3 carseats in back...which van?

[Pamela H in Texas]

I need to be able to put 5 carseats in a vehicle. I would LOVE a 12 passenger van, but that probably isn't doable right away. I found a 14 passenger van with executive seating that looked good but they never replied <sigh>. So I'm looking at vans and suburbans and such. Used, usually 2004-2009.

 

Every time I'm looking at a van, it seems the back seat is not really 3 full seats so may not hold 3 simple carseats of any kind.

 

Does anyone have an Odyssey, Sienna, Caravan, Touring, Suburban, etc that they can get three regular (not monstrous) carseats in the 3rd row seat?

[2squared]

I have a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan and 5 dc in car seats. The backseat is not big, and the middle position is only a lap belt. I have the smallest seats I could find back there - two of the cheap boosters from Walmart and a Sunshine Radian in the middle. We don't like the Radian, but it's the narrowest 5pt that we could find.

[nukeswife]

We got rid of a Town and Country touring (same as Caravan) last Nov and there is no way you'd have been able to get 3 carseats in the back. We couldn't even fit a 3rd child not in a carseat in the back if we had to put two children with carseats back there.

 

We now have an Expedition and could easily fit 3 carseats in both the 3rd row and middle row seat if needed.

[JudoMom]

I have a Toyota Previa. It's very reliable. We can fit 3 carseats in the back row. We have had 3 carseats & 2 boosters as well. We currently have 3 boosters & 2 carseats.

 

ETA: We have a 1994. I want to get a 1995 because that year having shoulder belts on all seats became standard (according to a Toyota rep).

Edited June 23, 2011 by JudoMom

[twoforjoy]

I don't have any van advice, but I did want to say that the Sunshine Radian carseat (I have one and we love it) should fit three across most seats. We can fit the Radian, a Peg Perego infant seat, and my DS's booster across the back of a Honda Accord wagon.

[Random]

We have used 3 car seats in the third row of an Expedition, a Sequoia and an Odyssey. You could easily put three carseats in the third row of a Suburban.

 

As a side note, Consumer Reports has extensive information for all of the vans you listed, including interior dimensions. Maybe you can check that out, and see which one has the most inches?

 

I think you can also do a similar search for carseats, and find ones that are safe and more narrow.

 

Best wishes to you!

[RebeccaS]

We have a Ford Freestar. We also needed 3 seats across the back when we began to foster. We used the Radian 80. Expensive, but so awesome.

[JessicaLady]

I don't have any van advice, but I did want to say that the Sunshine Radian carseat (I have one and we love it) should fit three across most seats. .

 

:iagree:

 

I have Britax and they are very bulky (but safe!) I have two boys and only feel comfortable with using two seats/row. These would be great b/c would fit in most vehicles if needed.

[blondeviolin]

We have an '06 Dodge Grand Caravan that fits three across with 3 Radians.

[Hot Lava Mama]

But we can't fit 3 car seats back there. I've tried. Maybe ours are bigger than normal, but it's too tight.

 

Hot Lava Mama

[Green Vixen]

Hi Pamela,

 

I have a Sienna but have never tried putting 3 carseats in the back seat. I *think* you could fit 3 narrow carseats, but I would definitely try before purchasing a vehicle. I've also heard, as one of the previous posters said that the Radians are the narrowest 5 point harnesses out there. Is the oldest in a booster or carseat? Maybe you could put the 3 oldest in the back and the youngest rear facing kids in the middle. Sounds like it is going to be a tight fit, good luck!

 

Marisa

[Lauren R.]

We always have had a problem with that, we could never go anywhere with all the kids and dh without taking 2 cars.

My dc 2,3,4 are in carseats then dd6 is in a booster seat. Then we have dc 9,11,13 it wasnt easy!

 

Now we have a 12 passenger van and im glad we bought it, so we would have enough room for all the kids dh me and anyone else (friends,family etc) :D

[raceNzanesmom]

I think 3 Radians would fit across in most vans (seems to me Nissan and Mazda are smaller and might have issues). 3 should fit in a Dodge, Chrysler, Honda or Toyota. The only problem with that is some complain about the RF fit of the Radian on the captain's chairs of Toyotas, maybe Hondas). I can't comment because I haven't tried it. With other car seats it's often just getting them to puzzle correctly. I have 3 Radians in my dh's Corolla. It's snug, not s super easy install, but works. I can also do 2 Radians and a booster with low arms.

 

Here's a link with measurements of car seats to give you a starting point of what might fit. http://sites.google.com/site/carseatmeasurements/ If you can, I'd try before you buy just to get an idea of how what you have will work, what you might need to buy, etc.

 

Another thing to think of is placement of top tethers, lower anchors (if you want to use LATCH vs the seat belt), shoulder belts and head support. This will vary by year on older models. Also, consider how long you'll likely use the vehicle vs what seats you'll need (as kids grow).

 

PM me anytime if I can be of help.

[EJCMom]

I have a Chevy Venture with a 3 across the middle seat. It fits three normal-sized carseats in the middle, so I presume they would fit in the back also since the very back seat is the same size.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Thanks y'all!

 

Why won't the guy with the 14 passenger van contact me back? LOL

 

I looked up the Expedition on my carmax site (I love carmax) and the difference in seating is obvious even online. Obviously, I'd still try it, but...

 

5yr old is in a high back booster. My ideal situation is that front facing kids would be in the back and rear facing in the middle. Then everyone can engage.

