Moms of 3 or more in child seats

[Dreya]

What sort of vehicle do you have? We are currently looking at the logistics of having a third, and one of the main issues that we currently have is our car is an 08 Mazda 3. It's tight with two kids but will definitely not fit three! So give me recommendations please

[MommyShannon]

Our Honda Odyssey makes it so nice and easy! Very convenient for kids. Having a back up camera and sensors makes it even easier for me to drive than our Accord.

[macksmom]

Toyota Sienna. LOVING it. We also have a back up camera, power doors are SO awesome. The height of the minivan makes getting the kids in and out so easy. They climb into their seats and I stand next to them and buckle them in - NO BENDING! I even pull strollers and shopping carts right up next to the car and let them climb in. I am so glad I had this van during my pregnancy and didn't wait until the end to buy it.

Haven't put the infant seat in yet but I don't see any problem fitting it. We have a 3rd row and still tons of trunk space. I even climbed in the car yesterday with DD because it was raining. I feel like I could live in it lol!

[sookie4415]

We have 3 kids in seats(2 carseats, 1 rear facing and 1 booster)...we have a GMC Sierra crew cab, so it has 4 doors. It's awesome. We are contemplating one more baby..and also in the market for a minivan for that very reason. We don't drive the kids anywhere in the AM so we have smaller cars we drive to work...

and....it comfortably fits all 3 seats in the back. We had a Trailblazer prior and three carseats back there were much harder to fit...there are 10 more inches in the back seat of a Sierra compared to a trailblazer...

[Cricket]

We have four in safety seats in a Honda Odyssey! A two month old in a rear facing carseat, three year old twins in forward facing carseats and an eight year old in a booster!

[misfit]

We have a Grand Caravan and it works really well. We will have three in there.

[swatty]

Chrysler Town and Country. LOVE it. love hte power doors, right now we have one of hte bucket seats out so I can get in to strap toddlers in easier but it will go back in when this baby comes. So much room, so much trunk space adn storage under the two bucket seats. Best vehicle I have ever owned!

[SarahBaby1]

Another T&C here. I LOVE the stow & go and we can easily fit up to 4 carseats. We have the touring edition and i love the extras. DVD changer is a must!!!!

[iowa_mom]

we have a plymoth voyager. weve had it for 7 yrs now. i like it but and ready for a upgrade. probly still a van but a more up to date one.

[Sakura]

We have an Odyssey. The big kids are in the back and the twins are in their infant seats in the middle. I'm not totally sure what we're going to do when we switch the babies to the bigger convertible seats, because it'll be hard for the big kids to get out with those monster-sized seats in the way.

[Mynar]

Odyssey here. All 5 are still in carseats.

[caligirl07]

Grand caravan here and love it!

[JennM17]

Grand Caravan. We have 2 seats on the back bench, one FF and one RF. Then we have another one in a captain chair FF. The another captain chair is stowed. We use this area to reach the bench and also to change diapers. Love it.

[3andMe]

I have a minivan, but my dh and my mom both have Subarus, and with multiple drop-offs and pick-ups next year, I realized that everyone was going to have to be able to put three kids in their car. I did a lot of research, and ended up buying a bunch of car seats, but it works. Each Subaru now has a Britax Marathon (left over from when our twins were younger) in the middle for the baby flanked by two Radian seats. I can't remember which ones I bought right now (I'm posting in a hurry), but they are narrower than most seats and so recommended for 3-across, they have 5-point restraints currently but will convert to booster seats when the twins get to that point.

Subarus are pretty notorious for being unfriendly for carseats, and particularly my dh's model, which is a sporty version, so I was pleased with the solution. All three are facing forward, but the Britax could probably face backward without causing any problems. Since the Britax has a higher platform, it actually helps with the space issue. DH did say it was kind of a struggle getting all of them in, and it was not something he'd want to do on a regular basis.

I should add that I would not want to do this for a primary car. I love the minivan for ease of changing diapers in the car, for having a potty, for being able to drag around tons of stuff and groceries. But if you can't get a new car, it is possible to have three across in a regular car.

[sookie4415]

I am going to say I do agree. Sometimes if it is just me, I will take the kids places myself in my small car(a 2002 Neon don't laugh, got it in college and it has treated me well)...I can fit the Britax(rear facing), my 6 year old in her Graco booster, and my 3 year old in her Nautilus all in the back together...it's tight, but all seats fit appropriately.

I have a minivan, but my dh and my mom both have Subarus, and with multiple drop-offs and pick-ups next year, I realized that everyone was going to have to be able to put three kids in their car. I did a lot of research, and ended up buying a bunch of car seats, but it works. Each Subaru now has a Britax Marathon (left over from when our twins were younger) in the middle for the baby flanked by two Radian seats. I can't remember which ones I bought right now (I'm posting in a hurry), but they are narrower than most seats and so recommended for 3-across, they have 5-point restraints currently but will convert to booster seats when the twins get to that point.

Subarus are pretty notorious for being unfriendly for carseats, and particularly my dh's model, which is a sporty version, so I was pleased with the solution. All three are facing forward, but the Britax could probably face backward without causing any problems. Since the Britax has a higher platform, it actually helps with the space issue. DH did say it was kind of a struggle getting all of them in, and it was not something he'd want to do on a regular basis.

I should add that I would not want to do this for a primary car. I love the minivan for ease of changing diapers in the car, for having a potty, for being able to drag around tons of stuff and groceries. But if you can't get a new car, it is possible to have three across in a regular car.

