Pretty in Pink Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 When baby arrives in October we will need to install 3 forward facing carseats across the 3rd row of our 2005 Sienna. They are for ds7 (46 lbs), ds5 (44 lb), and ds 2 (25 lbs). They are all smaller, thin boys and I prefer to have them in 5 pt. harness, both for safety and ease of use (difficult to buckle/unbuckle boosters with three seats across in back row). Suggestions? I know that some of you can also suggest car seat forums that may be helpful. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punchie Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Try http://www.car-seat.org/. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoforjoy Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 (edited) When baby arrives in October we will need to install 3 forward facing carseats across the 3rd row of our 2005 Sienna. They are for ds7 (46 lbs), ds5 (44 lb), and ds 2 (25 lbs). They are all smaller, thin boys and I prefer to have them in 5 pt. harness, both for safety and ease of use (difficult to buckle/unbuckle boosters with three seats across in back row). Suggestions? I know that some of you can also suggest car seat forums that may be helpful. Thanks. We just got a Sunshine Radian for DD. We love it. It is VERY narrow, but also feels extremely safe and sturdy. We're able to fit DS's booster seat, the Radian, and a rear-facing infant seat across the back of a Honda Accord wagon without it being too tight of a squeeze. The Radian is pricey, especially if you were getting three of them, but if you can afford it, I'd definitely look into it. You can fit three across the back of most cars. Edited May 16, 2011 by twoforjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Seconding the recommendation for a Radian. We have a Radian, a Britax Roundabout, and a baby bucket in the back seat of a Toyota Camry. It's tight but everyone fits. I think that the Sienna may have only one LATCH seat back there, though, so I'm not sure of the best configuration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 The Radian is pricey, especially if you were getting three of them, but if you can afford it, I'd definitely look into it. You can fit three across the back of most cars. I suppose that cost is not so much of a consideration; it's less expensive than upgrading to an 8-passenger vehicle. We currently have 3 Nautiluses installed; to in the rear seat, outboard position and one in the second row Captain's seat. We will also need to purchase a new infant seat, so we are looking at purchasing 4 new carseats. Gah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 We have several of these in our area, and it's a great chance to buy others' lightly-used car seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather R Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 We have 3 radians across the third row of our Nissan Quest. It's a pain to install them, but it does fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 I have two Radians and our older (not expired) Cosco Scenera across the back of my Hyundai Accent. The Radian works well as an infant seat too, if it's reclined enough (45 degrees). I don't use the baby bucket seat much as I babywear, so the baby just went in the Radian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punchie Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 We will also need to purchase a new infant seat, so we are looking at purchasing 4 new carseats. Gah! We're in a similar situation - 3 across the backseat of a Toyota Corolla. There is no space for a 3rd seat w/our Britax and Nautilus. $1000 in new carseats is cheaper than the alternative. I'm hoping that 2 Radians and a bucket seat will fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 Can you put your 12 yo in the spot with no tether anchor in the back row? For myself, I would put a 7yo in a high back booster before I would have one of the radians installed without a tether anchor. I reccommend the carseat forum to get a good answer. They'll help you out. I would prefer to do that, rather than install 3 seats across the back row. Then I would only have to purchase 3 seats as opposed to 4 since I could continue to use one of the Nautiluses in the middle row. The problem is that I need a seat that is narrow enough that it won't block the thing that the seatbelt buckles into, so that my eldest can still buckle himself in. I'm going out to measure the width of the seat to that point; i.e., to see how narrow the seats would have to be to leave the third buckle point unblocked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 My Sienna is a '99 but we've been able to fit various combinations and make it work. Last summer I just had DD crawl in and out of her already-buckled shoulder strap so that I wouldn't have to wrestle with finding the buckle every time! The best fit is when the center seat is raised up higher than the others. For your 2 year old, that would be a convertible infant/toddler 5-point harness seat. Then one either side you can fit a convertible 5-pt/shoulder strap seat OR booster. Try to find seats without arm rests (or with arm rests that can move up and down) so you can access the buckles better. My experience is only with the less expensive seats. I've never tried the narrower