New baby coming: Is it legal to add a seat to our minivan?

[CatholicMom]

We have a 7-seater minivan. There is no place to put the baby who is due in about 3 months (eek?). There are 2 bench seats in the back, and 2 captain seats up front. One of the bench seats (the one by the sliding door) is shorter and has 2 seat belts. The bench seat furthest in the back has 3 seat belts.

 

Here's the thing. The bench seats are removable. Dh has taken them both out in order to move furniture, etc. So there are spots on the floor where the seats "clip in" (for lack of a better term). We noticed that there are 3 clip in spots where the shorter bench seats go. One clip in spot is further out (toward the door) than the other is. The obvious reason is so that we could move the longer bench seat which is usually in the back, to that middle spot if we wanted to. HOWEVER, we are wondering if it would be legal to find another long bench seat and put a long bench in the middle AND in the back. We called the dealer and he said because our van is so old (*cough* 2000...) we would have to look in junk yards. I don't know how likely it is we'd find one anyway, but IF we could find this seat that would fit in our van, would this be against safety regulations? Illegal? Invalidate our car insurance? Where the heck can I find this out?

 

If we had 2 long benches in the back instead of one with 3 seats and one with 2 seats then we could fit the baby in there. Only problem is that the kids who sit in the very back would have to literally climb over the seat (unless we could find one of those flip-down ones? But the chances of that are even less, I'm sure.

 

Any advice welcome. :001_smile:

 

TIA!

[Jann in TX]

I do not think it would meet safety requirements/ pass any safety inspection. Passengers in the back seat would need a way of exiting that is not climbing over a full seat.

[NoseInABook]

I've seen people do this before and seemingly everything was fine. I looked into it for my van and sadly, I can't do it because the latches wouldn't line up properly. I would give it a try rather than buy a new van.

[Guest inoubliable]

Most likely illegal, hard to tell for sure without knowing which state you're in.

 

The safety issues involved in this plan make me twitch. Please don't put your small children in this situation.

[Melissa in Australia]

To do it legally here in Aus you would need to get the car inspected by an engineer, get a safety certificate and then get the car re-registered for extra seating capacity. Of course there are people who do things illegally and while it looks fine it might not be safe at all.

[OrganicAnn]

We always checked with AAA on carseats. They always seemed up to date and knowledgeable about what is allowed. But the situation you describe might be too unique for them.

[kitten18]

What year and model is the van? Have you looked to see what the options were for that model year?

[aggieamy]

When you talked to the dealer did you tell him why you were looking for the seat? It's possible a fold down seat was an option in that model and year.

[Lara in Colo]

What year and model is the van? Have you looked to see what the options were for that model year?

 

This

[Tap]

Maybe not illegal (I have no idea), but it sounds pretty dangerous to me. If you are in an accident and the children in the back are injured, would they be able to crawl over the seat to get out? Who knows.

If a paramedic needs to attend and injured child to get them out, how will they get back there if the car is crunched up? Sorry, sounds like it is time for a new vehicle or just take two cars when you have all passengers.

[LMV]

I know when my husband got his Escalade last year there was an option to have a second and third row of bench seats. We went with that even though at the time (believe it or not we only had three children at home then and only one carseat) we didn't need it. Now, (I gave birth to our youngest at the end of last year, and we have two more foster daughters both still in boosters) being able to seat eight comes in very handy. It makes taking only one car doable even if a little tight. So maybe you can find a similar option in your minivan. In the Escalade the seats both fold down and slide forward so the kids can get in and out but we do have to think a little when loading and unloading. We're tentatively looking for something bigger but I really hate vans so at the moment we're making this work.

[LucyStoner]

If the model year had an option for an 8 seater, you may be able to find the extra seat at a junkyard (likely a little slim jump seat that fits between the captain's chairs). It doesn't sound like it though because you'd see the floor hardware for that seat if it were there. Check under any floor mats. I am thinking it likely is not legal to do the 2 full bench seats. You could get away with it, but I think it is time to start looking for a used 8 seater. Or if you plan to have more children, a passenger van. In the meantime, you can use the minivan when it is just you and the kids, putting the 4th grader in the passenger seat with the seat pushed all the way back from the airbag. Also, where would the 6th seatbelt go? Would there be enough top tether points for carseats?

