How do you get two baby seats and a booster seat into an MPV?

[KristinaM]

We don?t have twins but I hope you multiple mums might be able to help me with this. We will shortly have two babies 13 months apart and a 5 year old. Our present family car won?t take two baby seats and a booster seat in the back, so we are having to look at MPVs ? the kind with two rows of back seats that are supposed to seat seven.

We have looked at several so far and can?t work out the answer to this basic question. You need to put the babies in the middle row, in the outside seats, the ones nearest the doors ? yes? Because otherwise you will break your back trying to lift a baby into the middle seat and strap him in safely. Especially when he is a year old, weighs 30lbs and is having a tantrum.

So?once you have the babies in their car seats, there is no room in between to get a booster seat for your older child, so they have to get into the back row. How do they do this? You can?t slide the whole second row forward as its too heavy with two babies and car seats. You can?t fold back the seat as they have car seats and children in them. You can?t have the older child climb in the boot over the twin buggy and the shopping etc. How can you always put them in the car first, sliding the middle row of seats forward for them while simultaneously stopping two toddlers running into the road?

Sorry if this is a really stupid question but we just can?t work it out.

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We can't get three seats in a row in our mini-MPV either. We put eldest at the back and younger two side by side in the middle. I tend to put youngested in first, then eldest then middle child in front of eldest last. I have a bigger age gap between mine than you do though (two years each gap) and dd (middle child) is quite reliable. I also have safe parking at home (ie not on the roadside) and if we were out, when they were younger, ds2 was in the pushchair so it was hold on to dd while ds1 climbed in, then dd, then ds2 and finally pushchair! We have many times put them in over the boot: ds1 can do this alone now, both the climbing and the seatbelt which helps.

Sorry, this was probably no use at all!

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we just got a kia sedona and we fitted three baby seats and three adults in it other day easily. With a double and single pushchair, and several bags.

Put one fixed stage 1 seat in middle and two in back, all the seats can be removed if wanted (you could remove one middle seat to get to back ones) or you can completely fold down the seats (middle one without fixed seat in) to easily get into back seats.

It is also cheap in comparison to MPV's £15K brand new £10K 2-3 yrs old.

HTH

We have 3 (twins and dd was aged 3 yrs when they were born).

We bought a Citroen Xsara Picasso - it has three full sized seats in the back all with full diagonal seatbelts. The Picasso also has a very good sized boot, but will only seat 5, not seven.

In your situation I would put the older one in first into the very back seat as you say and strap him/her in. Now, I'm not too clear from your post how old the other two actually are, but if they are mobile, you're right, you don't want them charging into the road whilst you're sorting out the older child.

In that case, I would let them get in the car too, encourage them to just sit and wait until you can do them. They might not actually sit tight and be clambering about a bit inside the car, but at least they are contained in the car (make sure the other doors are locked and they can't escape). You will effectively be blocking the only exit whilst you are strapping in the older child iyswim.

It's tricky, fiddly, backbreaking and b**y frustrating I can tell you. You have my sympathy totally because wriggly children, rain, shopping and carseats are the road to hell - no doubt about it. The children don't co-operate, nor do the car seats; I'm ashamed to say my children heard many a strangulated swear word from me whilst engaged in this activityI even used to weigh up whether the car journey was actually necessary at all and forget the whole fiasco altogether some days.

By the time they were all in booster seats (Feb this year) I was ready to have a celebratory bonfire of the carseats.

Good luck - the everyday dilemas of dealing with three young children could confound great philosophers - it's not easy.

nanny jo - even if you can get two baby seats in the third row, how does mum get in there as well to strap the babies in the seats? And in some of the MPVs the third row seats only seem suitable for a booster seat, not one for an under 5. Or am I misunderstanding you?

Tinygang - well at least now i know that it wasn't a stupid question! Older child can strap herself in safely - I just can't work out how she can climb into her seat over the babies.

the middle seats fold right down (to make a table) and you can get in easily to the back ones and sit on the folded chair/table whilst you strap them in.

AH HA!!!! The light dawns.....thank you nanyjo

So as long as they are big enough to climb into the car themselves you are OK? Or can you climb over the table carrying a baby?

Rickman - what MPV do you have ( that takes 3 seats in a row) and would you recommend it?

we managed easily with 3 9 month olds, two in back one in middle. it was fine.

Visit your local Kia dealers (and a few other makes??) and take a seat with you and ask to try it for size.

