How to Get 3 Car Seats in the Car

I would put the rear facing child in the center of the car, and the two forward facers on either side. I must let you know though, I just had my Jetta inspected by a police officer with car seat training, and the car seats must not touch one another. It is considered unsafe if they do and that if in an accident the impact will be greater amongst the carseats being that they are touching. I only know this because I had my rear and forward facer sitting side by side and they told me I had to move the seats, that I could even be ticketed. SO if the seats won't fit any which way you might have to say good bye to one of the kids. Good luck.

GHi I just ghad the same problem. I have a 4 year old a two year old and expecting in 6 weeks. I have a small SUV so three carseats weren't fitting. Unfortunately I ghad to go out and buy two new thinner car seats which leave plenty of room in the middle for te infant carseat. The thinnest carseat out there is the Radian80. The cost about $280 and are available online and at buybuy baby. I think it is by the sunshine kids. The ratings on safetywere very good. Plus if you need to go on a trip and take them with you they fold up.

Hope this helps.

M.

I feel your pain! We squeezed our three into the back seat of a larger SUV. After the baby (who sat in the middle) got to be too heavy for the Graco Snug ride and moved to a Britax seat, it was even harder to get my other daughter's seats in and buckled. We "broke down" and bought a used, inexpensive minivan that accomodates four car seats.

An option might be to find a "slim" booster seat(s). Keep in mind that the kids will be bigger in the fall, and they'll have to be in boosters for the next 4 years.

I'm sorry I don't have a good answer! Good luck!

I've become a little car seat obsessed lately and have to tell you that you can't move a child into a booster until the are 4 years old AND 40 lbs. It's not just the weight limit, there is also an age limit.

I agree that the parents should pay for the car seat for their child. I would want to pay, just for my own peace of mind that my child was in a car seat that I approved. Also, you can call your local police department and they can install all the car seats.

Good luck!

For safety reasons, I have to say I don't think that it's made for 3 car seats... I went to a minivan once I had 3 kids... be careful, I am not sure what the law is, but check into it... and let us know :)

Good luck sweetie.
All my best,

L. A.

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I want to respond to let you know that it is NOT illegal for 3 car seats in a row. I have a volvo station wagon - and I have 2 Graco turbo boosters and one Graco car seat. I had a britax but couldn't accomodate it once it went forward facing. New cars are expensive and to suggest that you should buy a car is completely insensative.

go shopping....for carseats, that is. Our Babies r us has a seat of a car in the store but if that isn't availible tell them what you need to do and I don't see why it would be a problem pulling your car up to the store and seeing if they fit...then ask the mommies to please help in paying for the seats...it's their kids you're trying to keep safe so I don't see that being a problem...I've got 5 kids...4 in carseats or boosters and I have fit 3 in the back seat but it wasn't fun and very tight...although I fit 3 carseats in the back of our explorer no problem but we up graded to a minivan with the 4th and I think that the van's back seat is an inch or so smaller...anyway...I say go shopping for new seats, check with the other parents first but that's probably the best option...goodluck!

DO NOT put the infant in the front passenger seat. Also all the children should be in the back seat. In New York State all children must be in a seat belt AND car seat or booster seat until age 7. Call your local police department, fire or ambulance service and ask where you can find a professional car seat installer. Our local ambulance, fire and police run FREE clinics to professionally install car seats and show you how and where the safest place for them are.
Here are some tips until you can get PRO help.
Put the infant in the middle position in the back seat with the two 3 yos one on each side. When you install the seats do so without the children in them. Place your knee in the seat and put weight on the seat. Pull the seat belt all the way out so the locking mechanism ingages and then put through the back of the car seat. pull tight while you are in the seat and push the seat belt back into its roller. You should hear a clicking type sound as the seat belt goes back. Then get out of the seat and try to wiggle the seat back to front and side to side. There should be very little movement if installed properly.
It is not hard once you know what to do so please get help from a professional and have them show you how to do it.
My friend had a car accident with 4 kids and 6 months pregnant in her SUV. She just a week before had a pro install all the seats and the police said that if they hadn't been installed properly and where it was safest the kids would have been VERY hurt. They all were fine and the biggest injury was a bruse on my friend from her seat belt!!!
Car seats are a matter of life and death so please take great care. I've been an EMT and seen lots of accidents so take it from someone who knows and YES my car seats have been professionally installed and they taught me how to do it. A.

The infant seat can be strapped into the car without the base. This should save you a few inches of precious space! I would recommend putting the infant seat in the middle if you can, just make sure you put it in level and pull the belt buckle tight. Also make sure the strap is in the right place on the seat, there are instructions in the user manual or at graco.com. I had to fit 3 similar seats in my sisters Taurus and it worked - good luck!
D.

Try booster, infant seat w/o base, booster. It will get harder when the infant seat needs to be forward facing. Be prepared to scrape your knuckles getting the infant seat buckled.

If the mom's of the children you watch have 'spare' seats that they do not use regularly ask them if you can 'have' them and get your police department to help install correctly.