[LucyStoner]

I know when my husband got his Escalade last year there was an option to have a second and third row of bench seats. We went with that even though at the time (believe it or not we only had three children at home then and only one carseat) we didn't need it. Now, (I gave birth to our youngest at the end of last year, and we have two more foster daughters both still in boosters) being able to seat eight comes in very handy. It makes taking only one car doable even if a little tight. So maybe you can find a similar option in your minivan. In the Escalade the seats both fold down and slide forward so the kids can get in and out but we do have to think a little when loading and unloading. We're tentatively looking for something bigger but I really hate vans so at the moment we're making this work.

 

 

Those Escalades come with a bench seat the is a split fold. Only 1 passenger needs to wait to sit while the third row loads up. The minivan bench seats I have seen are all fully folding, meaning that the seat has to be totally unoccupied for it to be folded down and to let those in the back enter and exit. Much more awkward.

[LMV]

 

 

Those Escalades come with a bench seat the is a split fold. Only 1 passenger needs to wait to sit while the third row loads up. The minivan bench seats I have seen are all fully folding, meaning that the seat has to be totally unoccupied for it to be folded down and to let those in the back enter and exit. Much more awkward.

 

Good point. I wasn't really thinking of that (and now looking at her kids ages I'm guessing she has at least four already in carseats/boosters so there is that as well).

[Jennifer]

Our 2001 Sienna had 2 captains chairs in the middle and a 3 seater bench in the back. When we evacuated Katrina we took one of the captains seats out and left it in the garage so we could fit more stuff in the van. When we returned the seat was floating in the neighbor's pool. :)

 

When we moved to San Antonio my husband visited a few junkyards/auto salvage places and put the word out that he was looking for a replacement seat. Only took about a week and $100. Seat was a different color but fit perfectly.

 

I think if you get a seat from the same make and model van and it latches in securely you'll be fine.

 

Jennifer

[kitten18]

When you talked to the dealer did you tell him why you were looking for the seat? It's possible a fold down seat was an option in that model and year.

Yes, that's what I was thinking.

 

Our 2001 Sienna had 2 captains chairs in the middle and a 3 seater bench in the back. When we evacuated Katrina we took one of the captains seats out and left it in the garage so we could fit more stuff in the van. When we returned the seat was floating in the neighbor's pool. :)

 

When we moved to San Antonio my husband visited a few junkyards/auto salvage places and put the word out that he was looking for a replacement seat. Only took about a week and $100. Seat was a different color but fit perfectly.

 

I think if you get a seat from the same make and model van and it latches in securely you'll be fine.

 

Jennifer

:thumbup:

[Butter]

It depends. If it's, say, a Toyota Sienna from a model year that had 7 or 8 seater options, then it would be perfectly fine to replace the middle with a 3 person seat. If it is not from a model year designed to hold a 3 person seat, please don't do it. It would not be safe. The clips in the floor are designed to hold the weight of the seat. You can move a 2 person seat from side to side so there are extra clips, but it doesn't mean that the clips would hold a heavier three person seat in a crash.

[2squared]

Our 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan was made so that the 3 person back seat can be put in the middle row or the back row. It was one of the salesman's selling points, so I expect the OP's van is the same way. Our 3 person back seat is a split seat, and if we had another kid, our plan is to get another back seat from a junk yard so we can seat 8 people in our van.

 

Interestingly, the back seat can be moved forward but the middle seats cannot be moved backward in our van.

[ktgrok]

Our 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan was made so that the 3 person back seat can be put in the middle row or the back row. It was one of the salesman's selling points, so I expect the OP's van is the same way. Our 3 person back seat is a split seat, and if we had another kid, our plan is to get another back seat from a junk yard so we can seat 8 people in our van.