Good luck.

It drives very nicely BTW

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I've got a sharan too and three children - we use an isofix babyseat for the middle and boosters for on side seats. The rear seats are in the garage unless we need them. plenty of space all-round!

our other car is a toyota corolla verso, with built-in boosters in the side seats (fab!), and in the middle we've got a maxi cosi priori for the youngest. Again, plenty of space for all three.

Thats encouraging, as I've had VWs before and found them very reliable.

All the MPVs I've seen so far have tipping side seats, but as you say that's no good if you have a car seat on them. So to access the back row you have to remove the middle seat completely, fold it down and climb over it (as nanyjo says), or have your older child climb in the boot over the shopping, double buggy etc.

Seems to me that MPVs are designed for families with kids over 5 years old, or with only one baby/toddler!

I am a childminder and I have a fiat ulysse and I have to get a 2year old, a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 year old in (more sometimes). The 5 year old goes in the back on a booster seat with a back on it, the 2 1/2 year old goes behind the drivers seat in the middle row and the 2 year old goes in the middle seat in the middle row, but cos it is a lap belt you must buy an appropriate car seat for this. This leaves the middle row seat on the passenger side free to lift up and down to get into the back seats no problem. This sounds quite complicated so hope you can understand my explanation.

Assuming a baby in a bucket seat.
Fold forward one seat put child in back toddler seat, fold seat back put bucket seat in.
From other side fold forward seat put child in back in toddler seat, fold back seat, put child in middle seat in toddler seat. Place older child into booster on side seat.
And if I turn off airbag put eldest/tallest in front on booster.

So far 1 under 1, 2 under 4, and 2 older ones in my Fiat Uylesse (with all shoulder belts)

And yes I'm a childminder too

Hm.... I think so feelingold. So the end seat on the middle row is free to lift up so the adult can climb in the back to carry/strap in the baby?

I don't think you can get a baby seat to use with a lap belt, but some of the MPVs have 3 three point belts in the middle row.

I can see how this will be easier in a year or so when the middle child is big enough to climb into the seat, even if they can't strap themselves in. Sounds much easier with toddlers!

I have 2 britax baby seats that both use lap belts and also have a fiat ulysses which has two back rows of seats. I tend to leave the middle seat out of the middle row to leave a gangway to walk through and i put the baby seats in the back. My ulysses is an 8 seater though so i still have 7 seat when i take the middle middle one out! crikey that sounds confusing but i find it easy enough to put 3 children all in their seats and they are all under 3! and im a larger lady who is 4 months pregnant and i still manage!

Now Bonkerz - that makes sense to me - to have a little gangway down the middle.I can actually imagine that I could manage that.Maybe its just my kids....but they often hate going back in the car. When they are tired screaming toddlers, arching their backs, kicking and flailing at your face with their hands...its hard to imagine how to hold then and clinb over a table or slide a row of seats with one hand......

Or maybe I am just a wimp

you can do that with a Kia too

Canyou tell i love my new car???

We went for a Peugeot 807 as we've got the 4; 6,4 & the twins. The most useful MPVs are the ones where the middle seats fold independently as it gives you more access options! I also think that should you need quick access you can get to them more easily. The front seats rotate 180 degrees so you can all face each other for a picnic or in the Channel Tunnel. Also, with it being street only parking where we live, sliding rear doors are so much easier when it comes to loading up as you don't have your backside stuck out into the road in quite the same way. We tend to sit one baby and one boy in each of the back 2 rows. It stopped the boys fighting and means you've got one to entertain each baby.

KristinaM, I know someone with an MPV that you can swivvel (sp?) the middle row seats around to face backwards. Once the seat is facing backwards it's easy to get into the back row. So she has one child seat in the middle row RHS, and the booster seat in the back row RHS, then the middle seat LHS is turned around and the second child seat is in the back row LHS. This means she can reach all 3 seats from the left back door. I don't know what make of the MPV is though.

not read all the thread but we have a citroen picasso and can get 3 car seats in the back no prob.
6yo and 4yo have Britax Kid seats with seatbelt and 2yo is in Britax club class on one side.
They can all climb in easily as there is lots of leg room ie they all walk in (in the order they will sit iyswim) from one side of the car.
I then strap in the baby, reader over and strap in dd (in the middle) and then go round and strap in ds1.
I think the renault megane and nissan primera tino are similar.

sorry that should be reach over and strap in dd