Help!! Soon to be mother of 3 car seat crisis

[Wizardkc]

Hi I'm 4 weeks away from having baby #3 and I can't sleep thinking about the car seat situation. We have a BMW x5 on Lease for 2 more years and right now I someone small barely fits between the 2 safety first alpha omegas we have .

I have a soon to be 5 year old girl named Melo who weighs about 42 pounds . Im sure she should be in a booster but I just couldnt swap her out of the comfort of a carseat.

And a 2.5 year old named Myles.. Who is still pretty small and sleeps a lot in that comfy bulky chair.

The both had peg prego when infants it all I know ..... I don't know that to get that will fit .

We live in Miami we travel a lot we both work both kids go to school and grandma is part of transportation help... My husband drives a old BMW 3 series and nothing fits between his alphas and grandma a Toyota yaris with no space between her alphas too..

Do we really need 9 car seats.. How should we go about it ? And what should I get for the baby for my car while I figure out how I will afford 9 car seats ...

Help moms please!!

 

[MommyShannon]

I am not a tech, so this is just my thoughts. Your daughter doesn't need to be in a booster as long as she fits the seat she is in. At her age a booster isnt any safer than a properly used harnessed seat. A lot of 4 year olds and new 5 year olds are not mature enough to safely sit in a booster. Is her seat the 50 lb version and are the straps still above her shoulders? If not then she needs a new seat immediately. You could look at the Evenflo Secure Kid which is a harnessed FF only seat. It's narrower than most other combo seats. The Diono Radian is a very narrow convertible seat that might help fit with your 2.5 year old. I'm not familiar with your cars but I'm sure somebody here is and can help with what fits.

 

[featherhead]

Please check how your 5 year old fits in her seat. The limit for the harness will be either 40 or 50 lbs. The harness needs to be coming from above her shoulders. In some Alpha Omega seats the top position is not usable with the harness, so it makes the harness height quite low, and children often outgrow it between 3 and 4.

Also, to make the Alpha Omega seats narrower, you may be able to remove the base. With some newer versions this is not possible, but on older models it is.

I would probably try a Diono Radian for the 5 year old. I would also try putting your 2.5 year old rear-facing in the Alpha Omega seats. The rear-facing limit on your AO seats should be 35 lbs. Then you will want a narrow infant seat for your baby. Or you could try a rear-facing convertible like the Combi Coccoro. It is very narrow, and fits newborns really well. Narrow infant seats would be the Chicco Keyfit, Safety 1st Onboard, Graco Snugride 30, BabyTrend FlexLoc (I'm not sure which is the most narrow).

 

[Phineasmama]

Doesn't An_Aurora have an X5?

I think you will have to buy two new seats probably, and I bet you could do 3 across if you bought a Diono (radian) for the 5 year old and a Cybex Aton or *maybe* a Chicco Keyfit for the baby. I think she has a Combi Coccoro in her 3 across but that's technically a convertible and not an infant bucket seat if that matters to you.

 

[Kaitsmom]

And if you have the 40lb version of ths AOE you cant use the top harness slot, so double check your seat and your 5 yr old. The AOE also make a deadly booster due to how it positions the seatbelt on a childs belly, not thighs.

The AOE is not a highly suggested seat, its not 3 across friendly. Is your 2 yr old ffing or rfing?

 

[jjordan]

Doesn't An_Aurora have an X5?

I think you will have to buy two new seats probably, and I bet you could do 3 across if you bought a Diono (radian) for the 5 year old and a Cybex Aton or *maybe* a Chicco Keyfit for the baby. I think she has a Combi Coccoro in her 3 across but that's technically a convertible and not an infant bucket seat if that matters to you.

Yes, I think so. I think it is a challenging car for 3 across, but she does have some combinations figured out.

 

[Wizardkc]

Thanks Moms for the quick response...


Ok so my soon to be 5 year old needs a new seat asap.. The harness on the alpha is way under her shoulders. Will a radian suit her ?..

And for Myles the 2.5 year old he is ff in the alpha omega should he still be rear facing ?

And for baby I would really like an infant car seat that i could just leave the baby in and pull out.. Is the cybex Aton narrow enough. I know it's light ,, but does anyone recommend it . The fact that it's stroller limited isn't great . I would have to by a cybex stroller


Thanks

 

[An Aurora]

I do have an X5. My recommendations would be as follows:

-Keep the 5 year old harnessed as long as possible. It is very hard to buckle a booster in a tight 3-across situation. I'd get a FF Radian for the oldest.

-Put the 2.5 year old rear-facing. For him, I'd get a Complete Air. If you want to keep him forward-facing, I'd get either a Complete Air or a Britax Marathon 65 (called the "classic Marathon" at Target) or Roundabout 55 for him. The Complete Air and old-style Britaxes overlap the huge side bolsters really well. A Marathon takes up less room than a Radian in this car, because of those bolsters (Britax overlaps; the Radian has to be completely on the other side of it).

-For the newborn, I'd get a Combi Coccoro or a narrow seat like the Cybex Aton. A Chicco Keyfit might work, but I don't have much experience with infant seats in there since my son was 1 when we bought it (and at the time, we ordered seats and while we waited for them to come in, he was in a Graco Snugride35 used without the base, as that's the only way it would fit).

Radians are incompatible rear-facing in this vehicle. Things got really complicated for me once my oldest outgrew all the harnessed seats we had available. It worked fine with two RF seats and a FF seat or two FF seats and a RF seat, but didn't work with a RF seat, a FF seat, and a booster. I only recently managed to get that combo, and it isn't something I would suggest unless you absolutely have to do it.

 

[Wizardkc]

Thank you ..

The 2.5 year old is front facing .. So I will probably try 2 ff radians and a cybex Aton at least in my car . When we can afford it I'll try to get 4 more radians for g-Ma and daddy and 2 extrabases for the Aton in there cars . And where ever the baby is the infant bucket seat will be with her.

Thanks again So much I'll let you know as soon as I start buying !!

 

[Phineasmama]

You might want to try a Radian in the middle and a Marathon or Complete Air next to it as she was saying it works better with the side bolsters...sounds like that setup would give you more room

And just FYI, check all the BabiesRus stores in your area, some of them have the Aton on clearance right now! They only have it in certain stores though so I would look up the UPC or SKU on their website and call around first.

 

[An Aurora]

You might want to try a Radian in the middle and a Marathon or Complete Air next to it as she was saying it works better with the side bolsters...sounds like that setup would give you more room

And just FYI, check all the BabiesRus stores in your area, some of them have the Aton on clearance right now! They only have it in certain stores though so I would look up the UPC or SKU on their website and call around first.

Yes. Don't do two Radians. Do one Radian with a Britax or a Complete Air next to it. I've tried two Radians and it just takes up too much room. The Marathon and Complete Air overlap the side bolsters and overlap the Radian, so with the Radian in the center and the CA or Marathon next to the door, you'll have more room.