Fitting 3 kids in a car

L

LHM2001

Guest
We have 3 kids and are needing to get a second vehicle to be use djust for dropping the kids off in the morning. as it's a second car we'd like to get just a car rather than another van - something a little more economical!!!

Two kids are in front facing tethered carseats and the oldest is in a booster. I have heard 2 stories about the safest way to have them in a car:

1. 2 carseats side by side and the booster on the outside (so you've got the shoulder strap) but all 3 in the back seat - a very tight fit but "thebackseat is always the best option" according to one source

2. Then I'm told by another source that all the info re: the backseat being the safest is based on studies and research done based on 2 carseats in teh back of the car, and that there's no research out there that considers 3 in the back. He said that if you "squish" 3 carseats in the back seat there is no "give" and if you are t-boned then it has an accordion affect with very scary impacts... He says we shoudl have the two youngest in teh back and the older one in the front seat in a booster (airbag removed)

Can anyone provide me with any more info to help me figure out what to do?!!?! I'm feeling very confused. Are we better off to "squish" them all in the back or is that not OK unless there is a little space or "give" between each seat? (can't think of any cars where the 3 seats wouldn't be squished together!) Is it OK to have our oldest (age 6, 48 inches, 50 lbs) in teh front seat with a booster if the airbag is removed?

Thanks so much for any help you can provide!!!!

Katie
 
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SusanMae

Senior Community Member
It's highly doubtful that a dealer or shop will remove your passanger airbag---a HUGE HUGE HUGE liablity for them.

If all 3 seats fit in tight independent of one another---one is not making another tight then not a problem. But since you have a booster that rule probably doesn't apply.

Usually the rule is---put the least protected child in the middle---that would be the one in the booster. She can only go in the middle if there is a lap/shoulder belt and either a HBH that doesn't need a vehicle support(like a turbo booster or parkway) or if she's in a no back booster then the tops of her ears cannot go past the top of the seatback.

Some cars--like the Chevy Impala---do really well in a 3 across situation and the Impala does well safety wise too.

What seats do you have or are looking to put in the car?
What are the age, weight and torso height of all children?
What car are you considering?

To find torso height---seat children on floor up against wall and measure from floor to top of shoulder.

This info will help us help you.

Susan
 
L

LHM2001

Guest
We have been looking at a Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and a couple saturns - a mid 1990's car is most likely what we'd be able to get

The boys are:
age 6, 48 inches tall, 50 lbs (booster seat - haven't got a second one yet - I've heard the turbo booster would be the best? I'm in Canada and haven't heard of the Parkway here)
age 3.5, 40 inches tall, 32 lbs (cosco alpha omega 3-in-one)
age 1.5, 32 inches tall, about 28-29 lbs (evenflo)

any assistance GREATLY appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

becca011906

Senior Community Member
Thoes are some pretty small cars... I'm not sure you would get 3 across the back. Maybe someone will post with smaller cars... i have an intrepid (compairable to the size of the impala) and a land rover so i'm not good w/ smaller cars...
 

SusanMae

Senior Community Member
The parkway is a Britax booster---they are also coming out with one called the Monarch here in the US. The Parkway doesn't have armrests so it's narrower.

Being in Canada does limit your seat choices unfortunatly.

For the younger children you could get some combination seats like the Graco CarGo---they are relitively narrow seats. Plus they harness to either 47 or 48 pounds up there. And then have the booster.

If you can put one RF next to where the booster would buckle---it may make it easier for your son to get himself buckled.

HTH somehow

Susan
 
L

LHM2001

Guest
Does anyone know anything about the "all the tests that have been done assume only 2 children" arguement? We used to hav ea ford taurus which was quite large and we had 3 seats in the back once but those seats weren't moving at all - very jammed intogether (I know they're not supposed to move, but that's suposed to be b/c of how they're stapped in, not b/c of the other carseats!!) Is that OK to have them like that or not?
 

babychild taxi

New member
Canadian Parkway

Hi,

I'm from Canada too (BC). I do volunteer work with young children, one with special needs (I'm also a professional in this area), others are foster kids whose young mom attends a program in my church. My car is often filled with little people on the weekends!

I just bought the Canadian Britax Parkway yesterday to replace the backless Turbo booster I (still) have. The young child I volunteer with is a bit big for her age and the Parkway fits great! I'm very impressed with this seat, it's roomy, comfy, has good protection and very easy to use. Now I want to buy them for my cousin's kids!

You can find them in Canada at certain Toys R Us Locations (usually the large Babies R Us stores), TJs Kiddies in Vancouver and specialty baby stores (high end retail). In the Toronto area there is also Safety Superstore that carries the Parkway. Retail prices can vary between $120-140. I got mine for $120.

I would highly recommend this seat.

I hope this helps.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
LHM2001 said:
Does anyone know anything about the "all the tests that have been done assume only 2 children" arguement? We used to hav ea ford taurus which was quite large and we had 3 seats in the back once but those seats weren't moving at all - very jammed intogether (I know they're not supposed to move, but that's suposed to be b/c of how they're stapped in, not b/c of the other carseats!!) Is that OK to have them like that or not?

Honestly I don't think that's based on any real studies or testing. It may be one person's personal opinion that has been passed on numerous times in the "urban myth" fashion.

If you're looking for an older vehicle, you can find a 2000 Hyundai Sonata priced very reasonably, and that's the year the Sonata first had lap/shoulder belts in all rear seating positions. That would allow you to puzzle seats however you need to, and the back seat is wide enough that you should not have problems fitting all three seats.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
In the U.S. part of the curriculum for being a CPST includes figuring out the safest way to seat 3 kids: the safest practice answer is that all kids are in the back because the front seat = about 40% higher risk of severe/fatal injury for all occupants, especially young children.

