Three across in a Volvo XC90?

[biscuitcat]

Any help hugely appreciated! I'm hoping to buy the car seat in the Boxing Day sales...

We're due our third in March, and current two are 3.5 and 20 months. They're currently both rear facing in a Recaro Salia 125 and a Cybex Cloud Z2 - both quite little for their ages in height and weight.

My current plan is to have the new baby in the Cybex in the centre seat (belted in, as no Isofix), move DS2 up to DS1's Recaro, and then get a new seat (maybe a forward facing harnessed seat like a Britax Advansafix) for DS1.

But basically I'd love a sense check from anyone with more experience! Would that work, or is there a better solution? Happy to keep DS1 rear facing but three pregnancies in quick succession has shot my hips and back so something friendly to that is important! For example, I wondered about the Cybex Anoris but don't know how easy leaning over that to put the new baby in the middle would be.

Thanks so much!

I don’t have an XC90 so I’m not sure about that car specifically but I do have 3 in a row in an S-Max and I’d say having the baby in the middle is not a good plan. I tried that initially and it’s so hard to get them in and out. It’s easier with the baby at one side, oldest child in the middle forward facing as they can climb in and out themselves. If your baby is in a seat that you’ll take in and out of the car (like Maxi Cosi pebble etc) then just get the oldest to climb in and help them buckle up before you put baby in.

It’s a bit of a logistical nightmare with 3 in car seats but you’ll find a way and get used to it, just look for the slimmest child seat you can for your oldest. I got a Britax Kidfix, nice and slim.

Ah thank you that's really helpful to know - my initial plan was having my oldest in the middle but friends who just had twins told me they found it easiest with their older one on an outside seat!

The only problem there is I don't have isofix in the middle, and I don't yet want my oldest in a seatbelt only seat as I don't think he's quite ready - and I'm really struggling to find any seatbelt-fit, narrow, harnessed seats.

We had three in a row in an xc-90 but they are a bit older now so I can't really advise on car seats. When we had our three we went to the in car safety centre and jigsaw sled different seats together until we got a combo that worked for us!

You could look at the Axkid seats or Britax Max Space Pro kind of thing. Those are belt fitted and ERF so the eldest could stay rear facing. They are also narrower so good for fitting 3 across. Easy to fit in Volvos apparently, as the tether loops are already provided.

Possibly even for the centre seat if a support leg is allowed there. If not, look at Joie Steadi/Graco Extend/Graco Slimfit R129 for the middle seat - again these are RF and belt fitted and fairly slim.

Thank you everyone! That was really helpful. We luckily had friends with baby twins round over the weekend and had a play with their car seats which really helped.

In case it's useful, we've decided to go for a Nuna Pipa Urbn for the new baby (luckily found an excellent sale deal) then a Joie Steadi in the middle seat for my oldest as we already have two of them as spares in my husband's car, which will hardly be used once the new one arrives (not big enough!), and get along fairly well with them. Means that when I'm on my own the new baby can be in the front and I don't have to scramble across, but the Nuna fits so easily it won't be too much of an issue when that is needed.