 

Interestingly, the back seat can be moved forward but the middle seats cannot be moved backward in our van.

 

 

The idea was probably that some might want to move that back seat forward and leave the back empty for cargo.

[MissKNG]

. HOWEVER, we are wondering if it would be legal to find another long bench seat and put a long bench in the middle AND in the back. We called the dealer and he said because our van is so old (*cough* 2000...) we would have to look in junk yards. I don't know how likely it is we'd find one anyway, but IF we could find this seat that would fit in our van, would this be against safety regulations? Illegal? Invalidate our car insurance? Where the heck can I find this out?

 

 

TIA!

 

Honestly, I would be asking the DMV or police department for the legality of this. Then your insurance company for your insurance concerns.

[Lady Florida.]

Maybe not illegal (I have no idea), but it sounds pretty dangerous to me. If you are in an accident and the children in the back are injured, would they be able to crawl over the seat to get out? Who knows.

If a paramedic needs to attend and injured child to get them out, how will they get back there if the car is crunched up? Sorry, sounds like it is time for a new vehicle or just take two cars when you have all passengers.

 

This is what would concern me. If I were you I'd see about a third seat for the middle, like others suggested. Our 2004 Sienna has the 3rd skinny seat on some models, but not ours. I just looked under the floor mat. There are clips of some sort there, so it's possible we could add the middle seat if we could find one that old. See if yours is like that.

 

I really think the double bench seat, unless it's split, is dangerous, even if it's not illegal.

[Candid]

I think the safety concerns would be my focus. Getting an older seat that wasn't really designed for this situation and is already old and worn just strikes me as not a wise plan.

 

I would move the oldest/largest child to the front passenger seat. If they were too small I would have that air bag disabled (I know with pickups you are allowed to do this if you have young children, I think some models even have switches), BUT if they are too small, too young you maybe in legal violation of rules on that. If they weren't that's what I would do and take two cars when everybody was going somewhere together.

 

If the oldest is too small and too young to be in the front then you need to bite the bullet and buy a larger ten passenger van. If you start looking now you maybe able to find one for a good price.

[CatholicMom]

I'm in NY state. This was NOT my idea, by the way. :) This is dh's idea and I said from the beginning that 1) it seems unlikely that we could even find said seat, and 2) it would probably violate safety standards or insurance or something, and possibly be illegal. To boot, I would VERY much like to have a second car but I just don't know if we can afford it within the next 3 months. And as soon as baby comes, we will not be able to go to church together. And we cannot take separate cars, of course, because we have no second car. I would really like to get another car (not sure if the bank might give us a loan) and then have the minivan we currently have for dh to take to work. But this seat idea would get us through IF it's legal, etc. This birth is really creeping up on us and we have zero money saved to buy a second vehicle.

 

If the model year had an option for an 8 seater, you may be able to find the extra seat at a junkyard (likely a little slim jump seat that fits between the captain's chairs). It doesn't sound like it though because you'd see the floor hardware for that seat if it were there. Check under any floor mats. I am thinking it likely is not legal to do the 2 full bench seats. You could get away with it, but I think it is time to start looking for a used 8 seater. Or if you plan to have more children, a passenger van. In the meantime, you can use the minivan when it is just you and the kids, putting the 4th grader in the passenger seat with the seat pushed all the way back from the airbag. Also, where would the 6th seatbelt go? Would there be enough top tether points for carseats?

 

There are no top tether points for carseats at all in my car. Clearly some peeps here are not understanding that our van is 13 yrs old. :lol: About the 6th seatbelt... there is actually a shoulder belt on the wall that could be used with the 6th seat, if it were there. HMMM. I didn't even think about that. So definitely a longer seat can be used there with passengers (and not just to get the seat out of the way for cargo). The question is still whether it's legal to have TWO long benches in the van at the same time, though.

 

It depends. If it's, say, a Toyota Sienna from a model year that had 7 or 8 seater options, then it would be perfectly fine to replace the middle with a 3 person seat. If it is not from a model year designed to hold a 3 person seat, please don't do it. It would not be safe. The clips in the floor are designed to hold the weight of the seat. You can move a 2 person seat from side to side so there are extra clips, but it doesn't mean that the clips would hold a heavier three person seat in a crash.

