Which car for 3 Children in car seats?

[kimbo]

Looking for some advice and help here :)

What car do you drive if you have three young kids all in child restraints?

DS1 will be 4 and he is in a Maxi rider AHR and DS2 is in a Safe n Sound car seat and bubs will be in a capsule when he/ she is born.

Are there some car restraints that are narrower than others?

I have heard you can fit three across a Ford Territory but don't know of any others.

We had planned on having our Captiva for quite some time yet but we wouldn't fit three across the back.


Many thanks

[meggs]

I was going to suggest the Territory.... and they are great for safety too..

[BeatoNo3]

I have a ford falcon wagon and atm have a AHR safe n sound for ds2, ds1 has a safe sound discovery (front faceing one) and the newborn will have safe n sound premier in capsule position... it is good coz u still have plenty of boot space, we also have a cage up between the back seat n the boot to stop luggage from flying forward...

[kimbo]

Thanks Meggs and BeatoNo3.

Anyone else?? :)

[Tenyrmiracle]

We have two seats in ours, Magna sedan and it's nearly impossible to fit anyone else in. I'm going to be looking for another car myself so hopefully more people respond with ideas. Sorry I was no help but at least you'll know not to go with a magna :laughing:.

[MummaBear03]

I have a Toyota Camry sedan and currently have 3 seats in it. 2 MRIIs and a Fisher Price reversible in reverse position which is in the middle. The Ambulance put them in and said it's safe to do for now but not if a seat belt was being used rather than the built in harness, just because it's almost impossible getting your hands between each of the seats so in an accident kids would not be able to be taken out of the car in a hurry.

The Ford Falcon AU wagon can fit 3 across the back, same with the Nissan Navara.

[jameslol]

Hi

We have 3 small children aswell (5,4,1) and we just switched over from Ford Territory to the Toyota Kluger about 3 weeks ago. So far we are loving the Kluger. We wanted the third row. So far we love it. It is a bit wider than the Territory and has been a bit more versitile.

[Ffrenchknickers]

We have 3 carseats across the back seat of our Pajero :)

[TripleTime]

I have a 2004 VZ commodore Wagon with 3 SNS compaq delux's refacing. I did have 3 Mothers Choice's in the car that just fitted but the SNS's fit better.

[MimiGrace]

i [had] three carseats in the back of my toyota camry station wagon.
- not sure of their brands, but i've done it with at least five different carseats. (capsules, five point - forward facing and rear facing, and several types of five point toddler seats :thumbsup:)

[mim1]

I just bought a hyundai i30 wagon and I reckon you could fit 3 seats across the back - that's the reason I bought it.

The bigger the car does not mean the easier to fit 3 seats. In fact in many 'big' 4wd cars it's harder as the back wheel covers take up part of the back seat seating area.

Things to consider - car seat width (but a booster will sneak in behind the edges of a rear facing seat), wide opening doors (for ease of getting kids in and out - especially the middle child), a flat back seat (many are contoured for 2 people to sit in them and that makes it harder to fit 3 seats across) and the location of the anchor points (which is impossible to find online - you simply need to look at each car individually).

The i30 has a wide, flat back seat with no contouring making it ideal for multiple car seats. All the anchor points are directly behind the seats on the floor so boot space is not compromised. The doors open very wide making it really easy to reach into the back.

It all depends on what else you want in a car too. Obviously you need boot space, but how much? Do you want a 4wd or not? If you're buying new make sure you get as many safety features as possible. All the best with your hunt! :)

[3'llhavetodo]

DH has a Ford explorer and I have a Nissan Terrano. The Terrano is a 7 seater but I can fit 3 across the middle seat if we need to.

I remember reading a suggestion elsewhere, if you take you current car and seats into a baby place they'll often let you take the car seats out to see what fits.

[TripleTime]

When you do go car shopping. Take your seats & a tape measure with you, than you can put them in the car & measure the leg room from the back of the front seats to the back seats.

BTW - The only car i can get 3 car seats in is a VZ commodore wagon.

[kimbo]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies and suggestions.

Going to a baby shop and asking to put the demo car seats in the car is a great idea. I would much prefer to spend a few hundred dollars on narrower seats for the kids rather than have to buy a new car but I don't like our chances.

We would probably prefer a SUV type vehicle rather than a sedan as we have been spoilt for boot space with what we have now plus we want to be able to tow a camper trailer.