If all 3 carseats can be securely installed independently of eachother then it does not matter if they're close enough to be touching -- what matters is that they don't pressup against eachother to create the appearance of being secure when in fact they're not ... to know if this is happening, I instlal all 3 then remove the middle to see if the outboard seats move more than 1" at the belt path (if they're not secure then I reconfigure the seats & try again until they are secure or I eventually end up having to rethink the idea of possibly needing to put the oldest child up front when all else fails, but that is a LAST RESORT only).

Hyundai Sonata, Ford Taurus, Dodge Intrepid & Chevy Impala have been the easiest sedans for me to fit 3 carseats across successfully.

What ages, weights, heights are your kids & what carseats do they currently have :confused: Also what vehicle year, make, model do you drive? The answers to these questions can help us help you best ;)
 

babychild taxi

New member
Toyota Echo

Hi,

I have found that the Toyota Echo '02-4 door does not have enough room for 2 seats (regal ride-very narrow) and either a Turbo booster-backless and my recent buy-Parkway booster which I and my little friends love, to fit across. 2 seats, no problem, but I'm just a bit short of room with car seats and Parkway. It all depends on who I have in my car, mostly just 2 kids at a time, but there may be times where 3 may need to ride, which presents a problem. (I help out with driving kids from my church who are foster care and volunteer with another child).

Being in BC Canada there is currently no booster seat law, but in Ont. where my best friend is, there is a booster law. She also has an Echo and says she can fit 2 backless boosters and a Snugride across the back, but one or both boosters are crooked. I worry because her baby is almost outgrowing the snugride and will need a regular car seat. I don't know how she will do it!

SO, my question is this-has anyone found a way to fir 3 seats across an Echo? Was the LATCH used or not. I'm wondering if latch takes up too much available space vs. using a seatbelt and getting the seat an inch or so closer to the door, giving more room for the other seats. The only other option for me is to place a 5yr old in a seatbelt in the back when I have a full car which I'm not too eager to do! (so may not take 3 kids at once)

Thanks for your help!
 
L

LHM2001

Guest
papooses said:
In the U.S. part of the curriculum for being a CPST includes figuring out the safest way to seat 3 kids: the safest practice answer is that all kids are in the back because the front seat = about 40% higher risk of severe/fatal injury for all occupants, especially young children.

If all 3 carseats can be securely installed independently of eachother then it does not matter if they're close enough to be touching -- what matters is that they don't pressup against eachother to create the appearance of being secure when in fact they're not ... to know if this is happening, I instlal all 3 then remove the middle to see if the outboard seats move more than 1" at the belt path (if they're not secure then I reconfigure the seats & try again until they are secure or I eventually end up having to rethink the idea of possibly needing to put the oldest child up front when all else fails, but that is a LAST RESORT only).

Hyundai Sonata, Ford Taurus, Dodge Intrepid & Chevy Impala have been the easiest sedans for me to fit 3 carseats across successfully.

What ages, weights, heights are your kids & what carseats do they currently have :confused: Also what vehicle year, make, model do you drive? The answers to these questions can help us help you best ;)



We have been looking at a Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and a couple saturns - a mid 1990's car is most likely what we'd be able to get

The boys are:
age 6, 48 inches tall, 50 lbs (booster seat - haven't got a second one yet - I've heard the turbo booster would be the best? I'm in Canada and haven't heard of the Parkway here)
age 3.5, 40 inches tall, 32 lbs (cosco alpha omega 3-in-one)
age 1.5, 32 inches tall, about 28-29 lbs (evenflo)

any assistance GREATLY appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
babychildtaxi- using the seatbelt will definitely give you more wiggle room when installing seats versus using latch. The reason is that you can install the seat closer to the door using the seatbelt. A lot of latch anchors are offset a bit towards the center of the car. I can fit my marathon outboard with the safeseat center when using the seatbelts in my elantra. However, there is no way I can get the 2 seats side by side when using latch for the marathon. If you have used latch to try to fit your 3 seats across the back, I would definitely try installing with seatbelt to give yourself a little more room.
 

flipper68

Senior Community Member
FWIW:
1. I was able to get 2 combo seats (Evenflo Chase, Graco__) and a high back booster (TB) in the back seat of my '00 Galant. Cozy but good installs.
It's tricky but doable to buckle the booster in.

2. I recently had adults (not petite) on either side of my AIRWAY (wide seat) in the back seat of an '05 Camry. They said they had adequate room, so I'd think 3 seats would work. I'd bet Accord or Camry would work.

3. I know that Buick LaSabre has plenty of room and my parents' got better mileage and drove/rode nicer than my Galant.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Yes, I've had the same experience with seatbelt vs. LATCH when puzzling 3 seats into my Escape....

I think the new Fisher Price booster that is replacing the discontinued Britax Starriser Comfy is supposed to be available in Canada & may or not may not work out better than the Turbo (it's just an idea for you to think about & try testing out).

The Alpha Omega is very wide! The Evenflo Triumph seems on the wide side to me, too, but I'm fuzzy on details -- I'd look into trying any 2 of the following: Cosco Intera (using without the base), Cosco Scenera, Britax Marathon & Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe or Sunshine Kids Radian if it's they're available in Canada (sorry I can't remember at the moment).

I have gotten Turbo + Intera RF + Scenera FF installed in a Camry before, but it was tricky & mom's small hands had an easier time buckling kiddo into booster than dad's big hands ;)
 

Lea_Ontario

Well-known member
With limited space, I'd be tempted to try (if funds are available) :
2 Intera's (you could even put your youngest RF - the Intera RF to 35 lbs)
and then a Turbo or Parkway.
 

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