Car for newborn twins and a toddler?

Vegasbb

I realize you guys get car questions all the time, so I apologize in advance for asking another annoying car question ! DS will be 2 years 9 months when the twins arrive and we are trying to decide whether to get a bigger car. For carseats we'd like to use Chicco keyfit for the twins & Diono radianRxt for DS (he will be FF). We currently have a Kia sorento and it has tons of cargo space - ample for a double stroller. DS goes to preschool 5 mornings a week and needs to easily pop in and out of the car during carpool line (so the Diono would need to be on the side and the chiccos would be side by side). We are debating about getting a minivan or a large SUV with captains, but my issue is it seems DS would have to be in the 3rd row all by himself and it seems like a pain to strap him in and out of a 3rd row while he's still so young. 

Those with 3u3 - did you choose a 2 row or 3 row vehicle ? How do you configure your carseats? If you have all the kids in one row does your 2/3 year old bother your babies ? 

carrotcake06

If you go w an SUV, I recommend putting all three in one row even if you have a 3rd row. We keep ours folded down for extra storage room.

Getting 3 in a row can be a challenge and when the twins were in buckets, we did like you are planning w a radian. Now we have the big one in a frontier and the babies RF in radians. A lot of times the third row can become inaccessible due to the car seats bc you can't fold a seat down w a car seat in it. Don't know about captains chairs.

We have never put the big one in the middle. It never worked for us. He's right now behind the driver bc that's the way the seats fit the best. It's not easy to puzzle them together safely.

He really doesn't bother the twins at all.

BabyKsMommy

I have a 3yr old ds and b/g twins. We bought a Honda oddessey after we found out I was pg with twins. We have ds in the second row behind the drivers seat and the twins are also in the 2nd row.

This is very functional for us because DS can climb into his seat himself and then I can buckle him in. After having a c section I couldn't lift ds into his car seat so it was essential that he climb in by himself.

We went with the oddessey because it has top tethers on all 6 seats in the 2nd and 3rd rows.

Lois172000

You may get some info from my post a couple days ago. Same question except I need to get a wheelchair in the cargo area as well.
There is a search option at the bottom of the page. I'm mobile or I would try to attach it for you.

dmurrie

If you're on Facebook, add or talk to "car seats for littles" with any specific car or car seat questions. I wasn't part of the group before buying our van, which is apparently quite terrible for bolstered children. They hate the Grand Caravan and Town and Country because the shoulder belt placement in the back row is bad? If you like your current vehicle, they would definitely help you work out a good configuration of car seats to make it work.

minirella

We have an Odyssey and have 3 across in the middle row. My daughter wanted to sit in the 3rd row at first (she is 4.5 years) but now she likes sitting between the twins. We rarely take the twins anywhere (to the doctor and if I need to run through a drive-thru) so when the bases are not in she wants to sit at the passenger side window.  

jeephappygirl

DD was 2.5 when our babies were born. They are all in the 2nd row. .3rd row is kept folded down for more cargo area. I also felt like she was too little to sit in the back by herself. We limited what she was able to have in the beginning. I was afraid she'd throw a cup at the babies or try feeding them something. She never has. Once in a while she will pull a blanket or pacifier from them. We have 3 mirrors so I can see them all. She also likes to move hers so she can see them. In the next two weeks we will be switching the twins to convertibles from infant seats. Not sure how it will be to buckle the one in the middle.

swarbral

We bought a Honda Odyssey and took out the 2nd row seat behind the drivers seat. In the 2nd row we put an infant seat in the middle and a radian on the passenger side. The other infant seat is on the drivers side in the 3rd row. This way we can access the babies from the driver side door and the 2 year old from the passenger side.

AJC&Maggie

Honda pilot!!!

MrsHT

We recently bought a Chrysler Town & County after finding out were having twins.  We have a 4 year old as well.  It has the stow and go seating so the captains chair that is behind the driver is down in the floor and my DS will be in the captains chair behind the passenger seat once the girls arrive.  The 3rd row will be for them and there is a lot of room to be able to put one carrier down while the other is being snapped in place.  I wasn't a fan of ever getting a mini-van but after thinking of the logistics of trying to get 2 carriers in the car at the same time, this just seemed like the logical decision for us.  Good luck.