3 across in 2009 RAV4????

[suomi]

I am interviewing nannies, and I finally found someone I really like this afternoon. She drives a 2009 RAV4 which I thought was a great plus. I just found some old threads on this site though, that said something about overlapping seat belts and that you can't do three across. Is this true?? I had planned to buy 2 radians and then either a Snugride 30 or 32 or 35 for my baby. Is it truly impossible to do 3 across? Please help, I can't hire this great person if she can't transport my kids in her car and I am back to work in 2 weeks.




Thanks!

 

[Jeanum]

It's unfortunately true - 3 across the second row isn't workable due to the overlapping of the seatbelt buckle for the center with the driver's side buckle and with the driver's side innermost lower LATCH anchor. If the RAV4 has the optional third row with the 2 additional seating positions, then there's hope if you can manage to get a carseat installed successfully in the cramped third row, but the overlapping is going to prevent 3 across in the second row. If you own a car, perhaps you can arrange to switch cars with the nanny as an alternative for transporting your children.

 

[suomi]

Is there anyway to make this work? What if I put my 2 older kids in Turboboosters and only had to install the infant seat? Or are the seatbelts such that I can't even put a booster in?

Switching cars with the nanny is not an option. I work modified second shift, so she only comes for the six hours that hubby and I are both at work. So I am at home when she arrives, hubby comes home and she leaves. There would be no way for us to switch cars since she sees a different parent on either end of her shift.

As far as the third row--if she does have a third row, is it safe? I didn't like the look of the Mazda 5 with the third row seat only a couple inches from the glass. What is it in the Rav4??

 

[Pixels]

You cannot ever safely put three people across the second row of an 09 Rav 4, whether they are in installed seats, boosters, or seatbelt only. The center and driver's side belts overlap by about 50%. The buckle from one seat is smack dab in the middle of the seating area of the other seat.

If there is a third row, and you can fit a carseat in it, it is safe to use. I haven't tried installing a seat in the Rav4 third row, but sitting in it myself I found it to be small.

 

[wendytthomas]

Not to mention, a three year old (as per your other post with their ages http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?p=1477142#post1477142) should never be in a booster seat. Your five year old, maybe, if they sit properly. But a three year old has no business being in a booster seat. Especially not a 3 year old 30 pound child.

The Rav4 is a bear of a car. I have no idea what Toyota was thinking. They weren't thinking anything that made sense, that's for sure.

Here's a picture I found online of the backseat of the Rav4. Look at the driver's side closest to us. You'll see the outboard seatbelt where you'd expect to find it. Literally where that passenger's [excuse me here, sorry] butt crack would be [sorry!] is the seatbelt for the middle seat. So you can't put a person there (infant seat, harnessed, boostered, or seatbelted) and then use the middle seatbelt. Nor can you use the middle seatbelt first, then buckle someone in driver's side.

Wendy

 

[suomi]

1. I thought the Turbobooster was safe from 30 lbs.?? I wouldn't try another booster, but I thought it was o.k. for that.

2. I see the problem. I chatted with my husband, briefly considered buying a klunker for him to drive the days I work so the nanny could have his van, and finally settled on paying the nanny a little extra to drive her car to his office, take his van to our house for the afternoon with the kiddos, then he will drive her car home at the end of the day. She is amenable to this, and absolutely stunned to discover how poorly designed her backseat is. Problem solved. Thank goodness hubby only works about 6 minutes away.

Thanks so much for all your help! It was nice to find this out before I bought 2 more Radians and another infant seat base unnecessarily.

 

[wendytthomas]

The 30 pounds is for kids like my daughter who didn't hit 40 pounds until she was nearly seven. She needed a booster rated from under 40 pounds.

Even if you had a 50 pound three year old a booster would not be a safe option. A three year old's skeleton is not ossified enough to withstand the forces outside of a harness. Heck, a three year old at 30 pounds would ideally be rear facing, but a well fitted, tethered, forward facing seat is acceptable as well. A booster really isn't. It's a big important step up from nothing at all, but that's about it.

Wendy

 

[TechnoGranola]

Excellent you found a solution that will work for you! :thumbsup:

For others perusing the thread, I thought I'd link to a post with a good pic of the crazy seat belt setup in the 2nd row of 2006 and newer Rav 4's http://www.car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=864196&postcount=30