if you have 4 kids....?

SLM05

How do you arrange the car seats in your minivan?

DD will be 3 and then the triplets and i am trying to figure out what the best way to arrange them.

We wanted to buy a used EX with some features but due to medical bills might only be able to get a used LX which has no power doors, locks:(

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oh, man- no power doors? that's gonna be rough- though with triplets it will be rough no matter what getting in/out of the car.

i don't have 4, but do have a 3 y/o and the twins.  I'd want one of the vans with the captains chairs in the middle - take one of them out... have one of the babies on the other one- and then the 3 y/o in the back corner seat (you'll probably have to use the seatbelt to secure and not the anchor system b/c that tends to move seats towards the middle and can't fit 3 across that way).

i'd have the other 2 babies in the spots closer to the big door... with the one captains chair removed you can climb in easier with the infant seats to pop them on - and also climb back to buckle in the 3 y/o.

depending on what kind of car you end up with - you might have to put a child in via the back door - this is what we're probably going to have to do soon when Gray moves into a convertible seat (rear facing) b/c if he's in the middle it will push my drivers seat too far up.

benkari

I have my 2 heavier ones in the captains seats in the middle row then the 2lighter ones in the rear.  We found taking off the head rests made for an easier time getting them in and out. We have power doors and I don't know what I would do without them.

jacobandcrystal

This is a slightly sore subject for us... : )  We bought a 3rd row SUV before I got pregnant with the twins and it's pretty difficult to get all 4 kids in and out.  Here's how we have it set up (and it seems the only way that works for now):

- Both infant seats and bases in the 3rd row (no LATCH back there, so we have to use locked seat belts).   

- Our 18-month-old has his convertible carseat installed with LATCH in the 2nd row.

- 3-year-old moved to a booster seat (full back) which uses the seatbelt.  The reason for this is because we have to remove his booster and fold that seat down in order to put the infant seats in and take them out.

sfshawna

Hi there!  Congrats on your triplets!!  I have four and my older daughters are now 2.5 and 4.  They sit in the 3rd row of my Dodge Grand Caravan.  The middle row has captains chairs which can fold away.  Currently, the twins are still in their infant carriers in the middle captains chairs, and my older daughters have no problem getting to their seats, and I have no problem leaning over the babies to buckle up my daughters. 

I also love how we have a little "aisle" that goes down the center of the van.  If I need to, I can walk from the front passenger seat to the way back to access any of the kids while my husband drives.  Ultimately, I'm going to have three across the back and stow away one of the captains chairs for even better accessibility and to have more room to change diapers, etc. 

For you, you might want to see how three car seats would fit across the back. Measure it out and see what works.  It would be much easier to put infant seats in the 3rd row if you have a captains' chair folded down or stowed away.  It's a shame you might not be able to get power doors and locks   Can you look at a more affordable van like a Dodge and get those features?  For me, I loved the Sienna and the Odyssey but just needed something practical and cheap that included basics like power doors. I love our Caravan!

Good luck with your car seat situation and the remainder of your pregnancy!

AliciaMomof4

We just bought a used 2000 Odyssey. It has no sliding doors which I really wanted BUT I have heard that that's an extra expense to get them fixed when the motors go out which can be after just a few yrs. That said I still love it. We will have our 2 girls (4 yrs. and 2 yrs.) in the 3rd row and the twins in the two captains chairs in the middle row so there's no third seat option for us in ours. If I were having twins I would want there to be 3 across in the middle row. It will be hard no matter how you swing it but everyone will live and it will be nice to have the minivan. GL!!!

hotfudgecustard

We have the Big Momma conversion van.  When we only had one baby, I said I would never be a mini-van mom and would only drive my Sorento.  Then we had two and that got tight.  Then I got pg. again and we knew we had to sell the Sorento.  I was very sad, knowing that I couldn't escape being some kind of Van Momma.  We ended up bypassing the minivan and going straight to conversion van and I'm so glad now.  For a little while, we borrowed a minivan from some friends and it was ok, but the conversion van is so much more convenient.  I can stand up all the way and walk around to snap carseat straps, hand out sippies and bottles, or sit on the floor and eat Sonic cheeseburgers with the kids.  The minivan was too small for me to do that.

In the minivan, we had the babies in the 2nd row so we could easily put their infant seats in.  The bigger kids could climb into their seats in the back. We only had to buckle #2s straps as #1 can do his own independently.  It was fairly easy to reach #2.  When we stopped for burgers, though, I always had to get out and open both side doors to hand them their food.  One day when we did this, it was raining.  That's what convinced me the conversion van was the way to go.