Question (another one) trying to fit three across

Hello! I am trying to fit three across in the back seat and I need a magic wand to make it work... I live overseas, so the make/model of my car is irrelevant. I'll try to give as much info as possible.

My back seat is a bench (not captain chairs) with two regular size outboard and a narrow middle seat. No latch anywhere, its a 1997 European car. the middle seat has a shoulder/lap belt, but no head rest.

children:
Daughter age 5, 40 lbs, 43" tall, 15.35" Torso height
Daughter age 3, 27 lbs, 34" tall, 12.2" Torso height
Son age 1, 20 lbs.

current configuration:
Graco infant seat, RF outboard (1 year old)
Cosco Summit harness/booster FF (5 year old)
Britax Roundabout FF (3 year old)
These chairs all fit by overlapping and touch door to door!


Problem:
#1 5 year old has outgrown the harness straps on the Summit, but there is NO WAY that she can use the chair as a booster: there is no access to the seat belt! (unless I remove the Roundabout to buckle her in. That gets old pretty quickly, especially in the rain.)
#2 Son needs to move out of the Graco infant seat.
#3 I'd like to keep the 5 year old in the middle because she gets car sick easily in the outboard seats (and of course we live on a curvy mountain road...)

In my research I have learned many things. Mostly, I have come to like the idea of keeping her in a harness for as long as possible. But she's a well behaved child, so I could put her in a booster if needed.

So, this is what I'm thinking:
Roundabout RF outboard for 1 year old.
summit FF outboard for 3 year old.
????? FF in middle seat for 5 year old.

If this doesn't work, then I'll have to replace the Summit as well, right? To get 2 new seats that are narrow enough to fit forward facing?

I have tried the Compass B510 in the middle, but it didn't fit: the doors wouldn't even close. I also tried the Graco TurboBooster, it fit, but we couldn't reach the seat belt buckle.

I tried to get the Fisher Price Safe Voyage, but I seemed to have missed that boat (I can't find them for sale).

Just to make things more complicated, in my country, there are no car seats for sale that have harness weight over 40 lbs. I'll be buying the seat in the US (or England) and bringing it overseas! So returning the seat is not an option.

Help! and thank you for reading this very long message.

yael

A small request: please respond with full names of car seats, etc. I have a difficult time understanding the American shortcuts. Thank you!

If you can't find a booster for your 5 year old that will work in your country, the next best thing that I can think of would be a Radian. It puzzles together very well with Britax seats when they are facing the same direction. The Radian is also the narrowest convertible seat currently on the market.

It has 18" top slots and either 65 or 80 pound weight limit (depending which model you get). The Radians all have the same outer shell and the same top slots, so are outgrown by height at the same time. Most children will not reach 65 pounds before they outgrow it by height. The Radian does have its install quirks, but there are tips that help.

So what I'm thinking is:
Roundabout RF outboard for 1 year old.
Summit FF outboard for 3 year old.
Radian FF in middle seat for 5 year old.

If that doesn't fit, then:
????? RF outboard for 1 year old.
Radian FF center for 5 year old.
Roundabout or other Britax convertible FF outboard for 3 year old. If she is getting close to outgrowing the Roundabout, she may need to move up to a Marathon.

As your children get older:
Son FF in Britax outboard
Younger daughter FF in Radian center
Older daughter in ??? booster outboard. Hopefully she will outgrow carsickness by this time, or you can fit her booster in the middle.

It does mean buying two or possibly three new seats, but new seats are cheaper than a new vehicle.

The Sunshine Kids Radian is the narrowest carseat available, and should last you until it expires since you can pass it down. I'd suggest using it for your oldest first, and then once she outgrows it, pass it down to the next child, and it should still give you room to buckle the oldest child's booster. :thumbsup:

It can be tricky to install with the seat belt, but generally speaking, if your buckle stalks are short and in the vehicle seat bight, it shouldn't be too hard (and could even be quite easy!)

The summit has such a big base, I would get rid of it, if you need room. :yeahthat: on the Radian suggestion also.

Thanks so much! I ordered a Radian XT and found a kind soul to bring it overseas for me (that thing is heavy!). I installed it fairly easily in the middle seat with the seat belt. Having 2 big side openings to the back helped a lot. Of course, locking slots (like on the Britax roundabout) would be my wish for the next version. Actually, I wish ALL car seats had locking slots. I really despise having to use the locking clips, it never seems to be the tightest fit possible... The 3 seats across press against one another. when I close the back doors, the seat next to the door moves. I hope that's not a problem. I'll check periodically to make sure everything is still tight. In any case, the seats are all in, all three kids love their new seats and Mom feels better. thank you so much for taking the time to help me. Have a happy springtime!
Yael in Israel

The seats pressing on each other isn't a problem, as long as they are all independently tight. Put the middle seat in, get it tight (less than 2.5 cm of movement at the belt path). Install the two outboard seats. Take out the middle seat and check that the outboard seats are tight enough. Then get that middle seat back in there.

I find that I can often get a tighter fit with a locking clip. Put the belt through the seat, and pull it tight. While holding it tight, pinch the belt near the buckle. Unbuckle the seat, and put the clip on, all while holding the belts together so they do not move. Then rebuckle. You may have to have help to get it rebuckled, if it's really tight.