[chrisandaaron]

I'm looking for suggestions. We have 2 little ones in carseats and are thinking about starting the process to adopt baby #3. I have seen people with 3 carseats in one back seat, but looking at my back seat I can't figure out how I am going to do that. I drive a Chevy Trailblazer, so it isn't small by any means. Did you find that certain carseats fit better than others? I do have a 3rd row seat, but I think it will be difficult to get a child in a carseat way back there, not to mention the loss of trunk space. So, I would like to get them all in the regular back seat if possible.

Thanks for any suggestions!

[123diamond123]

Im not sure about a smaller one that would fit with the other two, but if you did get a car with the third row you can put the older child back their. Keep in mind that that child may go into a booster seat soon....Good luck

[srusse24]

Originally Posted by 123diamond123

Im not sure about a smaller one that would fit with the other two, but if you did get a car with the third row you can put the older child back their. Keep in mind that that child may go into a booster seat soon....Good luck

From what I have read, it is safest to keep your children in a 5-point harness carseat as long as possible. In fact, they now make one that goes up to 80 lbs.

I hate to say it, but you may be best off with a van or putting in that third row seating. Regardless of how small the car seat is, I cannot imagine it being safe, or comfortable, to have 3 carseats in one row.

[mommieof2cuties]

I have all three carseats in the row behind me, all are fivepoint, I have one peg perego, one britax, and one Eddie Bauer leather 5 point to 85 pounds. My husband has three Britax Marathons is row behind him and all are forward facing. We no longer all go out in one car or suv as the third row is really a pain to deal with. my only issue is that if you go to avoid a car crash one would put the passanger side into the crash first, and that upsets me, but I do have like ten airbags. It is easier to have the newborn seat by a door as it tends to take up the most space. My friend that has triplets uses three britax roundabouts in her first row. It can be done, you just want to be able to leave the carseats installed in the car and not move them around, that is when it gets confusing.

God Bless,
Summer

[mommieof2cuties]

PS> we use the lower latch system for all of them in my car, and in my husbands It gets the seats in tight and many times in car crashes the seatbelts fail. You should keep your child in a 5 point until 80 pounds, we will be getting the britax regents as soon as the children out grow these asit is only one of two tests to 85 pounds.

Please take a second to watch this movie

YouTube - Importance of a 5-Point Harness Carseat

[2manyks]

we had to buy a new car when we had 3 carseats - our jeep cheerokee didnt fit 3. you wwill probably be able to put your 2 boys in boosters by the time a new baby comes along. my friend has 2 britax round abouts and 1 britax booster in her 3rd seat and it works fine. i would take the seats actually out to the car and try them out before you buy them! on my newer car the air bag turns off in the front seat if the passenger isnt heavy enough. i havent put the baby in the front seat, but some of my other children think its a treat to sit there. do you think its safe to put a baby in the front seat if there is no airbag?

as far as not going somewhere together, i would buy a different car. it is a good time for everyone to talk and just spend time together.

[christyrana]

That is why there are mini vans...No don't cry it's not so bad. I was finally sucked in too !
We bought a Toyota Sienna AWD and we love it. Yeah it's not a tough as a trailblazer, but it rides like a Cadillac. And as a added bonus, my son thinks the "robot" door is the greatest!

[mumofone]

I love driving a van...never thought I'd ever say that. lol

The two younger kiddos are in the Eddie Bauer 5-point harness seats in the middle row, and my oldest, who is 9 1/2 is in a booster seat in the last row.

By law (in my area), children must remain in a car seat until they reach 40 lbs. After that, they may go into a booster seat. Technically, my 9 year old does not need to be in a booster seat at all, but ssshhhhh, don't tell him. I'll keep him in one for as long as I can.

No child under age 12 is permitted to drive in the front seat here, although many people do it, it is against the law....air bag or not.

[AdoptInMe]

Just to add my 2 cents, you CAN put 3 car seats in a row in a Trailblazer, but it's a pain, especially if any of the kids use a lap belt. If they are all using 5-point harnesses, it's not as bad to get them in and out, because you do not have to search for the buckle all of the time. But, as soon as you have one in a lap belt, I would move that one to the 3rd row.