 

See, I don't think there are 4 clips on the floor to move the middle seat from side to side... there are only 3 clips in the middle row. So it's definitely for using either the shorter seat or the longer seat... not just moving the shorter seat back and forth.

 

 

Honestly, I would be asking the DMV or police department for the legality of this. Then your insurance company for your insurance concerns.

 

I did think of calling the police department. I thought they would just be scratching their heads, though. Maybe I will try the DMV.

 

I'm not terribly worried about the kids not being able to climb over the seats. Do you guys have kids? :lol: j/k! The kids would easily step on the back seat and crawl over that seat. Not saying it wouldn't be incredibly ANNOYING, though. I have zero desire to do this other than we may not have a way to take the whole family anywhere... church, grandma's house, what have you, at the same time. I would put the biggest kids in the back, like I do now. But it would be seriously annoying to get in and out.

 

I just don't know where to start with this one. I guess I will call the DMV and see what they say and if they say you can do it then I will... I dunno... call junk yards?

 

In the meantime we will still think about buying a used 8 passenger+ but we only have 5-6 paychecks left until this baby is born!

 

Thanks for all the thoughts.

[Candid]

One more thought, my state has a special department that does nothing but car seat related issues under the DMV so they might be helpful to you.

[sassenach]

It's kind of weird to me that everyone is flipped out about having to climb over the middle seat to access the back row. There are many, many models of SUVs that have no path to the back row other than flipping down seats.

 

To the OP. If the bench is made for your model of van, I can't imagine it being unsafe. However, I'd still check with your insurance company over whether or not they'd cover it.

[raceNzanesmom]

I haven't read all the posts, so this may be a repeat. Some vans have an optional 8 seater bench available. I can look up the info for you, if you don't have access on your own. These seats have been tested and meet all safety standards. However, if your van doesn't have that option then using another full size bench is likely not a safe option. I also think, since all your kids should be in harnessed seats or boosters, that it would be incredibly frustrating to climb over ALL the time. Perhaps taking a second vehicle would be a better option. PLMK if I can be of further help.

[kitten18]

I'm in NY state. This was NOT my idea, by the way. :) This is dh's idea and I said from the beginning that 1) it seems unlikely that we could even find said seat, and 2) it would probably violate safety standards or insurance or something, and possibly be illegal. To boot, I would VERY much like to have a second car but I just don't know if we can afford it within the next 3 months. And as soon as baby comes, we will not be able to go to church together. And we cannot take separate cars, of course, because we have no second car. I would really like to get another car (not sure if the bank might give us a loan) and then have the minivan we currently have for dh to take to work. But this seat idea would get us through IF it's legal, etc. This birth is really creeping up on us and we have zero money saved to buy a second vehicle.

 

 

 

There are no top tether points for carseats at all in my car. Clearly some peeps here are not understanding that our van is 13 yrs old. :lol: About the 6th seatbelt... there is actually a shoulder belt on the wall that could be used with the 6th seat, if it were there. HMMM. I didn't even think about that. So definitely a longer seat can be used there with passengers (and not just to get the seat out of the way for cargo). The question is still whether it's legal to have TWO long benches in the van at the same time, though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So it's a 2000, what model??? If you tell us the model, we can probably find out what the seating options were for that year.

[raceNzanesmom]

It looks like the 2000 Venture, Sienna and Odyssey have 8 passenger options. Not sure what others.

 

ETA: Most 2000 vehicles have top tether anchors, just not lower latch anchors. I can look that up too. JLMK.

[2squared]

I googled this question for a Dodge Grand Caravan, and I found others who have added a long bench to the middle. The long bench was designed to fit there as well as the back, so it has to be safe by default. It's not an accident that the seat fits in the middle, and of course it would have three seat belts -- two on the outside and the middle lap belt. In my googling, I found information that led me to believe it wasn't difficult to get in the back with the long bench in the middle. Someone said even an adult could easily get in the back.

