound safe... even if it is allowed. I can see why it's controversial.

Ok, I should have included stats in my original post but I didn't have them at the time... Got 'em now, so here they are:

DD1 - 5 yrs old; 50 lbs; 16" torso
DD2 - 4 yrs old; 37 lbs; 15" torso
DD3 - 2 yrs old; 33 lbs; 13" torso

I need to cram them all in the 3rd row of a minivan. Probably a Sedona. The seats in the middle row will already be occupied by a BLVD and a Frontier. Those are large, so I don't think it would even be worth it to try and work them into the back.

I own a Nautilus but if I have to get something else instead, I don't have a problem with that. I also own a Vivo, but I prefer to keep that as just a backup as I'd like all kids to be harnessed for now. Mainly for the reason that I don't want to have to mess with trying to buckle seatbelts in between carseats that will have to be that close together.

Do you think I could put DD1 in a Nautilus and DD2 and DD3 each in a Radian? DD3 would have to be FF'ing though, right? Doesn't the Radian have a 33 lb. RF'ing limit? How much growing room do you think they'd have in a Radian? Or do you think they'd be max'ing out the height?

Newer Radians are labeled to RF up to 35 lbs. so that's a possibility for your DD3 if you want to eke out another 2 lbs. of ERFing. I'm not sure at what precise date of manufacture Sunshine Kids started the labeling to RF to 35 lbs., though. Some more recent Radian purchasers could probably help pinpoint the timeframe for you.

Torso heightwise, with 15" and 13" torsos, your DD2 and DD3 would have approx. another 2" and another 4" respectively of torso growth in the Radian before going above the top shoulder harness slots. As to whether a combination of Radians and Nauti will fit 3 across in a Sedona's third row, I honestly don't know. You might try getting one Radian to try out first to see how the kiddos fit in it and how puzzling goes with your Nauti in the third row before proceeding further with an additional Radian or other options. :twocents:

I got an 08/08 and an 09/09 DOM. The 08/08 was stickered 33, manual said 35. I returned it (for other reasons), so I didn't bother contacting SKJP to find out which it really was. The 09/08 was both stickered and manual said 35.

Jeanum said:

Newer Radians are labeled to RF up to 35 lbs. so that's a possibility for your DD3 if you want to eke out another 2 lbs. of ERFing.

Click to expand...

She just turned 2 a month ago... I want her to last as long as possible RF'ing, because ideally, the seat for her would also work for my nephew who's also RF'ing so I don't have to flip it back and forth depending on who I have with me... ((the girls will be step-kiddos, actually, and they are with their dad 50% of the time.))

Jeanum said:

As to whether a combination of Radians and Nauti will fit 3 across in a Sedona's third row, I honestly don't know.

Click to expand...

After going through the "3 across" thread for 45 minutes last night, I found someone with a Nautilus and 2 Radians in the 3rd row of a Sedona. Yay!! By the time DD2 grows out of the Radian, I will probably be ok with putting DD1 in a dedicated booster, which will definitely give me more room.

Before I order anything, I've decided to try out different combinations of the seats I have already, which include a Frontier, Nauti, Vivo, BLVD, SS1, and then assess from there... I would LOVELOVELOVE the new TF, but I'm sure it won't fit anywhere

Thanks for all the suggestions :thumbsup: It helps to organize my thoughts in writing and get input as I'm trying to work it through in my head!

I wish they carried Radians in the stores so I could try them out and see how the kiddos fit...

I think my van might have the widest 3rd row available in minivans.

It's a 2006 Kia Sedona - I don't think they had long or short base models during that year, but others have said mine must be a long base model. It has a 60/40 3rd row bench and 4 full sets of LATCH in the van (so no center tether anchor for the 3rd row.

The WIDEST combo I have fit back there is:

P/C/D

Monterey, Nautilus, Radian. And there was plenty of room for my daughter to buckle herself in the Monterey with no help.

I *might* have been able to fit two Nautilii back there, but I can't promise that.

Gypsy said:

I think my van might have the widest 3rd row available in minivans.

It's a 2006 Kia Sedona - I don't think they had long or short base models during that year, but others have said mine must be a long base model. It has a 60/40 3rd row bench and 4 full sets of LATCH in the van (so no center tether anchor for the 3rd row.

The WIDEST combo I have fit back there is:

P/C/D

Monterey, Nautilus, Radian. And there was plenty of room for my daughter to buckle herself in the Monterey with no help.

I *might* have been able to fit two Nautilii back there, but I can't promise that.

Click to expand...

It was yours I think that I had seen in the 3-across thread with 2 radians and a Nautilus I don't really want 2 radians, so I'm going to try what I already own when I get the van and see if I can get creative... hopefully next weekend when it's not blizzard'ing!

