Scuff Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Those of you fitting lots of carseats into a car, what is the most narrow? With #5 we're going to be packing in and I'd like to find something compact for #4. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sevilla Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 The narrowest carseat is the Sunshine Kids Radian (any version). That is what we're going to use in our 3-across scenario when this baby is born and I went to the baby store to try it out - the only combo that fit was a Graco infant seat (their narrower one, not the 35), the Radian, and a narrow booster. The Radians are $$$ but you can find deals if you look around and especially if you get the older versions. There are other seats that are also narrow so you may not need something that slim that will keep the child harnessed until they're 6+ years old. I would advise going to a baby store and trying out various seat combinations. With the ages of your kids it looks like you'll have 2 in seatbelts, 1 in a booster, 1 in a carseat, and 1 baby so you might have the combo we dealt with above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Radians are very narrow. However, since you're talking about a seat for a 1-2yo, it might just depend on whether the current seat "puzzles" well with the infant's seat, which sometimes can happen since one is rear-facing and the other forward-facing. I know for a while, we had a big Graco infant seat (RF'ing) and a big Graco MyRide (FF'ing), and I'm thinking they had to have been next to each other, because otherwise my boostered child would have had to climb over one of the other seats to get to the middle spot, so I'm sure she was on the end. We have an Evenflo Maestro in one car for our 3yo, and it is a good forward-facing seat that can be harnessed for a long time and then can be a booster. Not sure how narrow it is, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 The most narrow 5pt harness that I could find is the Sunshine Radian. I put that in the middle of the back seat and put narrow backless boosters on either side. It's the ONLY way I could fit three across in my van. Walmart has super narrow boosters that are only 14" or so. I put the baby seat in the middle row. If it's in the back seat, it would be super difficult to get the baby in and out, and the other kids would have to crawl over/under it if it was in the middle position. When we had five in car seats, here was our configuration: Middle Row infant in rear facing infant seat 4yo in high back booster Rear 6yo in low back booster 2yo in Sunshine Radian (middle position) 8yo in low back booster We actually have the same seats in the back row 1.5 years later although the occupants have changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 What do you have your 1yo in now? Forward facing or rear facing? Is your 7 yo in a booster? Lots of times it's just about getting them to puzzle well together, so it's possible you can make what you have work. The Radian is definitely a good narrow seat (though Sunshine Kids changed their name, it's Diono now). You can easily get 3 Radians across a back seat. The Radian fits newborns well, too, so it's also an option to put your baby straight in to a convertible rather than an infant carrier. The Coccoro is also a narrow seat great for infants. It won't last as long as a larger convertible, though and it is not a removable infant carrier. Infant carriers are all pretty close in width. The most popular, easy to find ones are all within an inch of each other for width across the base. The Graco Snugride is about 16.5", BabyTrend FlexLoc 16.75", Chicco KeyFit 17", Safety 1st Onboard Air 17.5" (My personal favorite is the KeyFit) What vehicle? Do your center seats have a shoulder belt and head rest? What's the current arrangement? I'm a car seat tech, so feel free to ask me any questions, I love talking car seats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlibs Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Congrats on the new baby! Another vote in favor of the Radians. I have five children as well. When it was time to purchase new convertible seats for my 1 year old twins, I bought two Radians. We LOVE those seats. They are narrow, but very roomy for the babies and super comfy. You might still be able to get a deal on the old Sunshine Kids ones. We purchased those and saved about $100 per seat. I found a deal on my mine on Amazon but Just Kids Store and Albee baby also used to have some on clearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 Right now, the 1yo is still in the carrier/car seat. She's very petite, so she's taken awhile to outgrow it. (though she is starting to get too lon for it) We were given a used Evenflo something or other, but it's huge! So i need to buy somehing, anyway. The 7yo is in a graco highback booster. She'll be 8 by the time baby is here, but I think she'll still be short enough that she should stay in the booster. I had been thinking it'd be easiest ti stick the older 3 in the back, but dh pointed out that they'd never stop touching each other (playing or fightig) packed in there so tight. So, we're thinking of putting 1yo in the middle back with the girls and ds and the baby in the middle. So this is mostly about comfort and not the puzzle. And safety, since we stay properly behind our seat belt when we're confortable there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 The 7yo is in a graco highback booster. She'll be 8 by the time baby is here, but I think she'll still be short enough that she should stay in the booster. I had been thinking it'd be easiest ti stick the older 3 in the back, but dh pointed out that they'd never stop touching each other (playing or fightig) packed in there so tight. So, we're thinking of putting 1yo in the middle back with the girls and ds and the baby in the middle. So this is mostly about comfort and not the puzzle. And safety, since we stay properly behind our seat belt when we're confortable there. Since you'll be crawling into the back to buckle the 1yo, I can tell you that crawling over a seat without a carseat in it is much easier than crawling over one with a highback booster. We were very grateful when our 10yo grew tall enough to sit without a booster and allowed us to shift all the other bodies into a more convenient arrangement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 Ok, so the Radian is the narrowest. Are there others that are narrow, but perhaps not as narrow, or is the Radian just in a class by itself? Any other options? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Ok, so the Radian is the narrowest. Are there others that are narrow, but perhaps not as narrow, or is the Radian just in a class by itself? Any other options? Pretty much in a class of it's own because besides being so narrow, it is tall with high weight limits so it will last longer. The closest to it would probably be the Evenflo Tribute and the Cosco Scenera, but neither will keep the child rear facing or harnessed as long as the Radian. I've heard the Complete Air can fit pretty narrow, but I've never put that one in myself in a narrow situation to really test that out. Do you have a vehicle where you can buckle your 1yo in from behind instead of crawling into the back seat? If she's rear facing in the back row, most have found that to be the easiest. Otherwise one of your older ones will have to wait to climb in until you've moved out of their seat from buckling her. Unless one of them can be trusted to learn how to buckle her in properly. If she'll be over 2 and you choose to forward face her, the Evenflo Maestro or Generations are probably your narrowest options. But your other 2 will have more room if she stays rear facing and that's safer for her anyway, so I'd stick with a convertible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I agree with CPSTAnne. I'd keep your now 1 y/o RF as long as possible, easily age 3 with the Radian. (Both of the 4 y/o boys I care for still fit comfortably RF in the Radian.) Purchase the Diono Radian angle adjuster when you buy the seat. This will give you some extra RF room. If you have a shoulder belt center third row, I'd probably put the 1 y/o RF on a side back there, then booster or seat belt in the other two seat. 2nd row I'd have baby and one of the older kids (so they can be helpful). You may find you need a different booster for your 7 y/o. It'll just depend on where you put everyone. If the center 3rd is a lap belt, only put a harnessed car seat there (the Radian would still be good). Make sure you older kids pass the 5 step test before moving to the seat belt alone. www.carseat.org/Boosters/630.htm http://www.thecarseatlady.com/booster_seats/booster_seats.html and why keep toddlers/preschoolers RF http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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