Good luck

I'm with you. My kids both have Big Britax seats. When I watch my niece, its get snug in the back seat.

I put my kids on the sides. After I buckle and lock off their seats, I pull them towards the outside of the car. It gets me a little more room in the middle. Forget about using the base for the infant carrier. I put the infant seat in, and squeeze it in between the two Britax seats. I put the middle seat belt, which in my car is just the lap belt, through the hookie things on the infant seat (rear facing ofcourse) and tighten it down as best I can.

I laugh about the fact the infant seat is so tightly wedged in between the Britax seats, the seat belt really isnt even necessary. (Joking obviously.) :)

I have a Crown Vic, which is probably about the same size as your Taurus. We manage it. I'm usually sweating by the time everyone is buckled, but we manage it.
Good Luck!!!

Tricia your best bet is to contact your local police dept. - every police dept has an officer or two who are trained in car seat safety and they can show you how the seats will fit in your car best. there is no charge for it. good luck!

:) I have twins in forward facing Britax seats and a 4-year-old in a booster (check your booster installation info - I think the person who said that a child has to be 4 is mistaken...)- all in a row and it is very tight. I had the local police do a safety check and he reinstalled them for me - they are MUCH tighter than we had them - they don't move AT ALL! But now that they have been checked I don't take out the seats (the booster just sits there and is moved from car to car).

One piece of advice that the officer gave was one I had never heard. We all hear that most car seats are not installed correctly, but he said that most accident related injuries are caused by projectiles in the car - loose change, cell phones, coffee mugs, etc that get thrown in a collision. He suggested that I secure everything that I can and make sure that the cargo in the back of my SUV is covered. Finally, he said that the booster should be belted in place when the car is in use and it is not occupied (when I have my girls, but not my son in the car) - it too can be a loose projectile!

Good luck!

Tricia,

It looks like you have some good advice on possible car seat options below and I can't really add to it. However, hearing of your situation I would offer two things: 1) I agree with one of the statements below that once you determine a proper solution, if you plan to purchase new car seat(s) I think you should ask the mother(s) of the child(ren) you are watching to help with the cost. As a full time working mother who has other people watch her child, I would never expect the people I hire to pay for my child's car seat/booster seat. 2) If you do need to go out and buy two of the same car/booster seats for the 3 year olds, not sure how many people know this, but Babies R Us has a "multiples" discount where if you buy two of the same item in the baby gear department, they will give you a 10% discount on your purchase. Good luck.

I know how you feel. I had a SUV that at times I had three kids in and it was tight. I would suggest moving yur 3 year old to a booster (depending on what she ways) My kids had the Graco booster seat and it was very slender. Now that they are bigger they no longer need the back on it and they only need the seat part of it. I think the entire seat is rated for over 30 pounds and backless it is for 40 and over. Even if you are more comfortable with you daughter in her 5 point, you might want to get the booster to use when you have all three kids. I know it is a pain putting the carseats in and out of the car, but it might be your best option.

I've actually been doing a lot of research on this as I'm expecting my 3rd child in the Fall. My backseat is 55" and has 3 latches so I know its possible, but the trick was finding the right seats.

I first e-mailed both Graco and Britex to find out which of their seats have the smallest widths as well as e-mailing an independent carseat web site. What I learned was that the Graco Snugride is the smallest you'll find for infants.
But, for my 1-1/2 and 3 year olds (both on the smaller side), I got the following e-mail recommendation...

The car seat that will generally fit 3 across is the Sunshine Kids Radian. Here is the link: http://www.elitecarseats.com/Sunshine-Kids-Radian-80.pro This seat will go rear facing for infant until 35 lbs. and will go forward facing up to 80 lbs in 5 point harness. These seats are 17" at the largest part of the base. Also, this seat can be used without the base which makes it even smaller. I would use this option for the toddlers. Hope this helps!
Janice
____@____.com
EliteCarSeats.com
1-800-891-3857

So I bought the Radian 65 for my 3 year old as a trial and he really likes it. Its like a booster, but has a 5-point harness. I'm confident that he'll use this seat until he's ready for the seat belt. The web site says its approved for infants, but the back of it is quite high so I personally wouldn't put my infant rear facing in it. My next step is to buy one for my 18-month old and we should be all set.

I hope this helps.

I have a 5-year old + 2 1-year olds (twins) - and I fit all three in the back of my Honda Accord and BMW X3 - you should have no problems with a Taurus. The trick is measuring the seats. For an infant seat, the narrowest I found was the Combi. Now that they are forward facing the narrowest is the Graco Comfort Sport. I have the twins on a door and in the middle. The booster is at the other door and the trick with that is to only install the arm rest on the door side - do not put in the other arm rest so it will fit under the car seat next to it. Should then fit all just fine...if you have to buy new car seats to fit it is still less $$$ than a new car that is worse on gas!

i also have 3 car seats and when i was looking for a used car, i kept that fact in mind. i have a old model station wagon and i sometimes have to "kick" the doors closed. you can check your state laws, sometimes you can put a car seat in the passenger seat next to you. you can also try different brands of car seats, the thinner the better.