Anyone else stressing about THREE carseats?

PamelaC

For 5 days now since I got a + HPT all I can think about is the fact that I need a new car and it needs to fit 3 carseats.  So many questions...

Which car? SUV preferred.  Really don't want to drive a minivan.

 

Do I want 3 carseats across?  Or should I put my oldest (she'll be 4) in a 3rd row seat?

 

Can I keep my current carseats?  DD1 is in a Frontier.  DD2 is FF in a Roundabout.  Baby#3 will be in a Snugride. 

 

Any other soon-to-be moms of three think this through and figure it out yet?  It's making my head spin! 

JulesDiane

PamelaC

Lol

MrsRichMT

That's been one of my big worries too.  I've started pricing minivans Sooo don't want one, but I don't have much choice.  Ideally, I would probably go for a Pilot or something along those lines.  Third row, but NOT a minivan!

babyike

We have DD (forward-facing) and DS (rear-facing) in convertible seats in the middle row of my 2007 Honda Pilot.  DH and I have talked at length about the logistics of carseat placement the past few weeks LOL.

When baby #3 arrives, we will put DD (she'll be 4 in August) into a high-back/5-point harness booster (we like the Britax one) in the 3rd row/middle seat since she's forward-facing.  

DS (will be 20 months in August) will move into DD's Britax Marathon and be forward facing in the middle row/passenger's side.  

Baby #3 will get DS's Evenflo Symphony in the middle row/driver's side (rear-facing obviously).  I like the infant insert better on this one, so we think it's better for a newborn.  Our infant Chicco seat will expire next fall, and we knew that DD would be ready for the next seat up by then.  So we just opted to move her up and put baby #3 into the convertible seat we already have.  

HTH and try not to stress (though I know that's easier said than done...).  It will all work out  

EDIT:  We also wanted to avoid getting a minivan when we got the Pilot... But I have to say, I do occasionally swoon at the new Honda Odyssey... 

mishfull

I'm stressing over two! One forward and one rear facing. I'm getting a new vehicle in a few months so room will be a priority! So much for a sports car.

I will say there are some safety concerns with the third row and young children. Make sure you are looking into that. Not to scare you or anything, just so you are aware. But with most vehicles in a rear end collision there is enough room with the trunk to prevent damage to the middle seats. With three rows and a rear end collision there is not as much protecting your little one.

I don't think there are laws against it but I believe many vehicles have age and weight recommendations for the third row.  

 

babyike

mishfull:

I'm stressing over two! One forward and one rear facing. I'm getting a new vehicle in a few months so room will be a priority! So much for a sports car.

I will say there are some safety concerns with the third row and young children. Make sure you are looking into that. Not to scare you or anything, just so you are aware. But with most vehicles in a rear end collision there is enough room with the trunk to prevent damage to the middle seats. With three rows and a rear end collision there is not as much protecting your little one.

I don't think there are laws against it but I believe many vehicles have age and weight recommendations for the third row.  

 

The issue with young children in the 3rd row seating seems to be more with rear-facing carseats according to our pediatrician.  Rear-facing carseats should be in the 2nd row seating if possible.  But I agree, you should check the manuals for each model SUV you're interested in

ks3pink

You need a Chevy Traverse.  I got mine in October and love it.  Everyone says its like a minivan on the inside but def looks much better on the outside.  Buick has the enclave that is similar and GMC the acadia.  I really recommend checking them out!

mrs.kcanne

::raises hand::

TOTALLY STRESSING!  We played around with the car seat arrangement before we even GOT pregnant to see if it would work in my Ford Taurus X (station wagon kinda style), and I would have to put DD1 who will be close to 4, in the 3rd row by herself, and probably load her from the rear hatch while keeping DD2 and new baby in the 2nd row! ACK! Not idea!

Honestly, I'm thinking about buying all new carseats to make it work to have three across. Which will mean Radian's I guess, which is a pretty penny. Going to hopefully go to a baby boutique that carries them in our area, and see if they actually will WORK in our vehicle, first of course.

mlf625

Meh, I'm not super concerned, I've been wanting something bigger anyway.  We'll upgrade to a Chevy Suburban at some point before the fall.  I prefer captain seating (2 separate seats in the 2nd row as opposed to a bench).  That way DS, who will be 4, can get in and out easily.

