Which of these SUVs would be the best fit for infant twins?

When my husband and I were looking at "new" (to us) vehicles, we liked the Mazda CX-7 and the Infiniti FX, both because they were fairly quick and stylish. We ended up going with a car instead (an Audi A6).

I understand where you are coming from, though. Our second car is an STI. We have 2 daughters, and are expecting our third with no plans on buying anything bigger. If you are planning on keeping the STI, you can do a search here on the website for what car seats fit into it. "Mini-van" is a taboo word in our house. I apologize in advance if I step on any toes, because I know a lot of people on here drive minivans, but 9/10 times it's men in minivans that I see getting road rage or trying to "race" our Subaru. (by race, I mean they speed up when I go to pass them)

MomE said:

Really?! There's enough room in the third row to put car seats? I have the RAV without the third row. But when I looked at one with, I remember the third row being so small I couldn't imagine using it for anything. Plus, with the third row doesn't it cut down a ton on the cargo space? I'm asking because if seats can fit in that 3rd row and there's enough cargo room, I might consider trading in for a 3 row RAV rather than a minivan. I LOVE my car other than the seat install issues.

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Did you look at the 2008 or newer models? I've noticed that our 2008 is MUCH bigger/longer than some other older Ravs. There wasn't room for a third row in those models.

There is enough room for us to put 2 Radians in the third row. We didn't like how the Britax seat fit back there though. We definitely have some cargo room, but not a ton. We were able to take snow gear for 4 adults and 2 kids, chains, a sled or two in the back, but it was pretty full! We're going to Yosemite this weekend for an overnight trip and we'll have 4 adults and 2 kids. We'll have some luggage and a cooler so we'll see how we do with the gear. I'm not sure how well a bigger stroller would fit back there, especially a double though.

I definitely wouldn't want to use our third row on a regular basis though. It really works well for us on those occasions - a weekend here and there when we like being able to get 6 people in a car.

Melanie

Jan06twinmom said:

Did you look at the 2008 or newer models? I've noticed that our 2008 is MUCH bigger/longer than some other older Ravs. There wasn't room for a third row in those models.

There is enough room for us to put 2 Radians in the third row. We didn't like how the Britax seat fit back there though. We definitely have some cargo room, but not a ton. We were able to take snow gear for 4 adults and 2 kids, chains, a sled or two in the back, but it was pretty full! We're going to Yosemite this weekend for an overnight trip and we'll have 4 adults and 2 kids. We'll have some luggage and a cooler so we'll see how we do with the gear. I'm not sure how well a bigger stroller would fit back there, especially a double though.

I definitely wouldn't want to use our third row on a regular basis though. It really works well for us on those occasions - a weekend here and there when we like being able to get 6 people in a car.

Melanie

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Thanks for the info. No, I own an 06 and wasn't aware they had changed that much between 06 and 08. I know the ones prior to 06 were really, really small. But wasn't aware of the difference between 06 and 08. I might have to check it out....

Did you put the seats in RF in the 3rd row? I'm just wondering if they fit that way?

MomE said:

Thanks for the info. No, I own an 06 and wasn't aware they had changed that much between 06 and 08. I know the ones prior to 06 were really, really small. But wasn't aware of the difference between 06 and 08. I might have to check it out....

Did you put the seats in RF in the 3rd row? I'm just wondering if they fit that way?

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I'm not sure when the change was made in terms of size. I'm guessing it was just in the last year or two, but I wasn't looking at the Rav4 in 2006.

We don't think rf seats would work in the back row. When I had my niece and nephew over, we put my DS and neice in the Radians in the back row. My DS was behind the driver's seat rf in her Britax Decathlon and my nephew was in the seatbelt behind the passenger's side.

Melanie

SillyLily said:

I understand where you are coming from, though. Our second car is an STI. We have 2 daughters, and are expecting our third with no plans on buying anything bigger. If you are planning on keeping the STI, you can do a search here on the website for what car seats fit into it. "Mini-van" is a taboo word in our house. I apologize in advance if I step on any toes, because I know a lot of people on here drive minivans, but 9/10 times it's men in minivans that I see getting road rage or trying to "race" our Subaru. (by race, I mean they speed up when I go to pass them)

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I miss our STI. How funny is it when mini-vans try to race you!

OP - I third (or fourth) the MDX. We drive a 2007 and have no problems towing (a boat or trailer) and I love how much room we have inside. We have used the 3rd row seating only twice so far, but it sure is handy. We often carry around a Bob jogging stroller as well as groceries in the back and still have plenty of room. I ours.

