Volvo XC90 + access to third row

[catherine]

I searched the forums and found a few users who have (or had) Volvo XC90s and needed help on how to fit 3 seats on the 2nd row.

We only need to fit 2 seats on the 2nd row, but would like to be able to fold down the seat behind the passenger to access the third row. Right now we have a FF Britax Marathon behind the driver and a RF Graco Snugride in the middle. The base of the Snugride prevents the back of the seat behind the passenger to be folded down, so no access to 3rd row (the reason why we got this car).

Are there any successful configurations that anyone knows of that leaves the seat behind the passenger unblocked? We would be willing replace our car seat(s) given that our youngest one will have to the moved to a convertible (maybe the Marathon) before his 1st birthday and the oldest one will probably be moved to something like a Nautilus Radian or Frontier. We also have a spare Britax Boulevard that could be used.

Thanks for your help

 

[wendytthomas]

Have you tried putting the Snugride behind the driver and the Marathon in the middle?

How old is the older child?

Wendy

 

[catherine]

Thanks Wendy. To be honest we haven't tried much else because it takes us a while to get the seats in/out and with a newborn at home. . . We were hoping to get answers based on experience and save us some time/grief

Our older son is 2 1/2 yrs old. We just switched him to FF recently.

 

[catherine]

I also wanted to ask. Which one is the safest configuration? Snug ride RF in middle + Marathon FF behind driver or the opposite?

Thanks!

 

[Brigala]

There are two ways to look at it. Some families prefer to put the youngest child in the center. Other families prefer to put the "least protected" child (in this case, the child in the forward facing seat) in the center. The center position is the safest spot in the car, so the question is how to pick which child you love best (just kidding of course). Seriously, though, most people on this board advocate putting the child with the least car seat protection in the most protected place in the car. That would be your FF toddler.

If your toddler still fits in a rear-facing position, you might want to try the Britax seat both directions to see if the fit is better one direction or the other.

 

[wendytthomas]

Passenger versus driver side there's no statistical difference. I'd put the baby outboard and the forward facing child in the middle. As Brig said, least safe in the most protected position.

However, if real life or fit doesn't make that possible, do what you need to.

Wendy

 

[catherine]

We will try what you suggest and put the baby outboard. We will also consider switching our toddler to RF again if necessary. Not sure how he will take it, though

Thanks for your insights :thumbsup:

 

[wendytthomas]

Most kids do fine turning back around. We've got a lot of experience with that as a group here. The AAP has recommended since 2002 rear facing to the maximum limits of the convertible seat, and the NHTSA recommends rear facing to four, so that's the ideal (or beyond four, if you can). Very few people here have their 2.5 year olds forward facing unless they've outgrown their convertible seat. Which does happen, but we strive for kids to rear face as long as they fit.

Wendy

 

[bearwithmoi]

If it helps, I've put the combi coccoro RF in the middle of XC90 and it's narrow enough to use a side seat to access the 3rd row.

Also, the middle seat folds down so you can access the 3rd row through the middle. We do that sometimes.