Questions about 3 and covers

Hi all. I am brand new here!! :thumbsup: I am expecting twins in October and my DD is 19 months old. I have a 2002 jeep liberty and need to get a new seat for DD before the twins arrive. We have a Graco convertable right now, but it is WAY to wide to fit when we put the 2 infant seats in. Any suggestions for her??

Also I have a Graco travel system in Kenbrook and would LOVE for the twins to have matching car seats, but I can't find just a car seat in that pattern. I contacted Graco, but they have not gotten back to me. Is there some place I can post to ask if anyone would be willing to part with a Kenbrook cover for a Graco infant car seat?? Or is there somewhere I can look to get 2 new Graco covers for the 2 seats I have??

Thanks so much! I look forward to getting LOTS of great information from you wonderful ladies!

Fitting three across will likely have to factor in fit of the carseats more than matching covers, most likely, although I don't have hands-on experience fitting 3 carseats in a Liberty. You could also look through our Successful 3 Across thread at http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=33226 to see if there are entries for seat combinations in the Liberty, or go to Babies 'R Us to try out display model seats in your car in the store's parking lot. The Sunshine Kids Radian convertible carseat is often suggested for fitting 3 carseats across due to its narrowness, although it does take up a sizable amount of space front to back when it's installed rear facing. It might just take 1 Radian to work with 2 infant seats, depending somewhat on the infant seats. Achieving 3 proper and independent installations with less than 1 inch of movement at each carseat's belt path is the primary goal. Matching covers would be an extra bonus beyond 3 successfully installed seats. Also keep in mind that the carseat cover should be an original or replacement cover from the carseat manufacturer and manufactured for the specific carseat model only, and not an aftermarket or homemade cover which wouldn't be certified for flammability and federal crash testing standards.

You can go to Gracobaby.com's replacement parts page at http://www.gracobaby.com/ReplacementParts/Pages/ReplacementParts.aspx and input your Graco's information to look up replacement covers available for the seat(s) you currently have, or call Graco directly to inquire about cover options. :twocents:

As for where else to look for covers, our forum has a designated Swap section where you may gain access to post For Sale/Wanted Ads either by supporting Car-Seat.org, or over time by becoming a regular participant here. Swap posts aren't permitted outside of the designated Swap section and are subject to editing/deletion by forum moderators. Details about this policy and Swap access are in this Admin announcement: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=38149

What Graco convertible do you have? The only one I can think of is the ComfortSport, which is not a very wide seat (unless you're trying to do 3-across ). If you're having trouble getting a ComfortSport and two Graco infant seats in, you might need to change all three seats. The Radian is the narrowest convertible option, and will last a long time because it has a tall shell, high top harness slots, and a high weight limit. It can be difficult to install, particularly front facing with seatbelt, but once you learn the right tricks to use with it, it's not so bad. The narrowest infant seats are made by BabyTrend. They have two versions, one with a 22 pound weight limit, and one with a 30 pound weight limit and a slightly taller shell.

Thanks for the info. I have heard about the Radian and think that might be the best bet for our DD. I also read a post about after-market covers, so I knew that I need one from Graco. I was more hoping for the matching covers, I knew it would not effect the fit of 3 across or proper installation.

Thanks for the info!!