Question adding a third car seat--to a RAV4 ?

[Unregistered]

Thank you so much for your help. We will go to a small local shop tomorrow and see if they'll let us try. We're on the west side, so no one is close to us.

I so appreciate your help. Thank you thank you thank you!

 

[Unregistered]

Hello again,

Back on the '08 RAV4 question, I've now tried both the Complete Air and the Avenue RF in the third row seat and neither fits. This makes a total of four different seats I've tried RF in the third row, and all four contact the seat in front which prevents a secure installation. I have yet to find a True Fit but overall it doesn't look good. Any other last-minute thoughts on the RAV4?

We've started looking at other vehicles; we might do a minivan but are also looking at the next size up in SUVs. Naturally, I'm paying a lot of attention to seat belt configuration and the presence/absence of top tether anchors. It looks like the Pilot is a good choice while the Highlander may not be (no top tether anchors for third row?). What about the Santa Fe? Perhaps Traverse?

A wild card is the Mazda 5, which some describe as a "microvan." Seating might work, little room for cargo. We could also try something about the same size as a RAV4 (CR-V, Forester, Outback) and do three across, probably with Radians. Any thoughts on any of these vehicles with respect to three carseats?

Thanks,
Craig

 

[Kristal]

Wendy, due to the way the middle seat buckles in the middle of the driver's side seat, you absolutely cannot do 3 across in the 2nd row of a RAV 4 with the new configuration (I think it was 06 or so the new design came in.) There's no physical way to do it.

If you CAN rear-face a child in the back row, I'd prefer to put a rear-facing seat there (I'm not sure if it would fit or not) because I believe there are no tether anchors for the third row last I checked. (My LATCH manual is in the broiling-hot garage. Maybe someone can confirm that.) And your oldest is young enough he's not ready for a full-time booster yet.

My best-case solution would be if you can fit a rear-facing convertible for the 2 year old, to put it in the back. Often a convertible at 30 degrees can fit taking up less space than an infant seat. Maybe a 30 degree angle on a Complete Air, for instance, would work...

This is just me... I have a third row 2008
RAV4. I'm not sure I'd put an infant rear facing in the third seat. Just me. They'd be facing the rear door glass, in the event of being rear ended, ( which I just was, in a much sturdier car), I'm not sure this is the safest place/way, to seat an infant. Just me, not a professional.

 

[ketchupqueen]

Only one seat really fit there anyway, and it's now discontinued.

So there's no safe way to put 3 kids back there now, really. Even a vest doesn't really leave adequate room for heads not to hit the seat in front.