3 car seats? Which car? Help!

[babblington]

Hello - am 18 weeks along with No.3, have a 4 yo and a 2yo, and a Zafira - 3 car seats don't fit in the back, and if we put the seats up in the back then there is no space for the pram and usual nonsense. And it's just not practical to have one all alone in the back - albeit tempting.
Do you have 3 dcs? How do you do car seats? What kind of car do yo have? Please help, really can't afford another car right now...

Hi im 19 weeks along with number 4 so will have the three car seat dilema in dec (although we are having to get a bigger car like a galaxy or something suitable for a whole tribe!)
I think it depends on how big your kids are. im lucky because my oldest is 8 and tall so she doesnt need booster seat anymore. Also next one along is three but too big for normal car seat so sits on a booster. Next one along is two and he sits on a booster with a back.
It might be easier to change your car seats than your car!

Hi - I am 17 wks with no.3 and have a 4 yr old and 2 yr old. We have a Ford Focus C Max - it is tight but I can fit in DD in a britax evolva booster, DS in maxi cosi priori and have tried a maxi cosi cabrio isofix for the baby. I might swap the maxi cosi priori for an isofix seat to avoid me getting confused (highly likely) and undoing the wrong seat belt!

I would love something bigger and have eyed up a toyoto corrolla verso but we will only buy if we are really struggling.

How often will you have all 3 in the car at any one time? My DD starts school in sept so most the time I will have just two children or if I am on my own DD can sit in the front with the seat pushed right back. I am sure we can manage teh weekends squashing them all in together!

I still dream about the verso or s max though!!!!

I can't believe how complicated this is - why aren't more cars designed for people with 3 children?! So how big/tall does you 4 year old have to be before you can put them in a booster?
And thank you for replying! I can't bare the idea of having to get some Chelsea tractor monster thing just to do the school run!

I have 3 dc's & have had to resort to a 'chelsea tractor' as it gets worse as they get older & bigger.

I have 4yo DD1, 2 1/2 yo DD2 and newborn DD3 and have a Focus CMAX and can get the 3 of them in the back, it's a squeeze but doable.

Like Bojangles would love a Corolla Verso or SMAX.

we have a scenic.i love it!big enough for 3 seats in back,big boot and hidden storage.mine are 8,7 and 2.5.

I have a Ford S-Max and as it has 3 separate seats in the back, rather than a bench seat like the Zafira, I can easily fit 3 seats in.

if you have a baby in a rear facing car seat, where do you put them? Who sits in the middle? I find it very odd choosing which child sits in the most dangerous part of the car!

dd and ds2 both in stage 2 britax car seats, ds1 on a booster seat (as wide as stage 2 seats), we have a picasso and they all fit in huuuge boot too!

"So how big/tall does you 4 year old have to be before you can put them in a booster?"

Also, how often do the police pull you over then measure and weigh your 4 y/o?

erm.... I guess my thinking was how often does my four year old go flying through the windscreen because shes slipped out of a booster seat belt that doesn't fit properly?
Sorry to be a pain, but I only passed my driving test 3 weeks ago and still think I'm going to kill the whole family somehow or other.

I have a Zafira and can fit 3 car seats in the middle. its the old shape one the middle seat just has a lap belt so i brought a britax eclipse si car seat from 9 months to 4 yrs its slimmer so its a nice fit and can be fitted with just the lap belt.

my dcs are nearly 4 nearly 2 and due dc 3 in a few weeks so i have 2 seats size 9 months to 4 yrs and a newborn car seat i also have tried 3 big seats in the back and they fit nicely.

In 2 years time it will probably all have changed again anyway.

if front seat has airbag do not put either younger one in it and move car seat as far back as possible I have a britax seat which attaches best only on a lap belt not diagonal belt is not sold as being discontinued but they may have another solution if you want them all in back. 4 year old could move to booster seat and by time baby is born your 2yr old maybe able if heavier to move to highback booster some even have intergral harness to allow more space for newborn

I guess it's all about safety. have a friend with 4 dc's she drives a volvo 4x4. dc's range from baby & 4 year old(britax car seats)to 6 & 7year old (booster seats). bit of a tank but very safe & easy to drive.

lollyheart - ours doesn't have have a lap belt in the middle seat, it has the whole diagonal belt thingy. We've tried a billion different ways but 3 seats just don't fit! Think your car is cleverer than mine!

Ihave the corolla verso and can fit dss 5 point harness seat in, my dd's high back booster and either another 5 point harness set or high back booster. Pls can put 2 car seats into boot. I love it.

britax fit finder suggests trying seats as all models different but explorer sts, king plus and eclipse si maybe ideas for middle seat I have my 2yr old ds in very back with other seat removed 6yr old dd in middle in front of ds and use other middle seats for mindees my ds2 loves being in back does not mind being alone my friend has dd1 in very back as she is very loud and gives her headache if sat in middle

so can anyone advise on which seats are narrowest as new car is not an option for us. We are about to move ds1 to high back booster, dd1 in 9 mo to 4 yrs seat and new babe due later this year

I have found the britax evolva to be narrower than the maxi rodi for a high back booster. Graco do a narrower one but I wanted the safest seats I could find. Bebe confort do a new seat called the axis which looks narrower than a maxi cosi priori and you can twist it round to put them in from the side if that makes sense.

I will put DD in her high back booster in the middle seat (with full belt) - the seats fits best this way and hoepfully she won't be as likley to prod the new baby as DS age 2 will!

babblington check britax fit finder www.britax.co.uk more options if diagonal seat belt try high back boosters if you can they are narrower than group 1-3 seats

Cheers Busymum1, much appreciated!!

bojangles - I do the same DD1 in her high back booster in the middle with full seat belt, she is just the height and weight for it now, DD2 one side in her 9m-4y seat and newborn in rear facing seat in other side. Can be a bit of a faff getting DD1's seatbelt on though.

I haven't found out how to disable the front airbag yet as that would be easier for weekdays.

re the question how big/tall does your four year old have to be? I asked them this in halfords. They said that although there was a height booster seats go up to there wasnt a starting from height. But as my ds1 was taller than the back of his high backed booster he had def outgrown and was suitable for normal booster (and he is only 3 but tall - please dont ask me how tall i am not organised enought to know exactly i just known he is in age 5 clothes!) So if in doubt take them to a bigger halfords (or similar store and get them to do the hard work with checking suitablity for you kids and car

I had this issue a few months ago we had a focus estate and No 3 on the way. We had to get a new car in the end as we couldn't get 3 seats to fit safely unless we used the poor safety rated ones.

I would recommend you have a look at the 'which' guide on car seats which has carried out the independent crash tests then pop down to your local halfords and have a play with what they have to offer and see what might fit in your car. We did this and the poor young sales assistant seemed quite happy to trawl back and forth with different options to see what combination would fit. In the end only 3 very poorly rated ones (according to the which guide) fitted in our focus but we were lucky enough to find a bigger car in our price range and stick with the seats we wanted to use.

3 DCs is fab btw - good luck