 

I would prefer a vehicle we can all fit into, ideally even if we had one more in a booster seat. However, I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that we may have to take two cars for some things even if we get a bigger vehicle. Mostly, I'm just interested in being able to do what I need on a daily basis (get people to school, doctor appointments, etc).

[raceNzanesmom]

5yr old is in a high back booster. My ideal situation is that front facing kids would be in the back and rear facing in the middle. Then everyone can engage.

QUOTE]

 

Sometimes it's easier to have one RF child (usually the older one) in the 3rd row, so both seats in the 2nd row don't have a RF seat blocking access. Then put an older child next to them to keep an eye on them for you.

 

You might also consider an 8 passenger van, 2 rows of bench seats. One seat usually folds down for access to the 3rd row.

 

For the booster'd kids, make sure their seats allow the seat belt system to fit well, and have lower arms. The Harmony boosters seem to get good reviews for fitting next to a harnessed seat. Just make sure you check everyone after they're buckled- belts pulled tight, under the booster arms, etc.

 

Also, keeping kids in a harness (like the Radian) is safeR and allows for easier buckling next to another seat.

 

hth

[Dinsfamily]

Not an Odyssey. When we were expecting our third and upgrading to a used minivan, I looked at all kinds of back seats and the Odyssey's was the smallest. It *might* fit 3 Radians but nothing else. We ended up getting one because we wouldn't run into that problem for awhile and I love it but if we were to have another dc, we'd have to get a different minivan or a van. The experts on Carseat.org might be able to match your seats with a minivan.

[kchara]

We have a 2001 Town and Country. We put a booster seat in the back, a forward facing car seat, and a child with no car seat. It's a squeeze, though. I wouldn't recommended it if you didn't have to. Then, we found a bench seat and took out our captain's chairs in the row behind the drivers, and we have a forward facing, a rear facing, and another kid with no seat. That's a little better, b/c the kid with no seat is on the edge.

 

We're saving up and looking hard for a 12 or 15 passenger.

[lilbean05]

My friends have an Odyssey and we can't fit our three (Britax Marathon and two Recaro Sport) in her back row. We have a Sienna and have all three comfortably and securely in the back with extra room in case the car seats were bigger. My Odyssey friends drool. :)

[AmyinMD]

I know our Ford Windstar could not accommodate 3 Radians across the backseat. I'm not sure about other models. When we went looking for a bigger vehicle we went straight to a 12 passenger van. We don't really need the space but the 12 pass was cheaper than the big SUVs we were looking at and being able to take extra people is nice. It just was hard to find one as it isn't a very popular item. Most dealers we called didn't even have one we could test drive. We wound up getting ours in another state and driving it home.

[Impish]

I'm watching this thread b/c we're going to be needing a new vehicle soon. Our van is dying a slow death.

 

Tazzie is in a booster, Princess a car seat, and then Tummy is coming. Add in Diva whose the size of a full grown adult, and it can be a challenge.

 

We have a...Grand Caravan? (I think...Wolf's always so disgusted I can't remember what it is...I don't drive!) and while there's a bench in the back and 2 captains chairs in the middle, its squishy. We have one of the chairs out, b/c it makes accessing the back bench super difficult.

 

I'd love to find a hybrid van that would fit us all. That would be the ultimate.

 

Of course, we'd have to win the lotto to afford it :lol:

[lilbean05]

I'm watching this thread b/c we're going to be needing a new vehicle soon. Our van is dying a slow death.

 

Tazzie is in a booster, Princess a car seat, and then Tummy is coming. Add in Diva whose the size of a full grown adult, and it can be a challenge.

 

We have a...Grand Caravan? (I think...Wolf's always so disgusted I can't remember what it is...I don't drive!) and while there's a bench in the back and 2 captains chairs in the middle, its squishy. We have one of the chairs out, b/c it makes accessing the back bench super difficult.

 

I'd love to find a hybrid van that would fit us all. That would be the ultimate.

 

Of course, we'd have to win the lotto to afford it :lol:

 

Our Sienna that fits the three seats in the back is not a hybrid, but it DOES get about 24-26 mpg, and we contend with yucky stop and go traffic. We were shocked, but very pleased, at how good the gas mileage is! :)

[Pamela H in Texas]

We went to look and thought the 2008 Sienna CE was best for us though I also liked the Yukon XL. Financing should be fun. blah!

[tadbhoward]

I get 3 large carseats across the back of my 2005 Grand Caravan. It gets horrid gas mileage though.

[tuckabella]

We have a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan. Nope, can't fit three seats due to the wheel wells for the rear tires.

On another frustrating note about this particular model car: the third row only has one set of LATCH connections in the third row. I don't understand why there are not two. So if I use latch, it is smack dab in the middle of the third row. The only other thing that fits in that row (car seat wise, is a booster. I can't get the other car seats to fit too. There is also ONLY one tether latch in the third row, so even if you used the regular seat belt to buckle to car seat in to the car, you can only tether one (in that middle position). I think they need a mom of young kids on the board of designers! Ok, off my soapbox!

[tuckabella]

I'd love to find a hybrid van that would fit us all. That would be the ultimate.

 

Of course, we'd have to win the lotto to afford it :lol:

 

 

Toyota had been testing one in Japan in 2006 and said that it should be in the US in the next year or two. YEAH, that obviously hasn't happened. I am with you though - I want a hybrid minivan!