 

I'm not sure why this would be a safety or legal issue. If you have a van which was designed so the back bench can fit in the middle of the van, surely it is expected that people would sit on it in that position. They didn't design the seat to fit in the middle and then expect the seat to be riderless.

 

My 2004 van doesn't have any top tethers, so I wouldn't expect a 2000 to have any either. I only have latch on two seat positions, and only have back tethers (whatever they are called) on three seats. If your family is in a 2000 van, you already have kids safely riding in seats without the top and bottom tethers and without the latch system. That's just life with an older van.

 

My biggest issue would be dealing with two lap belts. You would need to have kids in 5pt harnesses riding in those spots, and you may need to buy some other new car seats to fit another set of three in a row.

 

If you don't have money to buy a different vehicle or a second vehicle, I think your dh's suggestion is fabulous. You can only do as much as your finances allow. I would definitely expect to find another bench at a junk yard since your van is already 13 years old. You might have to call a couple places, but that's really not a big deal.

[LucyStoner]

There are no top tether points for carseats at all in my car. Clearly some peeps here are not understanding that our van is 13 yrs old. :lol:

 

 

My 1998 Toyota Corolla had top tethers- I installed the part as soon as I realized there was a baby on the way in 2003. My brother's 1999 Grand Caravan also has top tethers which we purchased and installed when my niece was born. Your 13 year old van is NOT too old to have tethers added on.

[happypamama]

My 2001 Windstar has the option of swapping the two bench seats, so that the 3-seater is in the middle row. I am sure it's not the only one that has that option, so if you can find the bench seat you need, it's very possible that it could be installed safely in the middle row. However, I would see if seating 8 was even an option for that model, because if not, I would be concerned about it violating weight standards or something -- it could be that it was made to hold 7 in any configuration but not 8 at all.

[justasque]

I've had an older Dodge Caravan that had a two-seater in the middle and a three-seater in the back. When we needed to transport 8, we replaced the two-seater bench with a borrowed 3-seater bench. The 3-seaters were designed to move up to the middle spot, so the van could be configured to seat 5 with a large luggage area, so it latched in appropriately. The kids seemed to enjoy scrambling over the seat to get to the back; they were old enough to do this without needing adult help in buckling seatbelts, etc.

 

Previous posters have raised concerns about lack of easy emergency access to the back, which I think is worth considering.

 

I would contact the manufacturer, as they are in the best position to advise as to the safety of the seat arrangement.

 

I would be surprised if the law covered this question with any specificity.

Your insurance company would probably be fine with it if it's OK'd by the manufacturer, but again I'd ask to be sure.

 

Google finds a number of places discussing this same question.

 

I would think it would be fairly easy to find the appropriate seat on the junkyard market. EBay has a couple for as low as $100.

[Tap]

I googled this question for a Dodge Grand Caravan, and I found others who have added a long bench to the middle. The long bench was designed to fit there as well as the back, so it has to be safe by default. It's not an accident that the seat fits in the middle, and of course it would have three seat belts -- two on the outside and the middle lap belt. In my googling, I found information that led me to believe it wasn't difficult to get in the back with the long bench in the middle. Someone said even an adult could easily get in the back.

 

I'm not sure why this would be a safety or legal issue. If you have a van which was designed so the back bench can fit in the middle of the van, surely it is expected that people would sit on it in that position. They didn't design the seat to fit in the middle and then expect the seat to be riderless.

 

My 2004 van doesn't have any top tethers, so I wouldn't expect a 2000 to have any either. I only have latch on two seat positions, and only have back tethers (whatever they are called) on three seats. If your family is in a 2000 van, you already have kids safely riding in seats without the top and bottom tethers and without the latch system. That's just life with an older van.

 

My biggest issue would be dealing with two lap belts. You would need to have kids in 5pt harnesses riding in those spots, and you may need to buy some other new car seats to fit another set of three in a row.

