Question Looking for advice/suggestions!

[Rachcate]

ETA for hoverers: now looking for help for 3 across in a 3rd row of a Dodge Grand Caravan.
I've got a lot going on here, so I'll try to get all the details down first!
DS1: 5.5 yo, 31lbs, 36in., FFing in Evenflo Triumph Advance
DS2: 3yo, 35lbs, 39.5in., FFing in Graco MyRide65 (and no, those stats aren't reversed! )
Foster kids: ages 0-4, all sizes & often special needs

I also have a Snugride32 loaned out, returning this summer sometime; and a Scenera for back-up in DH's car.

All riding in our '06 Dodge Grand Caravan.

We will be getting our foster license soon and we need another carseat. After looking around the forum today, I am thinking of getting my 3 yo a Frontier 85, putting my 5yo back RFing in the Myride(we just switched him a few months ago but I'm really not comfortable with it), and using the Evenflo for foster kids. Would that make the most sense?

I think we'll need another seat anyway, for when we have two placements. Is there a good 'go-to' seat for a variety of kid sizes? I like the adjustable harness of the Evenflo Triumph, but it's not my favorite to install RF in my van. I imagine we'll be moving the seats around inside the van regularly, like musical chairs, as we get kids with different needs, so easy install is important.
Is the FR 85 easy to install? And, seriously, how do you install a seat in the back row of a mini van? I cannot get my seatbelts to lock, so I use latch. It seems like you wouldn't be able to get it tight enough. Right now in the third row, I have only 1 seat up, and I use that when I have my niece or nanny baby and load through the back. Is it easier to load RFing or FFing kids in the 3rd row? My 3yo can climb in/out of his seat on his own, but my 5yo can not and many of our foster babies will not either. So I'm guessing, 3yo in the 3rd row (which he'll HATE) and rearfacers in the captains seats?

This sounds complicated. Maybe we'll just stay home. But I'm sure I'm not the first parent with a gaggle of littles! Any advice, suggestions, or commentary welcome!
Thank you!

 

[MamaErin]

I am a little confused as to why you would want to put the 5 yo back RFing instead of the 3yo? If it is because of the small size, I wouldn't be worried about that. It is not about size it is about age/bone maturity so even though the 5 yo is small, they are safer FFing than the 3yo.

I would probably get a new seat for the 5yo to FF, it doesn't even have to be as expensive as a frontier since they are on the smaller side. A graco nautilus would probably work well, great for small kids. Then use the evenflo for the foster kids and leave the 3yo where they are.

Also, regarding the locking belts....if your van is an 06, your 3rd row belts definitely lock...it was required in all cars after 1996. Either you pull them all the way out and then slowly let them back in until you hear the belt ratcheting or it locks at the latch plate, to test that you can buckle yourself or one of the kids into just the seat belt and then try to pull on the lap portion...if it doesn't loosen it is locked there.

What some people tend to do to get better access to the 3rd row LO's is actually leave one captains chair folded down (if allowed in your car manual) and put one child in the remaining captains chair and the rest 3rd row.

 

[LuckyFins3Lil'Fish]

With the size difference of your kiddos & you saying your 5yo can't get in/out on his own, I'm assuming he is medically fragile?

Personally I'd try to keep them both RF but that's just my personal opinion. Otherwise, keep the 3yo in what you have him in & place in the 3rd row. If the 5yo is medically fragile, then yes, look into RF again. Or depending on what his medical needs are, he might be fine to remain FF as well. With how tiny he is a Frontier might be a little overkill if you need to save money.

So my thoughts are new seat combo seat for 3yo (a Nautilus or Frontier), switch 5yo to MyRide65 & RF, use Evenflo for fosters & then look into something like another evenflo or a Size4Me for an extra foster seat (you said you might get 2 placements at once).

If Dodge kept the seatbelts the same from 03-06, then you have locking latchplates. That's what MamaErin describes to you in her post.

 

[whiteyacht]

Yep you should have locking latchplates. Easiest installs ever! I miss ours.

 

[MamaErin]

I didn't think of that with the 5 yo...I agree with the PP that if there are medical reasons that you aren't comfortable FF the 5 yo then it would make sense to put them back RF. If it is just size, that's not an issue as much as bone maturity with age.

 

[Rachcate]

Oh - I meant to mention that - my 5 yo has extremely low tone. He has down syndrome, orphanage delays, & uses a walker. His bones are 'young' because of lack of nutrition until he was 3.5 (he was only 16lbs!). They are more like 2 year old bones. That's why I'd like him rearfacing. With the way he's (NOT) growing, he could probably fit in the MyRide until he's 12!

Thank you for the seat belt tips! My 3 yo and I tried it out, and they locked! I'm glad I finally figured it out!

How is the Size4me compare to the MyRide65?
How much more room does the Frontier have than a Nautilus for a tall kid? My 3yo keeps getting taller and taller. We can afford either. Ease of install is important. Do combination seats recline as much as convertible seats? (in harness mode) If not, they would not be safe for my 5yo, he needs more support.

I like the idea of folding one of the captain's seats down! My 5yo can be in the other one and the rest in the back. Which leads me to another question - Can I fit a Frontier, Evenflo, and Snugride OR other Evenflo/Size4me in the 3rd row?

Thanks for all your help!

 

[LifeAtHome]

Nope, sorry, those 3 seats will not even come close to fitting together in that third row, they're all pretty wide. You can fit one wide seat on the passenger side, and two narrow seats on the 60 side of the split. If you want to do 3 in the third row, (and I would in your situation) I would recommend getting a Radian, either for your 3yo, or as a foster seat. It does fit a wide range of kids.

