S-Max for three car seats - which seats to get/use?

[ThePurpleOctopus]

Hello!

We're due our third soon and have upgraded our C-Max to an S-Max to get three car seats across the middle row.

Which kids do you put where, and why?

I assume the middle isn't an isofix, so needs a seatbelt fitting, right?

Where do people tend to put the baby, and in which kid of seat?

Ages will be 6, 3, and newborn. We need a seat for the baby, plus need to upgrade the 3year old, so we have options.

Thanks in advance!

Infant carriers are smaller than other kinds of seat so a useful option.

You will be better off with single stage seats, rather than combinations e.g. group 123 etc or the multi-stage ones or spin seats. Those are all bulky.

Infant carrier - potentially with belt fitted base
Swedish rear facing seat (Britax Max Way, Two Way Elite, Avionaut Sky all good compact options)
Joie Steadi used rear facing
Group 1 forward facing seat (Britax or Maxi Cosi)
Slim high backed booster (Anything i-size, Joie Trillo, Britax Adventure, Maxi Cosi Rodi)

Those are the types of seat I'd consider. Are you open to rear facing the 3yo? The Swedish seats are actually some of the slimmest options on the market and tend to accommodate growth well.

It can help to start out with seats you already have and see what fits with those and whether any of them are particularly wide.

Some cars do have isofix in the middle, but seatbelt fitting can often be beneficial in order to take advantage of flexibility e.g. moving a centimetre or two over to one side.

So in this situation we put 6 year old in the middle. There's still room to get in front of or over the next seat to do the belt up if they struggle. The newborn went in the passenger side rear and the three year old behind the driver. We felt the one that needs the least help went in the middle. We didn't have any issues with different car seats. Tend to have the slimmer less built high back booster as it was easier for the child to use the belt with

S max is great cause even with seats in we could get the children to walk across to either side of the car there is so much room

My brood are slightly different in age as we also have 2 teens as well as baby and 5 year old but currently I have 5 year old in a joie bold in the middle. Yes the middle has isofix. 5 year old is able to do the belt herself but I always check it. 3 month baby in a nuna turtle air infant carrier with base rear passenger side. Access is fine etc but I certainly wouldn’t recommend that seat, if I could change to a maxi cosi infant carrier I would.

This would then mean you could have your 3 year old In the seat behind you. Probably easier to have her RF.

Smax does have isofix in the middle but I agree, the eldest in the middle as they can climb in themselves. I love my smax.