I might be ok with putting DD1 in a HBB... she's in a backless booster right now in both her mom's and dad's cars and might throw a fit if I try to harness her ... so that might be a battle that's not worth fighting... I'll have to see how it goes. I do have a Vivo, but my mom uses it when she picks up my DD from school every afternoon. And I've always wanted a Monterey... ... so if you got that to fit, that might just be perfect!!!

Mama Jo said:

Do you think you could fit another Radian in there with the Nautilus and the Radian?? That's another option I suppose...

Do you know off the top of your head how much lower the top slots are on the Radian compared to the Nauti?? Isn't it only like half an inch or so??

Click to expand...

in my van... no way... the fpsvb wouldn't even fit with the back on! and without the back, it was at it's narrowest... it had a LITTLE room for more width, but not even close to full width (and full width is the same as the base of the Radian)... so even if the Radian had the inches of extra base room, the shoulder room just wouldn't be there.

Now, if the Nautilus were in the middle (because it is narrower up top than below, so that might give each Radian more shoulder room to puzzle with), that might work.

My radian is packed up to go out, or I'd grab it and go find out... when I took those pics, I only tried the scenarios that a poster on the old bbc asked for... going by what she had to try to fit back there. she had 3 kids in seats (radian, nautilus, booster kid), needed the seats in that configuration to keep the kid in the Nautilus separate from the booster kid, and either two adults or a seatbelt kid and adult (it's hard to remember that far back), and Damian was not exactly thrilled to help... he wanted to go play with his friend next door.

the top slots differ more in my van... by a good 2"... but in my dh's car... (if you didn't have to fit 3 across to where you could use the Nauti there), it's less... maybe 1" tops.

pixels99 said:

The top slots on the Radian don't matter. That's the only seat that is an exception to the harness must be coming from at or above the shoulders rule. Shoulders are allowed to go over the top slots in the Radian. They've done extensive testing to prove that it is safe.

Click to expand...

very true... of course, my finding is that my kids get too snug in the shoulders and their ears are at that point AND they're running/ran out of strap room by the time they are 1" above the slots...

and regardless, not all people are comfortable with that, since it's not something that is true for all seats... it's a rule ingrained for good reason and like any change, it's difficult.

Mama Jo said:

Ok, I should have included stats in my original post but I didn't have them at the time... Got 'em now, so here they are:

DD1 - 5 yrs old; 50 lbs; 16" torso
DD2 - 4 yrs old; 37 lbs; 15" torso
DD3 - 2 yrs old; 33 lbs; 13" torso

I own a Nautilus but if I have to get something else instead, I don't have a problem with that. I also own a Vivo, but I prefer to keep that as just a backup as I'd like all kids to be harnessed for now. Mainly for the reason that I don't want to have to mess with trying to buckle seatbelts in between carseats that will have to be that close together.

Do you think I could put DD1 in a Nautilus and DD2 and DD3 each in a Radian? DD3 would have to be FF'ing though, right? Doesn't the Radian have a 33 lb. RF'ing limit? How much growing room do you think they'd have in a Radian? Or do you think they'd be max'ing out the height?

Click to expand...

at 5yrs and 50lbs, if she's used to boosters and rides well in them, I'd be fine with putting her in the Vivo... though I'd teach her to lock the belt just as an extra precaution (I don't like lapbelts being able to loosen), if it fits.

Otherwise, I'm tempted to say just get a RSTV and put that in the middle... providing you have the head support for the 4yr old to ride there.

Gypsy said:

I think my van might have the widest 3rd row available in minivans.

It's a 2006 Kia Sedona - I don't think they had long or short base models during that year, but others have said mine must be a long base model. It has a 60/40 3rd row bench and 4 full sets of LATCH in the van (so no center tether anchor for the 3rd row.

The WIDEST combo I have fit back there is:

P/C/D

Monterey, Nautilus, Radian. And there was plenty of room for my daughter to buckle herself in the Monterey with no help.

I *might* have been able to fit two Nautilii back there, but I can't promise that.

Click to expand...

I'm VERY jealous of that third row room!

I want to warn you though! AVOID the short wheel base models of the Sedona - if you want one like mine, make sure there are 4 FULL sets of LATCH AND make sure it's a 60/40 split 3rd row.

Also, the Radian is INCOMPATIBLE with the 3rd row center seat - WILL NOT WORK!

After a LOT of work, I COULD get it installed center - but it was SO FAR over to the drivers side that nothing could fit there, not even another Radian - it also WILL NOT install rear facing in the center. That's why I had a Nautilus there, and it worked beautifully.