3 carseats...what are you driving?

meagamomma2be

I was planning on selling my car and buying a minivan, but I just realized that 3 carseats fit in the back of my honda accord.  If I get a minivan, I'll have to put one carseat in the back, DD will be 18 months when twins are born.  I feel like it will be a PITA to have to climb to the back to buckle one in, but I also feel like I will need a van to have storage room to travel.  What's everyone else doing?

hollyoid7

We have an expediton. All 3 seats fit in the 2nd row. I think it would be a pain too, to crawl in and put the 18 month old in the back.

CrazeyJaneyR

I think it would be easier to have the infants in the back b/c they just snap in to their carseats ,where an 18 month old has to be buckled. That's the theory I'm going on for when I get my minivan!

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there are some minivans that you can put 3 across.

we have a grand caravan with the bench in the middle- which IMO makes it a LOT easier to get to the back than the captians chairs.

Griffin is in the back - it's really not hard at all to buckle him in- nowhere near as bad as i thought it would be. in some ways i think it would be harder if he was next to his brothers and i had to reach over whomever is on the edge to get to the middle... esp when they are all bigger and don't want to get in their seats, etc. 

you will have a LOT of gear- including a huge double stroller at least- so IMO, a minivan is the way to go... not just b/c of space but the

WONDERFUL AUTOMATIC DOORS!!    It's the thing i love most about my minivan - the best thing ever when you have 2 babies and crap in your hands - just press a button and the door opens on it's own- fantastic!

lami22005

Toyota Sienna. All three Marathons across the 2nd row.    My 14 month old is on one end.  The twins climb into their own carseats now, so it's easy.  Just have to reach over to buckle the middle seat.

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CrazeyJaneyR:

I think it would be easier to have the infants in the back b/c they just snap in to their carseats ,where an 18 month old has to be buckled. That's the theory I'm going on for when I get my minivan!

Wait- you have a child already right? So you have lifted infant seats with babies in them, right?  They get REALLY heavy --- and lugging them into the back row would not be easy at all... I can barely lift them up into the middle bench - right there in front of me.  Gibby is already out of his infant seat when he was 18lbs because I couldn't lift him in the seat without hurting my back.  Gray will be moving out of the infant seat soon... i'm holding out b/c it's so much easier to have at least one in the ifnant seat.

But my boys (all 3 of them) were/are big... a petite little baby might be Ok to do that- but i couldn't do it with my boys.  Griffin can climb into his seat in the back- i just lean in to buckle him- very easy.

CrazeyJaneyR

Goldie_Locks_5:

CrazeyJaneyR:

I think it would be easier to have the infants in the back b/c they just snap in to their carseats ,where an 18 month old has to be buckled. That's the theory I'm going on for when I get my minivan!

Wait- you have a child already right? So you have lifted infant seats with babies in them, right? ?They get REALLY heavy --- and lugging them into the back row would not be easy at all... I can barely lift them up into the middle bench - right there in front of me.? Gibby is already out of his infant seat when he was 18lbs because I couldn't lift him in the seat without hurting my back.? Gray will be moving out of the infant seat soon... i'm holding out b/c it's so much easier to have at least one in the ifnant seat.

But my boys (all 3 of them) were/are big... a petite little baby might be Ok to do that- but i couldn't do it with my boys.? Griffin can climb into his seat in the back- i just lean in to buckle him- very easy.

?

Angie is very petite, not even 20 pounds yet at 14 months!! So yu have a really good point, if the babies are big, the scenario I proposed would really suck!?

SaucySarie

I drive a Dodge Durango.  I really love it.  It's 4WD and has plenty of room.  Right now I fit three convertible seats along the back seat, and I still have all the room in the back w/ the thrid row seat that it has.

franciscaz

Welcome to my life.  We currently drive a Kia Sportage and all 3 seats fit BUT we have a major problem.  Our 21 mos old gets board and kicks them etc b/c the seats are so tightly fitted together.  Also the fireman didn't think it was safe.

This week I am test driving a Suburban and what a difference a little space makes! 

Buckling everyone in is easy when all 3 are on the same row but it is a pain b/c the middle one has to go first.  If we don't get the Suburban we might get the Sienna Minivan that would allow us to keep all 3 still together.

#6

I had a 200? Pontiac Montana Sport van.  Yeah it was small.  Until this April.  I took the driver side middle row captains chair out so that I could have more room to get to the 3rd row.  L sat in the 2nd row passanger seat and the girls were in the back row.  It was not hard to get in and get everyone buckled in.  It did take some getting used to but there really isnt any easy way to get 3 babies in a car.  This is the best option I found. 

When it came time to look for a new van the 2nd row seat was a main concern of mine.  We bought the Nissan Quest because 1.  I love the look of it and 2. because it has the largest 3rd row leg room.  Plus the 2nd row seats fold down almost flat. (not as flat into the floor like the Town & Country or Caravan but flat enough to sit on/crawl over without any issues)

I now leave the passenger side 2nd row seat down and have one of the girls and L in the back and one of the girls in the 2nd row.  L asked to sit in the back.  He has always been in the middle row so it was different and fun to him.  Now that they can all buckle themselves in its wonderful. 

I highly recommend a van.  Having 3 in one small car works but where do you put all your "stuff".  I fill up a van worth of stuff with my 3 when we go out.  (double stroller, diaper bag, coats, shopping bags, etc)  Plus think about long car trips and vacations. 

Seriously, test drive some vans and you will be in love. 

MawrtyrB

I felt the same way about a mini-van. It was a PITA when we were visiting my friend. We're driving a chevy equinox. It's tight. I have 1 Graco infant seat, 1 Baby Trend infant seat (the most narrow brand), and 1 sunshine kids radian convertible for DD. We originally had a Britax for DD but it was so wide that we couldn't fit all the seats on the latch (or any of them). This combo is working. 

leslieanne1003@yahoo.com

8 passenger sienna all fit in the 2nd row