Car for 3 across car seats?

Mrsberryman · December 2013

Hey ladies. So we have recently realized that three car seats will probably not fit in the back of my little Kia Soul and are beginning the process of car research. My son will be five when our twins arrive and still in a booster seat, so we need two infant car seats and a booster in the car. What cars have you ladies had success with in three across car seats? Any specific car seats I should look at that are more narrow? I am really trying to avoid a mini van and am partial to crossovers but of course they are much more expensive so I'm open to any recommendations. Thanks!

jeephappygirl · December 2013

We have a Hyundai Veracruz. We fit 2 Graco infant seats & a Diono Radian in the middle row. It's tight but it works. The radian is one of the narrowest & goes up to 120 lbs.

PurpleIris30 · December 2013

The Diono radians are narrow. If you want infant seats rather than convertible, the britax b safe are pretty narrow (much more so than the graco snug rides). I have two britax b safe with room to sit between them in a vw passat. But no personal experience with 3 across, except research that the Diono radians are a good option for narrow convertibles.

Edit: Chico key fits are also pretty narrow for infant seats.

whitehousem · December 2013

We have the same problem... DD will be two when the twins arrive. We looked at a Honda pilot yesterday and brought the car seats with us...it will fit a Britax Matathon and two Chicco key fits in the 2nd row. There is not much room between the first and second rows with those infant seats though (which is a prob in most cars, especially the ones we can afford). It will be difficult for my husband to put the drivers seat back far enough to be comfortable... But it's an option.

g8trbaby01 · December 2013

We have triplets on the way and bought the Chico key fit car seats because they were the most affordable with a narrow base. We have. Jeep patriot and a Mazda cx7 that fits all 3 across.

carrotcake06 · December 2013

We have a Diono radian and 2 Keyfits in an Acura MDX. It's a Honda platform - the pilot is the same in the back.

We have a 3.5yo and he's in a Britax frontier in our other car and I don't know if he'd fit w the 2 Keyfits. I'm hoping he doesn't outgrow the radian (we have an older model) before we have to move the babies into convertibles bc combo seats are all pretty big.

mommaoftrips · December 2013

I have triplets and have a Yukon. No problem fitting any type of car seat three across. Bonus is the third row, when they get bigger and need to separate them we will be able to and the space in the back is phenominal!!!

LucyRicardo3 · January 2014

Don't know what your budget might be, but we had a loaner Buick Enclave for a few days this week while hubby's car was getting warranty repairs done, and it is very nice with the 3rd row seating.
I did not see what size of trunk storage it had, so that may be a problem with stroller and grocery storage, etc.
I am a mini van mom and never ever thought I'd say it. But it's been life changing with the auto slide doors on both sides and auto hatch door. Makes getting in and out while in tight parking garages, etc a miracle. I have a toyota sienna that we bought used. I have 2 Radians and a backless booster plus a 5ft1" teenager. There will be just enough room for #5's carseat whenever he gets out of the NICU. and plenty of space in the back for the humongous stroller.
oh, and LEATHER interior if you can swing it.. another life changer!

JodiAriel · January 2014

The one thing to think about with 3 seats is not now when they are little but when they get big enough to forward face is there enough tether anchors? A lot of SUVs/vans only have 1 or 2 tethers in the third row necessitating that you use the second row. Even some cares don't have 3 anchors in the backseat. Tethering is mandatory for all forward facing car seats.

This link shows how many tethers:
https://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2013/05/guide-suvs-crossovers-minivans-with-third-rwo-tether-anchors.html
This one shows what vehicles fit 3 seats (remember though to check for tethers):
https://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2013/10/which-cars-fit-three-car-seats.html

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