Jan06twinmom said:

I'm not sure when the change was made in terms of size. I'm guessing it was just in the last year or two, but I wasn't looking at the Rav4 in 2006.

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The Toyota RAV4 was redesigned for the 2006 model year and 2006 was the first model year the RAV4 was offered with an optional factory equipped third row. The 2006-2009 RAV4 models are the same body style and design.

I think an AWD Toyota Sienna would be the best of both worlds for you. It's definitely worth checking out.

SillyLily said:

When my husband and I were looking at "new" (to us) vehicles, we liked the Mazda CX-7 and the Infiniti FX, both because they were fairly quick and stylish. We ended up going with a car instead (an Audi A6).

I understand where you are coming from, though. Our second car is an STI. We have 2 daughters, and are expecting our third with no plans on buying anything bigger. If you are planning on keeping the STI, you can do a search here on the website for what car seats fit into it. "Mini-van" is a taboo word in our house. I apologize in advance if I step on any toes, because I know a lot of people on here drive minivans, but 9/10 times it's men in minivans that I see getting road rage or trying to "race" our Subaru. (by race, I mean they speed up when I go to pass them)

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YOU ROCK! After I read your post, I talked with my wife and we decided to do a "reboot" of our decision process. Whereas we'd previously been looking for a car without knowing what carseats we were planning on using, we figured hey, let's try to find some carseats that will work in the STI, then bring those to try with whatever bigger car we end up buying. Hopefully that'll take some guesswork out of the process, and with any luck we'll be able to use the same seats in both cars. I searched the forum archives and found your previous thread --complete with pics! -- on the matter:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=46501

I've been doing some reading on carseats lately, but am still pretty ignorant on the subject, so I wonder if I could pick your brain a little more. My car is also a 2005 STI. I'd definitely prefer to get a convertible car seat and have heard good things about the Britax Marathon. Since we're having twins, I'd of course need to have two of them rear-facing in the back of the STI to start.

Based on your previous thread, can I assume that two Britax Marathons will fit in the back of my STI? I see that you have a Priori and a Marathon back there, but I assume that's only because of the age difference between your boy and girl? I know both the Priori and Marathon are convertible carseats, so I guess I'm kind of wondering why you went with a combination: was it because that's the only way they'd fit, because of differences in child size, or simply because that's what you happened to have on hand (seems like this might be the case from your OP in that thread)?

You can probably see how the cogs in my brain are turning on this... If the Marathons will fit just fine in the back of the STI (we understand that my wife probably won't be able to sit in the back with the kids of course), then I'm inclined to purchase two Marathons, set them up in the STI, then bring them with me when car shopping to test fit. Or if a Priori and a Marathon can work rear-facing that setup would be fine too. My wife and I also discussed the idea of simply getting a big sedan instead (something like a BMW 7-series or one of the bigger Lexus sedans), and while that looks unlikely at this point, this approach would allow us to at least explore the possibility.

Sorry for the long novel But any feedback would be much, much appreciated. I think we're getting a clearer idea of what to do here, and maybe we'd just been thinking through the whole thing in the wrong order all along.

Marathons don't fit newborns well (especially small babies, which your twins are likely to be) so either way you're going to need to start with different seats.

Yeah, I would definitely recommend against starting with the Marathon from birth....they have to be very reclined for newborns and will totally eat up all your front leg room. Infant seats are more compact so you can get the full recline for them without pushing your front seats uncomfortably forward. A seat where the handle can be left in the upright/carry position will be even better (Chicco Key Fit, Graco Snugride or Snugride 32, Dorel (Eddie Bauer, Bertini, Safety 1st, Cosco, Maxi Cosi)) all allow their handles to be left up so they take up less space.

If you are set against an infant bucket seat - I'd recommend a smaller convertable like a britax Roundabout or Combi Coccoro or another convertable with a short shell (the seat from bottom to top). You will get another two years out of your car with a smaller convertable seat and then, when you are ready to get a bigger car you can get a bigger seat that will continue to let you extend rear facing time and then work forward facing for years to come before moving to a booster (this would be a good time to look at the Marathon OR the other many great options for larger convertables - besides in two years a lot can change with carseats).

The Roundabout doesn't have slots any lower than the Marathon, so it doesnt fit newborns or small babies well either, despite the fact that it takes up less room. The TrueFit, Radian, and Coccoro all fit newborns well though.

