Anyone successfully fit 3 carseats in the back row of a Minivan? If so, which carseats do you have?


My two kids are in the middle bucket seats of the van.

I have 3 daycare kids that I need to fit in the back of the van. They are ages 2, 3 and 3. All FF face with their parents. I know one of the 3 year olds is close to, if not at, 40 lbs. The other 2 are between 30-35 lbs. I'd like to keep them harnessed.

Ideally I'd like to NOT spend a small fortune doing this.

Reply

I can strap 3 full size carseats in the back of my minivan, not really sure what kind of minivan you have. I have a 2011 Honday Odyssey. I dont really know how the different seats of different mini-vans stack up. I dont pay attention to the brand of carseat really. I get my carseats from consignment shops/craigslist/garage sales. I always put the middle one in first, then the right side then the left. I can do 3 carseats in the 2nd row too, but I dont know if your minivan is an 7 seater or an 8 seater.

Oh I did have a carseat that was a pain to deal with that had rotating armrests. I got rid of that one, so you might want to beware of armrests.

Reply

I have a 99 Odyssey.

The middle is bucket seats, so only 2 can fit there.

Reply

I have read that the Sunshine Kids Radian is one of the narrowest car seats out there and its the easiest to fit 3 across.

Reply

here is what I did. I have a different car..

I measured the back seat all the way across. Then I went to the store and I measured all of the seats. I found 3 seats that perfectly fit in the back row of my SUV. I would suggest doing the same.

Reply

Do you recall how wide and what seats you got, daycare?

Reply

hhahah NO, it was a few years ago when I did this

I just took the width of my seat divided it by 3 and then went and found 3 car seats that would work in the back row.

Also how old are your kids? I do have one booster seat in the mix with two permanent seats that always stay strapped in.

Reply

I had a Kia Sedona. No real big issue on 3 across, as long as one of the seats was a Radian. It is the most versatile seat i have EVER had, you can put it in any spot in the car/van regardless if that spot has a headrest or not (yes, some seats require the vehicle's headrest in place, some require none). Can be installed with or without top tether for forward or rear facing. The LATCH buckle is awesome. Rear-faces up to 40lbs, now (mine was 6yrs ago, it was 33lbs, then). Works well with tiny babies, and really tall kids, really wide shouldered kids, and all sizes in between. I have rear-faced a 4yo dcg - she is tiny anyway... she though it was wildly funny.

I have had some freakishly tall daycare kids (like a just turned 3yo who was taller than my kindergartener)...too young to be safe in a booster, and he was too tall for the britax i had (and way too tall for the cheaper seats).

Sound too good to be true. Yeah, it is expensive. AND a heavy one at 25 pounds (steel frame, not plastic). I can be really difficult to get a good install on leather seats when forward facing. It is a low profile type of seat, so if your buckles are long (the part the it buckles into), then you end up with raw knuckles getting the seat installed. Overall, the seat that has been used the most.

Reply

Yeah and for the sunshine's, that is soooo spendy. Not wanting to spend 600+ on 3 new seats. Not to mention my own daughter will need one soon enough.

Reply

I posted ages above. 3 year old twins, and a 2 year old. One of the twins is bigger, close to 40 lbs I'd say, whereas her brother is likely closer to 35. Maybe I'll weigh them tonight to be sure.

Reply

And yeah, I know the the radian/sunshine kids/diono whatever is going to be the best as far as longevity and versitality. I just really cannot afford the price tag on getting 3 new ones. It sucks.

Reply

sorry guess I missed that...
yeah I spent almost 3 hours at Walmart measuring seats. I purchased them and then I went out and installed all of them right then and there. One was the wrong fit, so I took it back 20 min after buying it and got two of the same and presto magic, it worked no problem.

It was worth the time it took getting it done.

Reply

I have one Radian, and then 2 Britax seats beside it.

I've heard good things about the cosco scenara for the pricetag, around $40. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Scen...antee/13004563

If three of those won't fit, maybe a Radian in the middle, and these on either side. These only go to 40 lbs, though.

Reply

I think the Radian is under $200, no? You should be able to fit 2 other "normal" seats with 1 Radian in the Odyssey. I have an older Odyssey and fit 3 in the back but one was a booster and it was a royal pain to get to the buckle. I almost wished it was a seat that was strapped in, would have been easier than buckling every time!!

Reply

It's not a good idea to use second-hand carseats.

Reply

Its not the safest choice no, but its not the safest choice to transport DCKs either.

I always inspect them really well, make sure there are no recalls and that they are only 1 to 2 years old. All my parents know I do this and are fine with it.

This is a risky business and every provider decides which risks to take and which ones to not take. Transporting kids and using used carseats is one I choose to take.

Thanks for your concern though!

Reply

We just bought an 09 Corolla and I needed to get 3 across. I use this website: http://www.car-seat.org/ to find car seats that might fit. You can type in 3 across in *** (insert your specific vehicle). It was very helpful to read previous posts and see what seats are recommended. The Radian is recommended a lot, but b/c of the cost, that was out for me. The Cosco Scenera was highly recommended and it fits beautifully! It's not cushy comfy, but for the money, totally worth it. I would have bought 2, but they only had the pink girly one and DH wouldn't have wanted DS riding in that I also bought an Evenflo Tribute DLX Saturn, but that didn't fit rear facing. It's not as narrow as the Scenera, but might be narrower than some others? Avoid anything with cupholders and arm rests. You might also have luck finding an armless high back harnessed booster like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Juve...quare/16575865

Also, make sure to check your state law on child restraints. Some need to meet weight AND age to move to a booster with seat belt. Good luck with your search!

Reply

Here I am pretty sure it is against the law for second hand stores and consignment shops to sell car seats. I don't think it is the recalls that are the issues but more that there is no way of knowing if a car seat has been in an accident already or not. Being involved in an accident severely impacts the strength and integrity of the seat and may possibly fail if in another accident, even minor. EVERY car seat training I have been to stresses this point to us very firmly so I have to believe it is a pretty big concern.

Here is an awesome check list about used car seats. http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/usedseat.aspx

Consumer Reports also says the average life span of a car seat is around 5-6 years or less even. So unless a seat was given to us or purchased from a family friend or relative that we KNOW has not had an accident with the seat, it is not wise to use car seats that are second hand.

http://news.consumerreports.org/cars...-car-seat.html

Reply