 

[Rachcate]

DO the MyRide and Radian 120 fit next to each other? Do they fit next to each other if they are both rfing or both ffing? Would a nautilus fit on the other side, or another MyRide/Size4Me? Or should I just spend the money on 2 Radians?

 

[MamaErin]

I have heard the MR and RN puzzle great if both facing the same direction.

I'm not sure how many people are familiar with the Caravan seat...if you could measure the length of the bench that would give people not familiar with the car an idea of the amount of space you are working with which may help some.

ETA: Oh, and the Nautlius is never recommended for a 3 across...it is really wide!

 

[Rachcate]

It's about 44in. across.
I found a Radian R120 on sale for $190, so I will probably grab one of those. And then I would just need one more seat that would fit in the back. FFing MyRide, rfing Radian, and rfing ??
I have about $400 total set aside for new seats!

 

[MamaErin]

I'm not sure how well the MyRide and Radian will do if one is FF and one is RF, they usually do better next to each other facing the same direction like both FF or both RF but I have heard they work in opposite directions too, just not as nicely.

Also, as far as other threads I have seen on the Caravan, the back bench only has 1 top tether location for the center seating position...you may have the check your manual and see if that is the case for your specific model but if it is, it is recommended for FFing seats to be top tethered so I would try to get the FFing seat in the middle.

So with a 44inch bench, the RN is 14 inches at the base and the MR is 11 inches so that leaves you with 19 inches to fill....who is this last seat going to be for? I'm not sure if you were planning to keep the evenflo in the captains chair for foster kids or if this last seat is going to need to be easy to change between children or for an infant? since you were talking about having a snugride.

 

[Rachcate]

I will definitely check the manual today, because that might be limiting. I wish I had checked last night when I was measuring the seat!

The last seat could be a combination seat for my 3yo, or he could stay in the MyRide and I could put in another rearfacing seat for foster kids. Most of the kids we will get will be rearfacing. I use the snugride 1-2 times a month for my niece, and I can easily pop her in the extra captain seat when needed. Does that make sense?

 

[MamaErin]

Yea that makes sense.

If most of your foster placements will be RF anyway then only 1 top tether won't be *too* limiting...it will have an effect on which seats go where since the FF seat will need to be center for optimal safety but something should still work.

ETA: If you can afford it you could get 2 of the radians, they are so narrow they work great for 3 across. I would probably try the Myride FF center with the radians RF on each side...you would probably need angle adjusters for them to fit behind captains chairs though but those are cheap.

If you want to save as much as possible, I would actually recommend trying out your Scenera back there with the Myride and Radian. They are narrow seats and good for 3 across. I'm not sure if a Scenera and Myride would work well right next to each other but if you put the Radian center they should work on each side of it.

One other seat, I was trying to do a little more research to make sure it worked with the myride...you could also try a Complete Air. Maybe FFing Myride center, RF radian on one side and RF complete air on the other. The complete air would be a good choice because it has the no-rethread harness and is pretty tall so it should fit a variety of foster kids. I was trying to make sure it would fit under the Myride sides before recommending it and I finally found a thread that says it does. It is less than 19 inches wide and I read it installs like a dream in the caravan, for cheaper than a second radian. So it may be worth a try.

Hopefully someone that is more familiar with the car will have some other suggestions but those are the main scenarios I can think of that should fit...Just remember, 3 across situations are always trial and error so buy from places with good return policies in case a seat doesn't work out back there.

 

[LifeAtHome]

My '05 town & country has the identical seats to yours. I don't have experience with a large number of seats in there, but I have played with a few. You should have 49" of space to work with, measuring to the wheel wells rather than the sides of the seat cushion, the slanted cushion sort of gets wider when compressed by a carseat. You have one tether anchor in center. You can get more retrofitted if you want to, there's a thread on here somewhere with details on that. The hinges for the stow n go seat are huge and can interfere with some seats RF. You can put a RF radian outboard, but you lose the narrowness of it because there will be a big gap on the side. I didn't like the install I got RF with the center lap belt, it seemed like it would loosen up with kids climbing around it to get in other seats. So, for those reasons, I would look at the Radian as your FF seat in a 3 accross. If you install it center where the tether is you will have 19 inches on the passenger side and about 15 inches on the driver side. You can't move it over to even that up because of the buckle stalk placement. Almost anything will fit on the passenger side, I have installed a Nautilus, and a True Fit there. The only thing I have fit on the other side is a Britax Chaperone, I think the MyRide might fit but I have not tried it. I'm not sure if your Snugride will fit or not, I only have a 22 which has a very different base. If your base wedges deeply into the seat bight like the 22 base does then the hinge will be in the way, if not, it might work there. I am sure a Coccoro would fit there. If you add extra TTs you could put the radian outboard and have more options, but I like to keep the FF kid center anyway. Hope that helps! (And hope it makes sense, lol.)

 

[LifeAtHome]

Here's a the retrofit info, http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=76281&page=3
And a couple of pics.

 

[Rachcate]

Thank you for all the help!
I ordered a Radian, which should arrive Thursday. This weekend I will play around with everything and see what I can get to fit. It will be a little while before I need to fit 3 across, but I want to make sure I will get seats that will fit!
I'd rather leave the Scenera in my husband's car, because I often take 1 kid with me somewhere. I'll wait and see, if we're getting lots more babies than older toddlers, another Scenera seems like a good idea. I'll head to Babies R Us and try some of the other seats mentioned. The Complete Air always seemed like a ridiculous seat to me, but I will happily buy it if it fits.
Meanwhile, I have started the campaign for a new van - wish me luck.
Rachel

 

[LifeAtHome]

Good luck!