3 car seats in back of car

[niamh29]

Hi, I'm just a few weeks from having no 3 and my DH can't get 3 car seats in the back of his car, we will have a newborn, one in the 9month-4year seat and one in a booster seat. I have an MPV so my car is fine but we need both cars as one drops the kids off and one collects. Any advice or recommendations?

[ragged]

You could try some of the narrower boosters and 9m-4y seats. I have a Britax Prince which I think is one of the narrowest ones for that age group. Our cheap Argos boosters are a lot narrower than some others.

[madwomanintheattic]

we've never been able to do it - we spent years swopping cars between us so that whoever was picking up the kids had the right one. i've collected his car from his work car park, railway stations, wherever... i'd just get another mpv if that isn't going to be possible lol.

even after one grew out, we spent some time with someone wedged in between two car seats... and that is no fun at all.

i don't miss having to drive via dh's work to find his car in a full car park and switch before i can go to work, i tell you.

[scurryfunge]

If the one collecting never has more than 3 children in the car, then a restrained child in the front is better than not restrained in the back.

[ragged]

One of the adults could sit in the back of the husband's car, otherwise when only one adult present, let one of the children ride in front seat (airbag situation permitting).

[SummerRain]

our ford focus has a 9m-4yr britax, a highback booster from britax and one from graco and it's a squeeze but it's worked fine for 2 years now. When ds2 was a newborn it was actually easier as his seat was narrower.

[fel1x]

put one in the front of your DHs car?

[scurryfunge]

niamh, do you mean that there will always be a second adult in the car too?

[Weegle]

if it's just in those instances you put the higback booster in the front seat.

we have this - the only combination of seats where we can fit 3 across is with just a basic booster. DS can go on this in an emergency but generally I prefer him in his highback. So we have a people carrier.

[WannabeaShootingStar]

What is the issue with putting car seats in the front of the car?

I thought it was only an issue if there were airbags AND a rear facing car seat and forward facing were okay even with airbags?

[nannyl]

it is not recommended EVER to have a child seat in the front with an active airbag...

which can KILL a child up to 12 years.

it is only illegal to put a rear facing car seat there.

Its not illegal to use a child seat but still dangerous.

However it must be safer than a child not strapped in safely in the back, so the largest child should sit there with the seat as far back as it will go.

I could always get 3 car seats in the back of my clio!

[flaime]

How old is your eldest? The law says if you can't fit 3 car seats in the back then the one in the middle doesn't have to use one.

We used to use a device which attaches to the seatbelt and brings it down so it fits on the kids shoulder instead - beware only certain ones of these are tested to the full safety standards car seats are. Think we used this from when DD was about 6.