3 car seats!!!!!

[Jess1993]

We’ve just found out we’re expecting baby #3. We have a 3 year old, a 3 month old too. We now need to get baby seats that are slim so we can fit 3 across the back of our car and I’m on the look out for anyone who has found one! The car is a BMW 3 series estate if that helps with dimensions. X

You’ll be lucky ☹️. You’ll probably have to go for an s max or similar (bloody loved ours!). When dh changed company cars, it wouldn’t take 3 car seats so we bought a multimac instead which worked well.

I’ve seen the Multimac - what was your experience like with it? X

We got ours when our twins were around 4 so didn’t have the baby seat. Otherwise it worked well. We’ve just sold it was getting too small for our now 13 year old.

I don’t think you will find any car seats that will sit 3 abreast in a 3 series. If changing your car is not an option, you will probably need to put your 3 year old in the front. Not ideal of course.

We had this dilemma recently but with a 3 year old, 2 year old and baby. We went to a place called In Car Safety. All they do/sell are car seats so their knowledge is amazing. I would definitely recommend seeing if there's one near you for advice.

We have a BMW X1 and had to get a Multimac (for 7 Yr old, 3 yr old and newborn).
I hated the newborn seat at first as it’s quite ‘basic’ and also quite sharply inclined. He didn’t seem very secure or comfortable and in fact hated the car for the first 12 weeks . We put a sheepskin liner in and that helped the seat issues.
From 16 weeks onwards the seat seemed to ‘work’ better for his size and he got used to the car as well (thank fuck). Now at 10 months we’ve taken the liner out and the seat fits nicely around him.
For the older two the MM has always worked fine.
The other thing with the newborn seat is you can’t take it in and out and use it in a travel system, which was a bit of a pain sometimes. But as he hated the car anyway it wasn’t like I was able to transfer a sleeping baby in and out in a seat anyway
We had size issues with the car/ driveway and that’s why we kept the car and got a multimac. If getting a different car was an option I’d have gone for a Volvo XC90 which can fit 3 car seats in the back.

Just a word of warning with the XC90, the newer models don’t fit three car seats in one row, the middle seat is slightly too slim and the side seats too sculpted. We have the slimmest seats on the market (diono radian 5) and it’s not ideal because the older two can’t buckle themselves in. I don’t think the boot seats are supposed to have car seats on them either. We have an XC90 and an smax and the smax is a much better fit.

We had to get a big crappy Zafira. Cheapest car we could find that would fit 3 child seats apart. It’s a shite car but it does the job.

The multimac is interesting but it’s really bloody expensive.

Thanks all. Yeah I’m very reluctant to change the car, it will fit slim seats 3 abreast as long as they aren’t ISOFIX. Have had i360 spin seats for the older two but these won’t fit now.

Definitely get in touch with the In Car Safety Centre, or look up Rear Facing Toddlers on FB. You’ll be amazed at what they can get to work with three seats!

Interesting ArfArfBarf!
The 7y old is nearly 8 now so we think he might be able to go in the middle (of a newer model XC90 that is) on a booster seat and the nearly 4 y old has a slim high backed booster?
Will obv need to look into it more...

It you’re 100% against getting a new car then w multimac is probably your best option

Multimacs are expensive but we thought it was better than changing cars plus we sold it on for £1000 so not too bad in the end.

We have 3 maxi cosi tobis in a Citroen C4 Picasso

The 3yo will be 4 by the time the baby's born. He'll have to go in the front.

He is just about to turn 3 so won’t quite be 4 and makes it difficult when we go out as a family. Definitely going to look into the Multimac.

@parrotfashionista - which maxi cosis are these?

@jess1993 they are just called Maxi Cosi Tobi - They are forward facing. You will need a smaller one for the new baby of course. If I remember rightly we had 3 x Maxi Cosi pearl when they were little (triplets).

We also have a C4 Picasso and can fit 3 seats, but all the back seats are full sized. Is the middle seat in your car smaller than the others?

@parrotfashionista thank you.

Yeah my middle seat is a bit smaller I think. Multimac is the way I think x

Yes, my friend had two year old twins and a newborn with 3 maxi cosi seats in a C4 Picasso.

Multimac only rearfaces until 13kg. Going by averages, that means you'll have to forward face the baby at 18mo...

We spent ages looking at cars that would fit three seats across the back, and its virtually impossible unless you also buy super narrow seats. Even some family cars like the Zafira you can't get 3 car seats in a row. We gave up eventually (we only have 2 children so it was just going to be a nice extra).

From the research we did though its easier if you have a mix of different age seats, its 3 HBB that are virtually impossible to fit in. If you have a mix of seats then the max width is in a different place on each seat so you should be able to find a combination that works.

@YouSetTheTone
If you get the inbuilt booster cushion in the middle seat on the new XC90 you can get two seats either side. So it works quite well if one of the children is a bit older.