Three car seats in Nissan Qashqai

[ClockSpanner]

I have found out I'm unexpectedly pregnant with baby number three but it's causing me a headache when I think about car seats. We have a 2016 Nissan Qashiqai. I have DD who will be about 3 and a half years old when this baby arrives. Shes currently in a joie 360 rear facing. Then DS is 9m at the moment so will be coming on for 1 and a half when baby arrives and he is currently in a baby carrier with isofix base. DD is in the middle of the 50th and 75th centile for weight and height for her age. Currently 94.5cm tall and 14.2kg. DS is 7.5kg and only 9th centile for weight according to my red book. Not sure of his length accurately as he won't stop wriggling or crawling long enough for me to measure him.

So... ideally I would like 3 seats in the back but im guessing this is probably impossible as they are all so young? I would put one in the front seat if I could be sure it was the safest choice both with age of child and seat being used. Then I would usually drive the children alone but if my husband drives us I would have to squash in the back between two seats. I am keen to rear face them all as long as possible but again wonder if that may have to be just for the two youngest ones? We don't have a budget as such but we can't afford to buy loads of different things or get it wrong.

I've seen such great advice given on here about car seats so I'm hoping that maybe someone can solve our problems. Thank you!

[Tinyhumansurvivalist]

honestly I would look to change your car as you certainly won't get 3 rf seats in the qashqai.

We had a grand c4 Picasso and it was a struggle. My sister had an alhambra and had banishes with 3 seats but had to ff her eldest at 3.5.

[Planterlifer]

I agree with @Tinyhumansurvivalist

[FourPlasticRings]

Well, you can put a car seat in the front passenger seat of a Nissan Qashqai if you turn the airbags off- at least, you can in mine (I don't though). I think you could probably do a rear facing belted seat for your eldest there if you put your baby carrier behind it so you can move the front passenger seat back to accommodate the car seat in the front. Check the euro ncap information and manufacturers guide for your car to make sure. It'd be a relatively short term fix though, so you might do better to just get a new car.

[ClockSpanner]

Thank you all so far. Changing the car is my DHs preferred last resort as we cannot afford to do it easily. We only got it last year and some of the money for it was gifted so its a bit complicated. Guess we may not have a choice though in the end. Is the general consensus that even if we put one of the children in the front when my eldest is still under 4 that even if we swap to a hbb at that point we still couldnt get 3 across the back? This is what I feared though!

[BertieBotts]

Yes that's likely. It's not a big car, a pain for car seats.

However if you get something like the britax two way elite for the front, you could potentially shuffle them around until its the youngest in the rear facing seat in front and by the time they're out of that, the oldest should be OK either without booster in the middle (this is legal if you have no space) or on a bubble bum in the middle.

[zippityzip]

Have you ever heard of a multimac?? Hang on let me see if I can find a link.

[BertieBotts]

With car seats in front you tend to need the front seat forwards so they can brace on the dashboard. Also the Joie 360 takes up less space than our infant carrier did!

[BertieBotts]

Are you near the in car safety centre because they will spend time trying different seat combinations with you, I'd also try some potential future ones out as well.

[zippityzip]

https://www.multimac.com/whatitt_is

[zippityzip]

They build in seats to the back of your car like a rack - and can have rear facing too. May be worth looking at. It's all safety assured etc and cheaper than getting a new car.

[ClockSpanner]

Thank you. Had heard of the TWE.. it could work to do that. Would it be safer to have my eldest in the front as opposed to my youngest in the baby carrier belted rather than using isofix? Guessing as the TWE is to 25kg it may get us closer to DD being 5 or 6? Or am I being optimistic?! Then either of the two younger ones can go in the TWE and the Joie? Just googled the bubble bum but not convinced that looks that safe but maybe I'm wrong as I've never heard of it before! Think I would feel that way about her being in the middle on no booster too.. do many children that age travel that way? Gosh I'm getting more confused!

[ClockSpanner]

Sorry just seen the other replies which weren't there before I posted just now. Yes I've heard about the multimac. I did look at that. It is expensive when you add all the bits on like the baby carrier and headrests and things though take your point about it still being cheaper than a new car. Will also google the in car safety centre and see if its near us as that sounds very helpful.

[PiratePetespajamas]

FWIW, I really struggled to sit between 2 car seats in our Qashqai (2016) and I’m not big...

[BertieBotts]

It doesn't matter which child is in the front as long as they are rear facing and the airbag is off. It's less safe to have a forward facing child under 12 in the front.

25kg seats will likely get you to 6/7 years.

[BertieBotts]

The TWE isn't the only one, but it's quite a compact one and has shallow sides so easier to see the mirror over. There are newer seats e.g. Axkid move/Minikid, most people find they need a towing mirror to see past them. But you could do new baby in the front at first.

If not in car safety centre there are a few more places which might do the same, but they are the only UK stockist of the two way elite.

[BertieBotts]

Your eldest would be 9 by the time the new baby outgrows a 25kg rear facing seat so should be fine on a bubble bum without a high back :)

[BertieBotts]

But more likely, you may be in a position to change the car at some point in the next 6/7 years.

[Iminaglasscaseofemotion]

I'm a childminder and have the +2 but I don't think it's any wider, just longer. I can fit 3 proper baby seats in the back of of the car at the same time (forward facing) even easier if one is rear facing.

[Newbiehere123]

@ClockSpanner just wondering how your daughter is finding rear facing? I recently had mine forward facing (16 months) as he was throwing up during and after each journey but wanted to keep him rear facing as long as possible.

Also, going back to your original question- Aren't Qashqai's very small in the back anyway? I've been in a friends one and she was just about able to fit two seats at the back. One being a booster and one being a maxi cosi infant. I'm 100% sure it wasn't the juke.

[ClockSpanner]

Thanks again for all your comments. I've sat in the back between the two current seats and it's tight but not impossible to do for shorter journeys so thats ok. I would agree its not the biggest car in terms of seat space though. The in car safety centre isn't that close but it's not that far either so it's probably worth the journey if its possible to be seen by them. The TWE might be the best solution for the short term though and its only the one car seat needing to be purchased initially.

[BertieBotts]

Whereabouts are you? If South London, Rear Facing Toddlers might be better although she doesn't sell the two way elite, but she does have other 25kg seats.

[ClockSpanner]

@BertieBotts we're East Midlands. Milton Keynes isn't too bad a journey. But thank you!

[lorisparkle]

We have three ds and my DH has a Nissan qashqai. It is a nightmare taking all three ds out in it with me and DH. When they were in car seats I had to sit sideways to fit on the middle seat, when we just had one in a car seat they complained about sitting in the back together as the middle seat is not comfortable. Now none of them are in car seats and they still complain about sitting in the back together as it is cramped. Our main car is a Ford Galaxy- love it!

[BertieBotts]

Precious Little One in Grantham might work too - but I have heard really good things about the in car safety centre!