[shortlittlemama]

I have to chime in to support the minivan. I thought it was so uncool, but with a 3 year old, one year old, and baby due in a couple of months- I knew what I had to do. Now that we have it, I would never go back to my SUV. There is so much more usable space; it's easier to get from seat to seat; we even have a DVD player with cordless headphones for long trips (no more asking if we're almost there yet!). I must admit, it's one of the best decisions I ever let my husband talk me into making

[chrisandaaron]

Originally Posted by AdoptInMe

Just to add my 2 cents, you CAN put 3 car seats in a row in a Trailblazer, but it's a pain, especially if any of the kids use a lap belt. If they are all using 5-point harnesses, it's not as bad to get them in and out, because you do not have to search for the buckle all of the time. But, as soon as you have one in a lap belt, I would move that one to the 3rd row.

AdoptInMe-
You sound like you are speaking from experience. Do you know what kind of carseats? All of my guys will probably still be in 5 point harnesses for a while.

Thanks,
Chris

[chrisandaaron]

Yeah.. Yeah.. I hear ya'll on the minivan. My sitter has one, but it still looks like a pain to get little ones in carseats in the back. Plus, I LOVE my trailblazer (it is very cool ) and I haven't even had it a year. So, even if I wanted to trade it in for a van I probably couldn't do so without taking a huge loss. Maybe I can talk dh into trading his SUV in for a van - FAT CHANCE! Thanks for all the suggestions, please keep them coming!

[AdoptInMe]

chrisandaaron, I am a nanny for a family that had a Trailblazer (no 3rd row), and I would often have 4 kids in the car. 3 car seats would NOT fit across in the Santa Fe that I had at the time (I now have a Durango with a 3rd row, and they do fit).

In the Trailblazer, I would put the oldest in the front, with 3 in the back. The car seats were the wide kind of booster seats (none were ever in a 5-point), all the kids were over 3 years old at the time. They don't sell that kind of booster anymore, but it's one of the wider ones. The seats did fit, but I would have to put them in like dominoes. I would put the 1st child in, put the next child in and then the 3rd, because we could not get the buckles in between the seats. It was SUCH a hassle, especially in the summer when we were coming home from the beach!

For our baby, I have a Britax. It does fit 3 across (I measured) in my Durango, don't know for sure about the Trialblazer (but the Britax is the same width as the booster seats). There are several boosters out there that are more narrow, so if you're going that direction, check all of them. I will be starting as a nanny with a family with 2 children, both in 5-points. In this case, I am going to probably put all 3 in the 2nd row. That gives me more storage space, and it's not a big deal when they aren't using the lap belts yet. As soon as one of them starts using a lap belt, he'll move to the 3rd row. Too much hassle!

I would love to have a minivan, but we live in the woods in Maine, so we need 4x4. The only minivans that have 4x4 are WAY too expensive, and most don't even have it. We need the power of our SUV. Besides, it is way cooler .

[court5505]

Originally Posted by mommieof2cuties

PS> we use the lower latch system for all of them in my car, and in my husbands It gets the seats in tight and many times in car crashes the seatbelts fail. You should keep your child in a 5 point until 80 pounds, we will be getting the britax regents as soon as the children out grow these asit is only one of two tests to 85 pounds.

Please take a second to watch this movie

YouTube - Importance of a 5-Point Harness Carseat

I have seen that video several times and I can guarantee you that my kids will be in 5 point harnesses until they are 16!!!! There is NO reason that they should not be and plenty of reasons they should. I think if more people were aware of the importance, booster seats would be a thing of the past!

[AdoptInMe]

Although I can understand wanting our children to be the safest possible, that video was about a seat belt failing, nothing else. It was incredibly sad, but had nothing to do with the car seat itself. Should everyone sit in a 5-point harness, with an additional hook-in to keep them extra safe, just in case the actual seat belt fails??? I just don't, personally, see the logic.