how can i fit two little uns and a baby in my small car... help!! baby due in a few days!

[berniebump3]

baby due in days... how can i fit 2 booster seats and a baby carrier in a 'normal size' car? all booster seats are really wide... are there any narrow ones out there? And does anyone know if i disable the airbag in the front of the car can my eldest 5 yr old go there... or is this a bad idea from a safety point of view? Why is the back supposed to be a safer place? nobody explains that? why dont car maufactures make cars that fit 3 child car seats... I really do not want to have to go down the road of buying a huge people carrier... not that I have the money to either!! My car is a skoda octavia. Sorry to moan but had to get this off my chest!! thanks for any advice xx

do you have a full 3 point seatbelt in the middle of the back seat??or just a lapbelt?

I get two dc on Gracohighback booster seats and DD in Britax Eclipse (before that she was in rear-facing Britax baby seat) into a Toyota Yaris. yes a very small car. I have no fingernails, but it can be done
FWIW I wonder if you put the airbag off and the seat as far back as poss, whether it would be a better idea to have the new baby in the front seat? If you can't switch the airbag off then none of them can go in the front seat anyway.

you would need to go to a skoda dealer to get the airbag turned off (which will prob cost a fortune)
if you only have a lapbelt in the middle(i know my mums skoda does)then your oldest would need to go in the middle with just the lapbelt,

If the airbag is disabled then yes your 5 year old can go in the front. When the baby goes into a forward facing seat you might find that you can get that in the middle of the back seat and a booster either side. I can manage that in the back of my fiesta (My forward facing toddler seat can be fitted using a lap belt.

I would be reluctant to have anyone in just a lap belt because they are possibly the worst type of seat belt going and during an accident can cause horrific injuries.

yep but the airbag would have to be disabled for the 5 yo to go in the front,so in that case you would prob be better putting lo in front beside you,
tbh though you are probably cheaper changing your car than getting the airbag disabled,

it also depends on the age of your middle child??
if they fit in a 9m-4y carseat then you could get one of those for that lo and have baby on one side and 5yo on other side??

Legally, provided that there is a 3 point seat belt, then a child over 3 is allowed to sit in the back seat without a booster 'where two occupied child seats in the rear prevent the fitting of a third child seat'. I'm not sure of the safety statistics on this though - i.e. whether a 5 yr old is significantly less safe with just an adult belt and no booster or whether it's not really a big issue.

Hi BernieBump - You could check with Skoda how far the airbag deploys in your front seat...if you can move the front passenger seat back far enough that your 5 yo would not come into contact with the bag in the event that it inflates, than he would be ok to go in front. There is more info on this website www.childcarseats.org.uk/choosing/airbags.htm
If you only have a lap belt in the middle at rear, and can move the front seat back far enough then your child will be safer in front.
Hope this helps!

im sure though if theres an empty seat in the back,then you cant put a child in the front with an airbag activated?

also legally there doesnt have to be a 3 point belt in order for a child over 3 to use just the belt,its the same if its a lapbelt thats fitted,

this link advises:

You do not have to use a car seat where two occupied child restraints in the rear seat prevent you fitting a third. In this case, provided the front seat is occupied, a third child aged 3 years and over can use an adult seat belt (lap OR lap and diagonal) in the rear. If the front seat is free, then they must seat there using the correct child restraint.

Taken from www.dft.gov.uk/think/focusareas/children/childincar

Says nothing about not using the front seat if the airbag is activated, I thought this was primarily of concern if the carseat was rear-facing anyway?

sorry - just googled some more - this link advises:

If your child is younger than 12 years, they must never sit in a front-seat with an active airbag in front of them. When your child is over 12 and wants to sit in the front seat, move the seat as far back as possible.

taken from www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/childrencar.htm

Which contradicts the government advice. So not sure what you should do - on the bright side, some Skodas have a switch that can turn the airbag on and off - worth enquiring if yours does - it might be a cheap fix

My skoda fabia has a switch on the side of the dashboard on the passenger side that you use to turn off the passenger airbag using the ignition key. Have you got one of those?

thanks all of you so much for all your advice... I'm sorry have only just replied but have been in slow labour since yesterday!! Contractions keep starting ... getting to the 5 min gap then stopping! very frustrating... and strange as I thought by the third child it would be a quicker birth not longer! just shows hey! The back middle seat is a three point so i think I'll call skoda tommorrow and check about disabling the front airbag... wish mine did have the simple switch to turn it on and off but it doesn't asfar as I know. If they made narrow booster seats it would be much easier but they are all so ridiculously wide! I worry that the front seat is probably statistically a worse place to be in a crash than sitting in the back... but thats our job isn't it, to feelguilty no matter what decisions we make!!? has anyone actually ever found a particularly narrow one? do the seat belts have to go under the arms on them do you think? Its actually easier to fasten in if you don't! God... am I a bad mum or is this something anyone else does? thanks again all of you... its so god to get some advice... esp as I'm just sat here waiting for this little un to decide to arrive!! xx