If you have 3 children do you HAVE to get a bigger car??

[MrsKittylette]

We were given our car by my mum and theres no way we could afford to buy another.

DH is taking lessons now and we are trying for number 3, Im really worried as Ive been waiting for ages for him to drive and if we have another Im not sure they will all fit in and I want us to go out as a family on trips

We're having to get a bigger car but then again we have a Clio and it's too small as it is nevermind with another one to fit it.

What car have you got and are you sure it won't fit 3?

not necessarily, we have the same car now we are 5 as when we were 4.

you need to check that all your car seats fit at once though obviously.

We don't have a car at all, but all three seats fit in the back of my mums ford fiesta.

what car and what ages are your dcs - and critically what car seats are they in?

I thought we would have no trouble as we have a VW touran and both girls were big enough for booster type seats when B was born. I was wronng! We had to change one of the boosters for a Britax one to fit them all in side by side - cheaper than a new car though

Its a renault megane but an older one

We have DS1 - who will be about 4 if i get PG soon

DS2 will be 2.5

and #3 newborn, obviously

My friend used to have an older Megane, it was an old S reg and she fitted 3 car seats across the back, she has 15 and 16 months gaps.

purely depends if car fits in all the car seats. We had a renault scenic which fitted in all the seats. This year FIL bought us a Zafira which fits in all the seats but we now have the optional 2 'boot seats' which works well if we pick friends up etc.

kittylette - when DC3 is born in July DD1 will be 4 and DD2 2.6yo so similar gaps to you I'll let you know how I get on.

I guess well have to just see and take the car to a shop when i get pg lol

Can i just ask how much it is a month roughly when you buy a car?

I know thats a really stupid question as it all depends,
but if i got a zafira or something with 7 seats what would we expect to pay per month?

the Britax seat which was called the hi-liner but now apparently is called something else seemed to be the narrowest booster type I could hear of and your ds1 would be of an age appropriate to that so I reckon you could do it. Good Luck!

Hello. This is my first posting - hope it helps. We bought a Honda FRV when we had number three - our Skoda Fabia, which we loved, couldn't take three car seats (the boos are 4, 2 1/2 and 8 months). The FRV is fantastic - has six seats (three in the front, three in the back) and a great boot (easily takes a tandem buggy plus shopping). Very reliable and nice to drive. Hope this helps.

No, when I only had three we had an A class

I have an FRV too - FAB. Had a CRV before but couldn't get 3 seats in the back. Had a shit C8 - never ever get one of those!

Surely you can put a proper seat belt in the middle of any standard car now?

The 4yo will only need a booster seat soon, so could he not fit between 2 car seats in the back?

Or failing that, perhaps you could go in the back between them and one car seat (with airbag switched off) in the front?

The crv middle seat won't fit a booster on it - and my arse is wider

stick one in the boot then!

Ah I'm okay as now have my frv but do find it amazing they design cars for families which don;t fit seats in.

i have recently downsized from zafira to little toyota yaris Kids age 7,4&2 two older on booster seats DD(2yrs,but tiny)on britax Eclipse seat

quinny pram in boot

Sorted 48mpg and saves a fortune on tax & insurance

I believe - but check with DVLA - that the law has a loophole which says it is not illegal to drive with the 3rd child without a booster if you can't fit one it and/or it is occasional... Of course for safety reasons that doesn't mean we think it is desirable to do so... But I think if your oldest is on the cusp of not needing a booster (mine is) then you may be OK...?

Can't remember exact details of this loophole but I checked on DVLA website I think...

Maybe I dreamt this but it would be an odd change in the law that forced everyone to have to buy a new car... Perhaps it will stay flexible for a few years while the lawyers put pressure on the car manufacturers and child seat makers etc...

we didn't upgrade to a bigger car because of having baby no 3.....(we did get a new car when I was pregant with DC3, but only cos the other one got crunched, and we then went for a cavalier, so still only a five people car).

as long as you have a middle seat belt, and room for the seats (which with a megane should not be an issue), you will be ok. if anything, new car seats that will fit is a majorly cheaper option than a new car!

MPV for us was bought when DC4 came along!

yeah you're right psycho you do still need a seatbelt though...

well.......any garage worth its salt should be able to fit a middle seat belt if there is none.

or.........a trailer could be a good option for the extra kiddies, and then you can't hear them when they beating hell out of each other