 

If you don't have money to buy a different vehicle or a second vehicle, I think your dh's suggestion is fabulous. You can only do as much as your finances allow. I would definitely expect to find another bench at a junk yard since your van is already 13 years old. You might have to call a couple places, but that's really not a big deal.

 

 

 

The idea is that you would move the long bench to the middle of the van so you have more cargo space in the back. Not for another long bench to be added.

[Butter]

It's kind of weird to me that everyone is flipped out about having to climb over the middle seat to access the back row. There are many, many models of SUVs that have no path to the back row other than flipping down seats.

 

That's actually one reason why we got rid of our 8 seater Sienna and got a 7 seater Grand Caravan. It was exceedingly inconvenient and annoying. Plus the back seat had very little legroom and so the little guys had to go back there so the big ones could be comfortable and climbing back to harness them into their seats was awful. We just had a rental car for a month in Ireland that was a small SUV that seated 7 with 2 in the back and 3 in the middle. Usually we had the little guys (who were in the back seats) climb through from the back of the vehicle and then we'd lean over to belt in the one who couldn't do it himself. It was a big pain. I wouldn't want to do it all the time. Some people don't care about dealing with it, no biggie.

 

I honestly doubt the law would even address this issue at all. I'd be surprised if a policeman had an answer. If it could be done safely and would not be a problem in the case of an accident, it would be fine.

[kiwik]

Does it have an owners manual, manufacturers specs - should give you that info. Or it will be somewhere on the internet, google the make, model and year.

 

In NZ we just get tether points added in. They drill a hole in the parcel tray, ceiling or floor and bolt in in place. I have 3 in the back of my little car so in a pinch i can manage 4 kids provided i have narrow car seats.

 

I don't think weight would be a problem as they will have designed it to hold an adult in each seat.

[Dahliarw]

I have no idea about the bench.

 

However, you should be able to get top tether anchor points added at the dealer. If you ask on car-seat.org, someone there will know.

[CatholicMom]

So it's a 2000, what model??? If you tell us the model, we can probably find out what the seating options were for that year.

 

 

2000 Ford Windstar. I didn't want to broadcast what car I drive, but then again, nobody should know my real name, so... (right? :scared: :lol: )

 

I googled this question for a Dodge Grand Caravan, and I found others who have added a long bench to the middle. The long bench was designed to fit there as well as the back, so it has to be safe by default. It's not an accident that the seat fits in the middle, and of course it would have three seat belts -- two on the outside and the middle lap belt. In my googling, I found information that led me to believe it wasn't difficult to get in the back with the long bench in the middle. Someone said even an adult could easily get in the back.

 

I'm not sure why this would be a safety or legal issue. If you have a van which was designed so the back bench can fit in the middle of the van, surely it is expected that people would sit on it in that position. They didn't design the seat to fit in the middle and then expect the seat to be riderless.

 

My 2004 van doesn't have any top tethers, so I wouldn't expect a 2000 to have any either. I only have latch on two seat positions, and only have back tethers (whatever they are called) on three seats. If your family is in a 2000 van, you already have kids safely riding in seats without the top and bottom tethers and without the latch system. That's just life with an older van.

 

My biggest issue would be dealing with two lap belts. You would need to have kids in 5pt harnesses riding in those spots, and you may need to buy some other new car seats to fit another set of three in a row.

 

If you don't have money to buy a different vehicle or a second vehicle, I think your dh's suggestion is fabulous. You can only do as much as your finances allow. I would definitely expect to find another bench at a junk yard since your van is already 13 years old. You might have to call a couple places, but that's really not a big deal.

 

 

OK, thank you for not thinking we are completely crazy. :tongue_smilie: Definitely not what I'd prefer (I'd prefer to go out and buy a new car, thankyouvery much!) but alas...

 

I could crawl over that seat if I wanted to. Ditto on the top tethers. We've never had them in any vehicle since we are always driving older used cars, so I'm not too worried about it. I always get the carseats very tight and tethers are not essential, or illegal to go without.

