Question I need some help BAD!!!!

[briannamay]

Does anyone know if you can fit 3 across in the new Ford Explorer? I will want to stick with Britax if at all possible. Just wondering if anyone has an Explorer with 3 across.

 

[hrice]

I will want to stick with Britax if at all possible.

Britax is not the best nor is it top rated for safety. In fact, no brand is. All seats are tested to the same standards and either pass or fail. Test results are not public record so we have no way of knowing what seats passed with flying colors or those just just barely passed.

We can speculate about safety features all we want but we just truly don't know. For all we know car seats with steel reinforced frames could negatively affect safety. Maybe the child absorbs more crash forces since the seat isn't as flexible as others? Who knows?

Don't worry about brand or price and just focus on getting seats that fit your vehicle and your children.

 

[cso1997]

Does anyone know if you can fit 3 across in the new Ford Explorer? I will want to stick with Britax if at all possible. Just wondering if anyone has an Explorer with 3 across.

Three across is not possible especially with Britax. The seats have huge hard plastic hinges that get it the way making the middle seat unusable. Even without the hinges, the 60 side is still quite narrow. I tried to squeeze a Bubblebum between a Marathon and a Keyfit. The buckle was underneath the Bubblebum so you couldn't buckle it.

Otherwise, we love our Explorer. If you think of going that route, I will say that my friend has second row captains chairs without the center console and her backseat is much easier to use. The third row is more accessible. But that won't work if you are set on not using the third row.

 

[canadiangie]

You could do a Britax Frontier, Britax convertible, and Chicco KeyFit (or something of similar width) across the 2nd row of a Pilot.

But really, unless you're sticking with Britax because you already own the seats (I can't recall the seats you have and too lazy to go back and read ), you should really consider different brands. Britax is not inherently safer. That's a common misconception amongst parents. Britax spends big bucks on marketing, always has. What you ARE buying with Britax is ease of use (ie: their convertibles are pretty user friendly; the Frontier.. well, not as much, overall), beautiful fabrics, and Britax tends to be more 'cool' or whatever.

I think around here I'm one of the most pro SUV, pro three across, pro 'you can totally rock three kids close in age without a van' girls there is, but I use multiple brands of seats. Britax, Diono, Graco, Harmony, soon-to-be Peg Perego, and possibly Clek down the road. ALL of my seats are used correctly 100% of the time, which is what counts in a collision. Brand? Not so much.

And no, on the new body style Explorer. Not a seat friendly 2nd row for a three across. It's too bad because I had high hopes when Ford redesigned Explorer.

 

[P1ally]

Have you heard of the Diono radian? (Formerly Sunshine Kids) They're so strong, that one held up it's side of the car when a parking garage collapsed on top of it.. (No one was IN the car, thank goodness!)

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=90385

They're INSANELY strong, have a tall harness, and are very narrow.

 

[P1ally]

Does anyone know if you can fit 3 across in the new Ford Explorer? I will want to stick with Britax if at all possible. Just wondering if anyone has an Explorer with 3 across.

I definitely wouldn't buy a ford right now. They're almost dead last in reliability.


http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2012/10/ford-stumbles-in-consumer-reports-survey/

 

[Shancouchon]

If you get just 1 radian you will be all set. I made all the difference in my husbands elantra. I have the '12 oddy and I can fit anything in my middle row- wide mode. However, I Needed a new car..... Car seats would have been cheaper lol

 

[briannamay]

I am definitely getting a new car. There isn't enough room in the Borrego. My husband is a big guy, 6'4" 300 lbs and I am 5'2". We need a vehicle with good leg room and cargo space. I want all 3 of them in the middle row due to ease of access to my oldest daughter. I am open to suggestions of the best seats; I am not looking at having to keep the 2 I have. I want my oldest daughter (3yo) in a 5 point booster seat; she is currently in a convertible. I need my middle daughter ref in a convertible seat. I am getting so confused as to which seats or car will fit the seats the best.

 

[P1ally]

I am definitely getting a new car. There isn't enough room in the Borrego. My husband is a big guy, 6'4" 300 lbs and I am 5'2". We need a vehicle with good leg room and cargo space. I want all 3 of them in the middle row due to ease of access to my oldest daughter. I am open to suggestions of the best seats; I am not looking at having to keep the 2 I have. I want my oldest daughter (3yo) in a 5 point booster seat; she is currently in a convertible. I need my middle daughter ref in a convertible seat. I am getting so confused as to which seats or car will fit the seats the best.

My personal pick with 3 kids is a minivan. I have an odyssey. My DH is also 6'3, 275lbs, football player frame. He has tons of room in my Ody. Kids too. Getting 3 kids in and out of an SUV is a nightmare to me, and a minivan with power sliding doors was like a gift from the heavens.