Car that fits three seats across

[moggle]

It's very early days but we've just found out we're expecting twins, we have a DD who will be 3y2m ish by the time they arrive (christmas time probably). I'm already slightly panicking and at the moment the focus of my panic is our car so I thought I'd ask even though it's such early days. We have a Focus, I'm sure it will not fit 3 car seats in so we'll need a new one.

DD is currently in an axkid minikid, she stayed in her cabriofix til 18m so I'm hoping that the new babies can do the same which means she will be getting on for 5yo by then and can hopefully move into a forward facing HBB. I would want the new babies to go into RF seats. So we need something that'll fit the Minikid and two cabriofix (pref with bases but realise that may be a compromise), then a HBB and 2 RF seats, then three HBB (DD is short for her age so she will be in the HBB for a while).

Just wondering what cars can do this in one row before we think about looking at seven seaters. Not too bothered about presence of isofix in all seats.

[moggle]

Hm perhaps I should have put this in Cars. or Larger families. Or Multiples! Oh well. Thought the rear facing aspect might catch some interest here. see how it goes...

[HarryOHay]

Have a look on Fb for the group car seat advice for mummies and daddies. I'm sure they have a file on cars which fit 3 across.

The mini kid is good as it has a really narrow foot print on the seat. It's one that's recommended on there a lot when people want 3 across.

I have a 7 seater so can't advise apart from that

Congratulations

[AuditAngel]

I had a Megane Scenic (07 reg) with 3 seats, one baby seat (M&P rear facing with Non-Isofix base) one Britax Isofix seat (Stage 2) and a booster cushion. It was a tight squeeze.

We then moved onto a Grand Picasso and had a Britax forward facing Isofix seat (Stage 1) the Britax stage 2 and a booster cushion. (Mine aren't twins)

[fuzzyfozzy]

I have an smax. The three seats move independently so I pull the middle one a few cm forward which gives me enough room to get three seats across.
(Childminder)

[moggle]

Thanks! Harry I'm already in that FB group/page so I will do some digging.
auditangel (love your name btw!) I will file those away for future reference.
fuzzy that's useful next door has an s max so we can play with theirs once we're a bit further along. Didn't know that about the seats moving.
I really thought we would have our trusty focus until it fell apart. It has a big scratch down the side so we would never get much money for it. I may actually have shed a tear yesterday at the thought of having to get rid of it and actually patted its dashboard and said "it's not anything you've done!" Bloody hormones!!!

[AliceMum09]

Peugeot 5008. We bought our first one when I was pregnant with baby no.3 in 2011 and then upgraded to a newer one last November (I loved the car so much, and knew our child seats fitted, so I couldn't be bothered to research other cars!).

I don't know whether you were thinking new or second hand, the 2010-2013 original 5008's have flimsy underfloor storage boxes by the two outer seats in the middle row and the manual states that no seats or bases with a support leg may be used. However the 2013> facelifted 5008's (which is what we have now) have reinforced storage boxes and the manual clearly states that you may lift the lid of the box and extend the support leg to the bottom. However the boxes are an awkward shape, there isn't much flat area at the bottom of them so it still might not be possible to use certain seats or bases with support legs anyway. All versions of the 5008 have three sets of ISOFIX points across the middle row.

This is my car with a rear facing seat and two high backed boosters. It's fitted any combination of seats that we've needed. I have lots more photos of various seats in it, there is always room to get to the buckles for children on high backed boosters.

[AliceMum09]

Oh, and all the middle row seats in my car slide back and forth too. It really helps with offsetting the widest parts of two child seats next to each other, and lets you slot one 'behind' the other if they are wide seats.

When you start looking properly keep in mind the fact that child seats ARE allowed to lightly touch each other, there doesn't have to be a gap between them. As long as each seat is installed exactly as it would be if there were no other seats in the car then that is ok. Wedged in, or moving when you close the car door and it jams the seats in is not allowed!

[moggle]

Thanks Alice - so looks like three full seats across is the key. And that even if they fit I will need to watch out for support legs, what a minefield! Do you know whether the support legs for infant seat bases cause similar issues or is it only the bigger seats that have the problem? Just remembering that our easyfix base has a support leg.
The minikid is nice and narrow at the seat but the head seems quite wide so good to know they can be offset. Hoping that having one HBB once the twins go RF will help regardless it will certainly help financially not to have to have three RF seats. And isofix will be useful of course once they are all in HBB I'd forgotten that.

What shall I panic about next?!!!!