 

The 2 lapbelts wouldn't be an issue, I don't think. If push came to shove, I would put my oldest in the lapbelt spot because he is almost 10. NYS law says that if that's the only spot left, it is legal to have a child with just a lapbelt. But I will have 3 in carseats anyway so I would put 2 of those in the lap belt spots (the baby's carseat, my 2 yr old's 5-point harness seat, and my 4 yr old who is still in a 5 point harness carseat). Then I have one in a booster and the 2 oldest in seat-belt adjusters. There is a chance that 2 carseats won't fit side by side in one of the rows. In that case, I would consider putting my 4 yr old (he'll be 5 right before the baby's born) in a booster seat if he weighs enough. That would solve the problem. (Just thinking out loud here with the car seat thing, I guess :p ).

 

I hope you're right that it wouldn't be hard to find a seat from a junk yard to fit!! IF all this is legal, of course. It slipped my mind today but I will definitely call the DMV soon and also scour the manual.

 

My 2001 Windstar has the option of swapping the two bench seats, so that the 3-seater is in the middle row. I am sure it's not the only one that has that option, so if you can find the bench seat you need, it's very possible that it could be installed safely in the middle row. However, I would see if seating 8 was even an option for that model, because if not, I would be concerned about it violating weight standards or something -- it could be that it was made to hold 7 in any configuration but not 8 at all.

 

 

Right. That's what I was thinking. Maybe there is a max number of passengers limit or a weight limit or something, I don't know. I did try to google this but didn't find what I was looking for.

 

 

I would think it would be fairly easy to find the appropriate seat on the junkyard market. EBay has a couple for as low as $100.

 

 

I hope so!

[ktgrok]

All of this reminded me of a comedy sketch I saw many many many years ago. The comedian was talking about a road trip he took, and how on a very long, dusty stretch of highway there was a billboard for Van Seats. He remarked, "yeah...I can see how that would be popular. All those tourists driving along saying "this trip is nice, but it should would be a mite more comfortable if i wasn't standing up....sure could use a van seat!"

 

i found it hysterical at the time, and now I'm reliving it.

[CatholicMom]

LOL That may be one of my kids in a few months. :lol:

[raceNzanesmom]

 

The 2 lapbelts wouldn't be an issue, I don't think. If push came to shove, I would put my oldest in the lapbelt spot because he is almost 10. NYS law says that if that's the only spot left, it is legal to have a child with just a lapbelt. But I will have 3 in carseats anyway so I would put 2 of those in the lap belt spots (the baby's carseat, my 2 yr old's 5-point harness seat, and my 4 yr old who is still in a 5 point harness carseat). Then I have one in a booster and the 2 oldest in seat-belt adjusters. There is a chance that 2 carseats won't fit side by side in one of the rows. In that case, I would consider putting my 4 yr old (he'll be 5 right before the baby's born) in a booster seat if he weighs enough. That would solve the problem. (Just thinking out loud here with the car seat thing, I guess :p ).

 

I wouldn't worry about what's legal. I'm more concerned for the safety of kids. Never put a child of any age in a lap only belt, esp when you have car seats to go there. Lap belts offer no upper body protection, meaning the head is allowed to whip forward into the seat in front of it, their own lap, etc often times causing internal, spinal and head injury. Put the harnessed car seats there, not a kid.

 

If a child needs a seat belt adjuster they actually need a booster. Seat belt adjusters are not safe, FMVSS tested or "legal". They pull the lap belt onto the soft tissue of the abdomen. A booster, even a backless one, allows for proper belt fit and is a much better choice. If space is an issue the Bubble Bum works extremely well in tight places. Just note that the lap belt must be routed through both guides.

 

I would do a skinny seat in the middle third row for the almost 5 y/o (Diono Radian works well) with boosters on each side. Baby, 2 y/o and a booster on the second row.

 

My manual says an '00 Windstar has lower and upper anchors in the second and third row outboard seating positions. Even the '99 has top anchors. Using the top tether is important to reduce head excursion (forward head movement in a crash).

 

hth.