An Aurora said:

The Roundabout doesn't have slots any lower than the Marathon, so it doesnt fit newborns or small babies well either, despite the fact that it takes up less room. The TrueFit, Radian, and Coccoro all fit newborns well though.

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I stand corrected - I didn't realize the Roundabout had the same slots as the Marathon... this definitely would make it harder for a newborn to fit well (especially a smaller newborn).

A TrueFit might be a good option because of the removable headrest - at least for the first year. Not sure about widith of seat in the OP vehicle...definitely worth trying.

A Radian might eat up too much leg room for the particular vehicle. I'm so smitten with the Coccoro right now... but also think an infant bucket seat is SO convenient and worth the money when one has twins!

OK I'm jumping in to this discussion a little late so apologies if I'm repeating anything anyone else has said.

IMHO you might be pleasantly surprised at how much kid gear and car seats you can get into a sedan. When we found out we were expecting twins back in 2001, our cars were a 5-speed 1993 Honda Accord DX sedan (RIP, I totalled it while PG and suffered nothing more than a few aches and bruises plus occasional sad-faced looks from DH) and a 5-speed 1997 Honda Civic EX sedan. We had such a hard time trying to figure out what car to get to replace the Accord (were thinking wagon, wanted manual transmission and Honda-caliber reliability) that we didn't get ANYTHING for several years (DH takes public transit to work and they have company cars for when he has to drive for business purposes). The Civic actually did a really good job of fitting both kids in their car seats (long-legged DH could even push the driver's seat all the way back with a rearfacing seat installed behind him), the double stroller, groceries, clip-on high chairs, etc., while being more fuel efficient and fun to drive than any SUV or minivan. The only thing it couldn't do was carry additional passengers so when our parents hit the age 80+ demographic we bought a 2005 Toyota Highlander with 3rd row because at the time it was the smallest and lightest reliable vehicle that could seat 7 (we lived in a city with almost no off-street parking and narrow streets so we didn't want anything as large as a Sienna or Odyssey). We still drive the Civic most of the time and only use the Highlander if we have to carry either extra passengers or cargo.

Oh, and if you haven't already done so, check the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs (NOMOTC) web site to find the nearest parents of multiples club - a great resource for meeting up with other parents of multiples (both the fellow nervous expectant ones who share your questions and the more seasoned veteran ones who will assure you that things will turn out fine), getting great secondhand clothing and gear from the annual garage sales, finding out which local OB/GYNs and Pediatricians are 'twin-friendly', etc.

i totally agree with the above poster. we fit two kids and all the accoutrements in a mazda3 hatch. it's tight packing on long trips but those are not more than 3-4 per year. most people don't need vehicles as large as they think they do.

southpawboston said:

i totally agree with the above poster. we fit two kids and all the accoutrements in a mazda3 hatch. it's tight packing on long trips but those are not more than 3-4 per year. most people don't need vehicles as large as they think they do.

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Our minivan has been very versatile. The sliding doors, captain's chairs, a third row with legroom and great cargo space with or without folded seats. For a family of five, it's very handy, espcially in carpools or even on a recent trip this weekend when grandpa came, too. That said, I wish I had bought a hybrid like a Highlander or Camry. There's a lot less space, but I'm sure we could do without. I'd much rather be getting 10mpg more around town, where I do most of my driving.

Thanks, guys. If you could pardon my ignorance once more, does it sound like a sane plan to do the following?

* Purchase a pair of Graco Snugrides for carrying newborns

* Purchase a pair of Britax Marathons for after the childen outgrow the Snugrides

I've been reading more on the subject and it seems that the Snugrides generally come highly recommended. I'll buy them locally from a place with a suitable return policy so I can test fit them in my car, of course, but if they fit they seem to be a good choice from what I can tell.

I'll read up some more in the Marathons and other convertible seats over the next few days, but so far I like what I'm seeing on the various Britax models.

As for the car itself, that decision may have to wait a few months to be made due to some unfortunate and unexpected news: I've been being seen for some mysterious health issues (neurological in nature) lately, and today it looks like the diagnosis may end up being multiple sclerosis I'm going in for more tests over the next few weeks, but long story short, there is a very real possibility that I will be disabled in the near future and we will ultimately only need one big car for my wife to drive. The timing of this obviously sucks, but hey, that's life, what can ya do. Anyway, this is not a topic for this forum, so do know that your feedback on cars and car seats is very much appreciated.