[Mynar]

I also had a Neon with 3 seats in it - until Caleb was born.

[wannabmomof3]

2012 Honda Pilot EX-L love love love it. We just bought it in March because we were having a 3rd. I am so impressed and extremely happy with our decision. I couldn't do a van. Just not there yet lol.

[The J Team]

Agreed on the "can't do a van yet"! We have an almost 3 year-old and will have twins in January. We are trading in our Subaru Forrester for a Kia Sorento that has the third row.

[TripMomma]

We had a Honda Odyssey for 2 years, it was great for 3...though 4 felt tight, for us.
We now have an Escalade ESV and LOVE it. We have the triplets 3 to the 3rd row in Sunshine/Diono Radian carseats, LOVE them too

[tyvek]

Currently I have three and an Odyssey. LOVE IT!! My configuration is two older FF kids in the back row and the RF convertible in the middle row. It is great and I LOVE IT. I am now becoming a bit concerned about how four will all fit in there, but I guess we will just have to live with it for awhile. I might need new seats so three can sit in the back row.

[Mommabird]

We have 4 (soon to be 5) in car seats and have a T & C. We LOVE it! It has 2 DVD players, satellite tv even, the middle seats swivel to face the rear and there is a pop up card table that goes between all of them. It is totally great! We have 3 Recaro Harness to Boosters and one Marathon right now. We will probably do the 3 Recaros across the back seat and do an infant carrier/seat with the marathon for our two little ones.

[MommyShannon]

We have an Odyssey. The big kids are in the back and the twins are in their infant seats in the middle. I'm not totally sure what we're going to do when we switch the babies to the bigger convertible seats, because it'll be hard for the big kids to get out with those monster-sized seats in the way.

As long as yours is the previous model (2005-2010), the easiest thing is to scoot the passenger side captains seat to the center. As long as you use LATCH to install the carseat for that spot, it's easy for the bigger kids to get into the back.

[Dreya]

Luckily we currently live WELL below our means. The 3 will be paid off soon, within the next year (we only owe 4k on it) and our other vehicle is a beater, a '98 Neon that my husband uses to get to and from the airport basically. When we get a new vehicle, the Neon will go away (poor thing's on life support now, it just needs to be retired), the 3 will become my husband's puddle jumper and we'll get either a brand new or slightly used vehicle for me for daily use. I kept saying "I do NOT want a minivan" because we have winters here where we can get a lot of snow and have gotten stuck in the snow in our sedan too many times to count. I'm also a little frightened of getting an SUV because they're so big. It's not high off the ground I'm worried about, it's not being able to tell where my back end is. My husband likes the Ford SUVs but from what you guys are saying it seems like the Odyssey is the bomb even though it's a van. How does it handle snow?

[MommyShannon]

Actually considering snow, I might look at the Pilot or Sienna with AWD. I've heard the Ody can be ok with the right tires in snow, but it might not be the best choice. I've heard good things about the Fords too. The size terrified me going to a minivan but sitting up higher, using the backup camera and having sensors that beep when I'm too close to something make me prefer it over our small Accord now. I love having sliding doors over regular ones for loading kids but we don't have rough winters.

[Dreya]

Last year was pretty mild, we didn't have any snow at all but Maryland can be kind of unpredictable that way. One year we had snow that was over the top of my then 18 month old's head! We looked a the Pilot as well, I appreciate this thread, it's giving me some good perspective.

For fitting more than 2 car seats in a vehicle, is it doable to use the 3rd row? Like is that legal and safe?

[sookie4415]

I have 3 friends with Oddesseys in Minnesota where we have a lot of snow, cold and ice. They all hate them and wish they had done mroe reasearch. they like them the rest of the year, but not winter. They do NOT have an all wheel drive option and that can be tricky in the winter time. They are rear wheel drive. So I would do your research and test drive them for sure. But I do know that you can get AWD in the Sienna, so that is where are starting our search for a minivan. I actually just had this exact discussion with a friend last week...she said that she was trying to get up hill during a snowy day to church and with the traffic etc, she ended up not being able to get up it...said it was awful and they can't wait to get rid of theirs.

Luckily we currently live WELL below our means. The 3 will be paid off soon, within the next year (we only owe 4k on it) and our other vehicle is a beater, a '98 Neon that my husband uses to get to and from the airport basically. When we get a new vehicle, the Neon will go away (poor thing's on life support now, it just needs to be retired), the 3 will become my husband's puddle jumper and we'll get either a brand new or slightly used vehicle for me for daily use. I kept saying "I do NOT want a minivan" because we have winters here where we can get a lot of snow and have gotten stuck in the snow in our sedan too many times to count. I'm also a little frightened of getting an SUV because they're so big. It's not high off the ground I'm worried about, it's not being able to tell where my back end is. My husband likes the Ford SUVs but from what you guys are saying it seems like the Odyssey is the bomb even though it's a van. How does it handle snow?

[Mynar]

For fitting more than 2 car seats in a vehicle, is it doable to use the 3rd row? Like is that legal and safe?

As long as they are an appropriate seat for the child (like not putting your 9 month old in a backless booster) and they are properly installed, why wouldn't it be?

[TripMomma]

For fitting more than 2 car seats in a vehicle, is it doable to use the 3rd row? Like is that legal and safe?

We have 3 carseats in the 3rd row and 1 in the second row...it is legal, as long as the seats are buckled into the car like you would anyother carseat, we use Radian's to get 3 to a row and they are quite safe.