That said, if we weren't upgrading, we could make do with my current SUV (Chevy Tahoe).  It would be snug, but we were able to fit both of my kids and a friend with a visiting baby.  My friend drives a small Buick SUV with 3 car seats - two Britaxes and an infant seat in the middle.  So nothing says you need a jumbo SUV, either. 

pammeelala

I have a Ford Flex that we bought in April that I absolutely LOVE.  I was going to get either a Chevy Traverse or a Nissan Armada, but the Traverse had way too big or a blind spot and the Flex is lower profile than the Armada so it is easier to get in and out of.  I have fit 4 car seats and 3 adults in it, and I have also had 7 adults in it.  It has the push button mechanism to fold the middle seat forward to make getting into the back easier.  AC vents are in the ceiling.  Lots of mini van like amenities without being a mini van.  Plus it is a V-6 so it has great gas mileage but still has plenty of power.  I could keep going, but here is the Car and Driver review of it with links to other crossovers, suvs and minivans

https://buyersguide.caranddriver.com/ford/flex

fmb2011

I was "anti-minivan" myself but once I had DD and she was only #2, I had changed my mind. I test drove the Honda Odyssey and fell in love. Doors that open with a puch of the button, plenty of room when going on road trips, a dvd player to entertain everyone. It's been the perfect vehicle. So as much as you may not want to be the minivan mom don't discount them because they do have a ton of great features. I'm looking forward to having plenty of space to add #3 and eventually #4

rach7883

I have an '04 tahoe with a 3rd row.I can fit a Britax Marathon FF& BF, Britax Boulevard both was and a Britax chaperone in my middle row just fine. the marathon in the middle, the boulevard on the passenger side and the chaperone behind the driver. 

Dont know if this helps but there ya go! I LOVE our tahoe, we had a minivan for a year and we were misserable because it isnt what we wanted! So glad we traded in.

GL

R 

PamelaC

rach7883:

I have an '04 tahoe with a 3rd row.I can fit a Britax Marathon FF& BF, Britax Boulevard both was and a Britax chaperone in my middle row just fine. the marathon in the middle, the boulevard on the passenger side and the chaperone behind the driver. 

Dont know if this helps but there ya go! I LOVE our tahoe, we had a minivan for a year and we were misserable because it isnt what we wanted! So glad we traded in.

GL

R 

This is good news.  I've been eyeing the Tahoe today.  How's the gas mileage? 

TotallyMomma

Pamela!!! Congrats!! Do you remember me from when we were pregnant with our firsts? Old name was mrsboom. Congrats mama!! When are you due? And yes I'm stressing over this too, no clue what we will do yet.

PamelaC

TotallyMomma:

Pamela!!! Congrats!! Do you remember me from when we were pregnant with our firsts? Old name was mrsboom. Congrats mama!! When are you due? And yes I'm stressing over this too, no clue what we will do yet.

OMG! Yes, of course I remember you!! This is so awesome that we are "here" together again.  Due Sept 19th-ish... Congrats to you too! 

Zippomissmaggie

mrs.kcanne:

::raises hand::

TOTALLY STRESSING!  We played around with the car seat arrangement before we even GOT pregnant to see if it would work in my Ford Taurus X (station wagon kinda style), and I would have to put DD1 who will be close to 4, in the 3rd row by herself, and probably load her from the rear hatch while keeping DD2 and new baby in the 2nd row! ACK! Not idea!

Honestly, I'm thinking about buying all new carseats to make it work to have three across. Which will mean Radian's I guess, which is a pretty penny. Going to hopefully go to a baby boutique that carries them in our area, and see if they actually will WORK in our vehicle, first of course.

I think we're going to have to get a radian for DH's truck. He has a little older dodge extended cab. DD's current seat fits in the middle of the back seat, but she doesn't have much leg room behind either of the seats. Her current seat (Graco MyRide) has one of the biggest depth measurements (27") they make. The radian only has a 16" depth. So we'll be getting 1 of those for the truck. The infant seat needs to go in the middle RF. 

mickey1330

We bought a 2009 Honda Pilot earlier this year, and love it!  My oldest son just moved out of the booster seat in Nov, but we have had occasions where we had to fit multiple car seats, and have never had any problems. We usually put the oldest in the 3rd row, and there is plenty of room in the middle with 2 seats and a passenger  Since the 3rd row splits, we usually fold half down and still have plenty of cargo space. My younger DS is in the middle of the passenger row with a pretty large convertible. 

Rink08

We're going the minivan route. We should be getting one in the next few months so that we have it before we start going on vacations. We had been planning on getting one before we knew about #3 because we go camping a lot and it has been tight with the stuff for just the four of us in a car.

DS1 will be in the back since he is forward facing and I'll have to put the younger two in the middle row since they will both be rear facing.