Radians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabrizia Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 We're in a similar situation - 3 across the backseat of a Toyota Corolla. There is no space for a 3rd seat w/our Britax and Nautilus. $1000 in new carseats is cheaper than the alternative. I'm hoping that 2 Radians and a bucket seat will fit. This should work for the Corolla, we have a Matrix, which is on a Corella base, and we do three across with an old style Britax Marathon rear-facing, a forward facing Radian and a rear-facing Coccoro. We did have a second Radian in there rear-facing rather then the Marathon, but the Marathon fit DD better and still fits with our current arrangement so we switched to that. Not sure about the original question, but you will likely need at least one Radian to get a good fit, fortunately Radians have good crash test ratings even without the top tether, since there aren't 3 tether spots in the Sienna, last I checked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 We have several of these in our area, and it's a great chance to buy others' lightly-used car seats. This can be dangerous. You are buying car seats that you do not know the history of -- whether they have ever been in an accident, whether the harness has ever been washed (which can cause it to fail it an accident), etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 This should work for the Corolla, we have a Matrix, which is on a Corella base, and we do three across with an old style Britax Marathon rear-facing, a forward facing Radian and a rear-facing Coccoro. We did have a second Radian in there rear-facing rather then the Marathon, but the Marathon fit DD better and still fits with our current arrangement so we switched to that. Britax convertibles "puzzle" amazingly well. Especially when you have seats RFing and FFing next to each other. If the OP was willing to put the 2 yo/25 pounder back RFing, this could be another option for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 I have to say, that in our Sienna, the middle back seat is only good for a car seat. It's up to high on their neck. Perhaps they adjusted that? Otherwise, the back is easiest for 3 car seats, the middle row.. (and middle seat of that) is great for the baby seat in the "love baby" position or whatever that's called... (adjusted up a bit) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 Our middle row has just two captain's seats, not a bench seat, so it can seat just two. I will have four in carseats. I'm not opposed to RFing my 2yo (who will actually be 3 when baby arrives). He was RFing until recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra in FL Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I thought (it's been a while for me) that kids over 40 lbs. could go in a booster seat. My dc, especially at age 7, would object to a 5pt harness and isn't it too short anyways (top of car seat under top of ear)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 I thought (it's been a while for me) that kids over 40 lbs. could go in a booster seat. My dc, especially at age 7, would object to a 5pt harness and isn't it too short anyways (top of car seat under top of ear)? Children over 40 lbs can ride in a booster, but I would prefer to keep them harnessed for a while longer. My boys are all short with very slight builds. Their current carseats have a higher weight/height limit for harnessing than some other seats out there, and they have always been harnessed so don't complain. It's all they have ever tried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecj98 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Radians perform VERY well when untethered, so it's not a horrible option if you need to leave them all in the back seat with one untethered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeteranMom Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 We had the same issue a few years ago. We bought our Toyota Highlander and had to fit 3 carseats across the back. The Sunshine Radians fit perfectly. When we were finished with the seats we were able to easily sell them on Craigslist. I sold them for $90. each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in SEVA Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) I have 3 Sunshine Radians in the 3rd row of my 2004 Sienna, I was SO EXCITED when I watched the demonstration video on the website and the Sienna was the vehicle they used! At the time we had 4 Britax Boulevards and had to figure out a way to fit in a 5th car seat. The difference between the 65 lb and 80 lb Radian is the thickness of the metal. Also, the 65 lb one does not include the newborn pillows IIRC. I went with the 65 since it was much cheaper, I didn't need it for a newborn, and I have skinny kids (my oldest still doesn't weigh 65 lbs). According to the Sienna owner's manual (I think), latches should not be used over 45 pounds so I put the heaviest child in the center with the seat belt holding the car seat in place, and I will say it did not hold as tight as the Boulevard did (with those side barrette looking things), but was still better than the alternatives. Edited May 17, 2011 by Colleen in SEVA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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