3 Carseats in a Row?

I just saw something in Fit Pregnancy about car seats, there was one that had a base with adjustable hight specifically so that it would fit better next to a siblings car seat. It was an infant car seat though, so when the baby out grows it you still have the problem.

there are lots of options...

I'm a carseat tech - and I've had 3 in row in a bunch of different cars.

What do you currently have for carseats? Is your 1.5 year old rear facing or forward facing? What infant seat do you currently have?

As for the booster suggestions - I HATE using a booster with two carseats... you can barely squeeze your hands between the seats to buckle them. Stick with three carseats.

if you want to email me, with the answers above, i can help you figure out what to buy and which ones to ditch.

-K.

Weird - I had to double check to see that I didn't write this post! I have a Lexus RX300 and 2 Britax carseats and am expecting #3 in July. I also don't want a minivan or a giant SUV.
The only thing we discovered that will work is going to be replacing the Britax carseats with the Radian by Sunshine Kids. We just bought one and it's great for our 5 year old. We didn't want to put her in a booster just yet - all of the safety sites recommend waiting if possible. It's easy to see that it's much narrower than the Britax but it gets high safety ratings and she is really comfortable in it somehow. I think we are going to have to buy a second Radian for my 2 year old in order for the baby seat to fit. We're going to the store this afternoon to try it all out - if you want to send me a message I can let you know what we discover!

Hi L.,

I would move the 4-yr-old into a booster seat and put him/her into the middle. It should be easy to find a booster seat that fits between the two car seats. Best of luck!

Hello,
The only car seats that will work for you are the Sunshine Radians. They are specifically made to be narrow and to fit 3 across a standard backseat. They are great seats- very well made and safe. I checked with Safe Kids before purchasing them and their carseat installer loves them. They have two models. One goes to 65 lbs and the other goes up to 80 lbs- awesome because you will never need to buy a booster! They easily install 3 across. They are convertible seats- so you can use them rear facing for infants. The 80 model did come with an infant insert to make the seat more comfortable to babies. I have two of Radian 80s. They fit in my Acura MDX backseat with a Britax Boulevard in between. I love them! They are a bit pricey and can not be purchased in Babies R Us. I ordered mine from Amazon.
If you live in the Ledyard/Groton area- send me a message and we can get together so you can try them in your car. Several of my friends are having their 3rds and have tried out our seats!
Good luck,
S.

Hi L.,
I just bought the Radian Carseats. They're only 17 inches wide, so you should be able to fit one on each side and an infant seat between them without a problem. They're expensive -- around $200, but they go up to 65 or 80 lbs. in a five point harness, which is much safer than a booster seat, and can also be used rear-facing to 30 some lbs. If you're going to use rear-facing, though, just make sure they fit at the right angle, as they are tall. If you don't need your front seats slid back all the way for someone tall like my husband, it should work. The cheapest place I found them was on Ebay. They had new and used ones on there. The new Radian 65 was about $190, and the 80 was about $230. Good luck.

I would check out the Sunshine Radians. I do not have them, but my family is in the process of buying a smaller, more fuel efficient car for commuting, and we would love to be able to fit all three of our kids into both the mew car and our minivan, which we will continue to use for trips, etc.

Anyway, I am responding to this more to say, be careful about advice to simply put the 4-year-old into a booster. Boosters require kids to be 40" tall and at least 40 pounds. My 5 1/2 year old only weighs 37 pounds, and so does my 4-year-old. I know I won't be comfortable with either one being in a booster until they are at least 41 or 42 pounds to ensure they are as safe as they can be in the booster. It might cost you more to have to buy new carseats, and heaven knows those Britax seats aren't cheap (we have 5 marathons -- that's $1,250 worth of carseats!!), and it will be frustrating to have to replace them. But I gather you are safety conscious because you have the highly rated Britax seats. If your child meets the requirements for a booster, great, go for it. If not, I would err with your safety consciousness and go for the new, more narrow seats. Buy just the two you need now because your 4 year old may well be ready for a booster by the time your newest one is done in the infant "bucket."

Good luck with the new baby. Being a mom of three is a busy trip -- but it is a trip worth taking!

Go to babies r us they let you take the floor models out to your car that why you can see what will work and fit best in your car. You may also want to consider putting your oldest in a booster seat. My son is 6 and still loves his Graco its high back or can be used as a backless booster and the headrest adjusts it also doesnt take up much space. My 1 yr old is in an alpha omega seat and that doesnt take up much space either. Good luck on your carseat search.

Hi L.-

I think your 4 yr old is perfectly fine in a booster. My husband has a small c series mercedes and we had 2 Marathon carseats side by side for a drive one day. There was plenty of room for a booster seat on the end of the row. As for minivans, I hear you girl. Eventually when you are ready for a new car, there are plenty of 6-7 passenger crossover/SUV's that have the function of a minivan but the style of an SUV. Good luck!

We have a 4 year old who is presently in a booster seat. Booster seats can take up a lot less room than a regular car seat, so I would advise doing that for your older child. I don't know anything about your other seats, but if you check out the booster, then measure that with the other 2 in the back of your car, and you might be good to go!

I don't know which seats would fit, but you should try www.carseatdata.org. If you have car seats in mind, you can enter the name of the car seat and see if it'll fit with others, etc.

Hope that helps!

I cant really make a suggestion, but, by that time will your 4 yr old be going into a booster seat instead? What I have heard from people that need to put 3 carseats/boosters in the back, is when you go shopping for cars, take a tape measure and actully measure the length of the back seat. They can really vary. There is a car, I cant think of the name, it looks like a over sized station wagon, I think that has one of the largest back seats.
Best of Luck......... Dont forget room in the far back for the stroller(s) !!

Radian makes carseats that are specifically designed to fit three in a row in just about any car...