Soon to be mother of 4...safety question

I am a soon to be mother of 4. I am due in September and I do not know what to do, My husband and I both drive pretty small cars (he drives a 06 Dodge Stratus and I drive an 06 PT Cruiser). I have a 5 year old, a 3 year old, and a 10 month old (will be 14 months when I have the 4th).

I do not know what to do. We CANNOT afford a new vehicle...it is completly and totally out of the realm of possibility.

So here is my question...my 5 year old is in a booster...my 3 year old is in a booster. I am assuming the 14 month old will be in a convertible by the time the other baby is born (really, no choice there...she is average size so it shouldn't be a problem). The 3 & 5 year olds are both the same weight and very close to the same height (average size 5 year old, very large 3 year old). If I move the 5 year old to the front seat...how do I do so SAFELY. Do I move her back up to a convertible? Do I have the air bag deactivated (the car has the weight feature but I do not want to take a chance with my child's life).

How do I find out the laws in my state (Colorado). I know that I must not be the only parent of 4 to find myself in this situation...

Just to be clear as well...We make frequent trips...daily to and from school for my 5 year old & 3 year olds. Ever day we would be driving with a child in the front seat (so not occasionally like some posters do).

Thanks for visiting car-seat.org! We're happy to help you with your questions.

Unfortunately, you're in kind of a tough spot, as you've already figured out. Is there any way that you could sell either of your cars and buy an older minivan with the proceeds from the sale? Obviously you wouldn't get a vehicle as new as the ones you have, but that would be the safest option for your children.

If you must transport four children in a five-passenger vehicle, someone will have to go up front, of course. In general, if you have to do that, we recommend putting the oldest harnessed child up front, with the vehicle seat pushed back as far as possible, to keep the child as far from the air bag as possible.

When you say your 3YO is in a booster, do you mean a harnessed seat that turns into a booster, or is she actually in a belt-positioning booster that uses just the seat belt? We recommend keeping children harnessed until at least 4 years AND 40 lbs. and, in fact, Colorado law requires children to be in a harnessed seat until they reach 40 lbs.

You might also want to consider putting your 5YO in a harnessed seat. If you do that, she should be the one to go in the front seat. If you keep her in a booster, then your 3YO (in a harnessed seat) should be the one to go in the front.

In order to get the front air bag turned off in either of your vehicles, you will have to petition NHTSA to get permission. Unfortunately, NHTSA rarely grants permission, but you can read more here.

Please let us know if you have any other questions, or if you need help figuring out which seats will be best for your situation.

When putting kids up front, the rule is the biggest, harnessed, front-facing child goes up front, with the seat moved back as far as possible. The harness makes sure that the child cannot be out of position at the moment of a crash (and possible airbag deployment). Never, ever put a rear-facing seat in front of an airbag unless the airbag has been shut off with a switch.

You probably won't be able to get your airbag shut off. That's generally only done in cases where it's unavoidable to place a rear-facing child in the front seat.

What do your 3 and 5 year olds weigh, and how tall are they? Your 3 year old and possibly your 5 year old should still be harnessed. A 3 year old generally doesn't have the maturity to stay properly positioned in a booster.

Are you aware of the benefits of extended rear-facing? Keeping your kids rear-facing as long as possible is the safest thing you can do.
Some seats to take a look at are the Apex and the Nautilus. The Apex is designed to fit big (wide) kids. It requires support from the vehicle (high seat backs or adjustable head rests) at least to the top of the child's ears. The Nautilus fits tiny front-facers (think 1 year and 20 pounds) well. Whether or not it's a good fit for bigger kids seems to depend on the individual child. Both seats convert to high back boosters; the Nautilus also converts to a backless booster.

pixels99 said:

When putting kids up front, the rule is the biggest, harnessed, front-facing child goes up front,

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Not the biggest, the oldest. Age is more important than size when making these decisions because the skeletal frame is more developed in older children.

I agree I'd put the 3YO in a harness and in the back seat, and I'd put the 5YO in a harness in the front seat.