Any feedback on whether going with the Snugrides to start and then the Marathons or some similar convertible seat would be awesome. I'm about 90% committed to the Snugrides at this point unless there's some compelling reason not to, and maybe 50% to the Marathons since it seems that there is greater variety when it comes to convertibles. Thanks again for all your help as I get the ropes figured out

Someone with more knowledge will chime in - BUT, make sure the Snugride offers 3 harness height slots. Our Snugrides (DOM in 2004 & 2006) only had two and my full term twins did not fit in them because their torso height was too short.

My girls were (twin A) 6lb 11oz and 18.25" long and (twin B) 5lb 15oz and 17.5" long. I'm 5ft 2in and DH is 6ft 2in. Born at 36w7d.

The hospital staff would not approve our taking our girls out of the hospital in the snugrides because the shoulder straps were above their shoulders (they MUST be at or below). I hated calling my best friend and having her do last minute car seat research and buying new seats for us while I was still in the hospital.

The newer snugrides might offer 3 slots now?!?

The Marathon is a full size convertible seat and if you have a larger vehicle you will get quite a bit of use out of them. However, if you have the $$ and will be using a smaller vehicle for a while - I'd suggest, in your case, a smaller convertible that you will need to replace in a few years so that your twins can continue to rear face as long as possible. If you are set on Britax, they make the Roundabout. BUT, there are many other very to easy to use and reputable compact convertibles to consider.

I'm sorry for the possible MS diagnosis and hope can find and get the best care possible. The timing is awful!

autumnlily said:

Someone with more knowledge will chime in - BUT, make sure the Snugride offers 3 harness height slots. Our Snugrides (DOM in 2004 & 2006) only had two and my full term twins did not fit in them because their torso height was too short.

My girls were (twin A) 6lb 11oz and 18.25" long and (twin B) 5lb 15oz and 17.5" long. I'm 5ft 2in and DH is 6ft 2in. Born at 36w7d.

The hospital staff would not approve our taking our girls out of the hospital in the snugrides because the shoulder straps were above their shoulders (they MUST be at or below). I hated calling my best friend and having her do last minute car seat research and buying new seats for us while I was still in the hospital.

The newer snugrides might offer 3 slots now?!?

The Marathon is a full size convertible seat and if you have a larger vehicle you will get quite a bit of use out of them. However, if you have the $$ and will be using a smaller vehicle for a while - I'd suggest, in your case, a smaller convertible that you will need to replace in a few years so that your twins can continue to rear face as long as possible. If you are set on Britax, they make the Roundabout. BUT, there are many other very to easy to use and reputable compact convertibles to consider.

I'm sorry for the possible MS diagnosis and hope can find and get the best care possible. The timing is awful!

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Hey there fellow night owl West Coaster! Yeah the MS thing sucks all around, I've had ongoing "electrical" pains and other problems, trying not to dwell on it though because I don't want to stress my wife and ruin what should be a beautiful time for her.

If you don't mind my asking, what car seats did you ultimately take your newborns home from the hospital in? I'm anticipating that our babies will be on the smaller side as well, being that my wife is only 5'1" and we're both of Asian descent.

Money isn't a big issue, we're just your regular middle class folks, but a few hundred bucks for car seats is money well spent if it'll benefit our babies. If it could help to move from an infant seat to a small convertible to a large convertible then that's something we'll consider for sure. So I'll definitely read up some more on the options for convertible seats. Man I never knew there was this much to think about when it came to car seats

By the way, are there any objective websites that you folks could suggest for educating myself more on car seats in general? I feel like I'm asking a lot of questions our of ignorance, and if I could get a baseline level of knowledge first, I'd probably be able to ask some more targeted/educated questions rather than nagging you guys all the time.

EDIT:
Scratch that last bit, I must be slow, just found the "Carseat Basics" link at the top of this very website. Will give that a good read first.

I am sure someone else will chime in too, but the Chicco KeyFit is a great seat for little newborns. It typically installs great too. Once you decide on an infant seat, that will give you several months to do your research on convertibles and/or new cars. Its still amazes me the volume of information on car seats. I had no idea when I was pregnant and researching. (Now its an obsession.) It can be really confusing, but you have found this site and thats a big step in the right direction! Glad you found the car seat basics up top. You are on the right track, keep asking questions.

Sorry to hear about the MS diagnosis. My cousin was diagnosed a couple of years ago and is currently doing well.