How big are the 3 & 5 YO's? If you could get us accurate measurements for weight and torso height (sitting against the wall, measure from floor to shoulder), we could give you suggestions for the seats that will meet their needs the best.

What is your 14 month old riding in?

Are you aware that child seats expire? most after 6 years (some in as little as 5 years), so if your oldest is 5, and the infant seat you are using was hers, you'll need to check it's date of manufacture, if there are recalls and make sure the seat isn't compromised in any way (have the harness straps been machine washed? they need to be replaced, ever in an accident? it needs replaced). It's a good idea to look up that information on all the seats you have periodically.

Gypsy said:

Not the biggest, the oldest. Age is more important than size when making these decisions because the skeletal frame is more developed in older children.

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I thought it wasn't skeletal development, but really height. So that the airbag (if it deploys) will strike the child closer to where it's supposed to strike an adult. What does skeletal development have to do with it?

pixels99 said:

I thought it wasn't skeletal development, but really height. So that the airbag (if it deploys) will strike the child closer to where it's supposed to strike an adult. What does skeletal development have to do with it?

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The older the child the better able they are to withstand the crash/airbag.

If it's height you want, get a taller seat.

I'd still recommend a 40 pound 8YO in a RSTV in the front over a 3 year old 45 pound child in a Marathon.

BookMama said:

Thanks for visiting car-seat.org! We're happy to help you with your questions.

Unfortunately, you're in kind of a tough spot, as you've already figured out. Is there any way that you could sell either of your cars and buy an older minivan with the proceeds from the sale? Obviously you wouldn't get a vehicle as new as the ones you have, but that would be the safest option for your children.

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ITA with this. With the 2 cars you currently have you would never be able to travel together as a whole family. That would be a dealbreaker for me! I realize you said you can't afford a new vehicle, but is there any reason you can't sell both cars and get a used minivan for you and an older, smaller commuter car for your dh with whatever you are able to get from the sale of both cars? You have 4 months and that would give you some time to list your cars on Craigslist or Autotrader.

daniele_ut said:

ITA with this. With the 2 cars you currently have you would never be able to travel together as a whole family. That would be a dealbreaker for me! I realize you said you can't afford a new vehicle, but is there any reason you can't sell both cars and get a used minivan for you and an older, smaller commuter car for your dh with whatever you are able to get from the sale of both cars? You have 4 months and that would give you some time to list your cars on Craigslist or Autotrader.

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Selling the Cruiser it looks like she could probably get a early 2000's (or very very late 90's higher end) mini van. I think our 2000 quest sells for about what the 2006 cruiser does, certainly not more. Hard to compare using craigslist dealer vs private party.... but even just trading the cruiser and dad keeping his vehicle they should be able to get a decent older still running fine van :thumbsup:

As someone who is there right now, i do not say this lightly, but of there is ANY way to sell one of the vehicles (even if you take a huge loss) and use the proceeds to purchase an older minivan, DO IT. When we had first had 4 kids, at the time, my car was a ford escort, and dh drove a 98 geo metro. ........ now that you are done laughing hysterically, I'll continue.
You can SAY that you will just "take 2 cars" when the whole family wants to go somewhere..but that SUCKS. honestly..it will get so old never having dh in the car with you. there is also, as you know, a significant safety reduction to one of your children who has to ride in the front seat when you are alone with the kids. And as you have said...this will NOT just be for the occasional trip but like..every day.
these are both newer vehicles...do you actually own them? Are you paying on both?
i'd look hard at your trade-in options....even though you'd still have a payment, at least it would be a payment on a reasonable vehicle for your new family size. If there is no way you can figure to get a different vehicle, i would deal until next February, and use your tax refund to purchase outright a minivan.

Since the vehicles are both newer,nice vehicles, I'm assuming you guys pikced them cuz you liked them and really wanted them,so the thought of having to give one or both of them up is hard....but it really is the best choice on pretty much every level.