three baby seats

bogman44

New baby due in Summer. We'll have three under five (5, 3 and 0).
So we're going to have a problem fitting three baby seats in the back of the car. ie we'll have to get a new car. We don't want to get an SUV.
Has anyone managed to fit three seats into a 'normal' car?

shanksmare

yes (have 3 under 3).
Have a volvo.
I'd say any decent sized car should be OK.

Getting the setas strapped in is OK (once you are not taking them in & out regularly).

But, getting kid strapped into the middle seat is severe enough on the back & quite awkward.

OTK

I've got two baby seats and a booster in a corolla. I think it's a self-serving myth that you need a suv once you have three kids.

bogman44

I've tried and failed to get three seats into a saab

shanksmare

the booster seats take up alot less room than a full childseat.

You could always take the car to the shop and see if you can find a model of seat that will allow 3 into your car - cheaper than changing the car..

I assume its a 9-3 you have and not a 9-5?

FakeRedHead

But none of the OP's children are old enough for booster seats.
He's right. At 5, 3 and 0 it will be three full sized car seats.
Even the 5 year old has to be in a highback with sides for another while.

BostonB

we are looking for something that can take two baby seats and an adult in the back as our own saloon is a tight fit. Especially if you have to take the seat in and out.

A lot of SUV's aren't that wide, and don't have 3 full seats. So I don't get why they need a SUV. Or did the OP mean a MPV?

Event then not all MPV's are that wide, being the same width as a saloon. Only some of them have 3 full seats. So you really have to look and try them yourself.

bogman44

I asked if anyone managed to fit three baby seats into a normal car as our (Saab 93) won't fit them.

BostonB

bogman44 wrote: »

...We don't want to get an SUV...

I thought you were implying that a SUV was bigger than a "normal" car. I'm just making the point, that while huge externally. A lot of SUV's are actually not very big inside.

noby

We have three (4,3,0), and recently changed the car to a Zafira. We have two slimish baby seats, and the baby's seat goes into a base. At that it's a bit of a squeeze. You have to pull the two seats apart to click in the belts.
I know what BostonB is saying, and it may be worth measuring any car you're looking at. We went for the Opel for the extra space in the boot, along with a couple of extra seats, when required.

BostonB

The ones I've noted have a 3 full seats (MPV's) are the S-Max, Galaxy, (Seat & VW versions too obviously) HR-V, Fiat Multipla, etc.

laney82

I think the Citroen C4 Picasso has 3 full seats too

jaggiebunnet

I thought there was a law recently introduced to make it illegal to put 3 car seats (not boosters) into a car if there isn't x amount of space between the seats?

greenkittie

FakeRedHead wrote: »

But none of the OP's children are old enough for booster seats.
He's right. At 5, 3 and 0 it will be three full sized car seats.
Even the 5 year old has to be in a highback with sides for another while.

hehe todays society, so over protective. I remember being 5 and if anyone had tried to put me in a baby seat at that age i would have felt really patronised.

loyatemu

greenkittie wrote: »

hehe todays society, so over protective. I remember being 5 and if anyone had tried to put me in a baby seat at that age i would have felt really patronised.

yeah and cars used to come without seatbelts and you could get a license without sitting a test - them were the days alright. Its not overprotective - an unsecured child will get seriously injured in a crash.

back on topic - we have 3 childseats in the back of our Renault Scenic, 2 britax isofix seats and a high-back booster in the middle - the booster is tricky to clip in, but you can slide the middle seat forward to make it more accessible. TBH though, you should look at getting a 7 seater, as you will find you need to be able to pick up friend, relatives occassionally too.

FakeRedHead

I've also managed three in a Renault Scenic and a Santa Fe has a very wide back seat.

parsi

Your best bet is a car which has three individual rear seats.

We've had three in a Scenic and a 307Sw.

The 5 year old can go in a graco booster with back.

The 3 year old should be nearly ready for the graco as well (depending on size). They have a small "footprint" on the seat.

Baby will probably be ready for something like a Britax freeway which is permanently buckled in and should go in the middle (based on our experience). It goes from around 9 months to 3 years. Its design has space at the sides (under the baby part) which allow access to the other seat belts.

From our experience the problem is when they go into seats that don't have harnesses and therefore you need ready/easy access to the car seat belts.

MLE

legally if you have need for 3 car seats you are allowed have the eldest one in a booster in the middle if they are 15kg or above.

machiavellianme

greenkittie wrote: »

hehe todays society, so over protective. I remember being 5 and if anyone had tried to put me in a baby seat at that age i would have felt really patronised.

Thats nothing, there were 8 kids (between 0 and 12) in the back of my parents Ascona and no one ever had a baby seat. At least 4 were under 5 years old. Baby seats seem so OTT once they can sit still on their own and wear a seat belt.

bogman44

There were five of us (kids). Four in the back and one on the mother's lap in the front seat on regular round trips to waterford. (160ml ew)
All i remember is ****ty weather and big trucks.

TheGrabbingHand

I've been told that I used to sleep in the back window of my family beetle.
Pillow and blanket and all

BostonB

MLE wrote: »

legally if you have need for 3 car seats you are allowed have the eldest one in a booster in the middle if they are 15kg or above.

Where did you get that from?

parsi

It's somewhere on the RSA site. If the third kid is older than a certain age they can legally go unboosted and just use the normal belt if there in't room for a booster or seat.

Yep - you can legally choose one of your kids to be the "unsafe" one...

Hotblack Desiato

machiavellianme wrote: »

Thats nothing, there were 8 kids (between 0 and 12) in the back of my parents Ascona and no one ever had a baby seat. At least 4 were under 5 years old. Baby seats seem so OTT once they can sit still on their own and wear a seat belt.

That seat belt could do a lot of damage to a child in a crash - it's designed to fit adults. On a child the shoulder belt is perfectly placed to slice into the neck and the 'lap' belt will actually be up around the abdomen somewhere. Not good.

Yes we all went unrestrained in the back of our dad's Austin 1100's but kids used to go up chimneys too, we know better now and can (and should) do better by our kids.

cjt156

Essentially if you don't want a MPV you need a wide "normal" car. We use a Volvo V70; it, the Mondeo and the E Class Mercedes are among the widest saloon/estates around. We've got two child seats and a booster in the middle and its still a pain to unbuckle the booster every time.

TequilaMockingBird

They were discussing this on the Ray D'Arcy Show this morning.

It seemed to come down to the fact that people who drive SUVs are doing it for the safety of their own kids, despite the risk to pedestrians if they hit one. (Another thread I know!) The argument was made about child seats, that this is why so many suburban families drive them, to be able to fit 3 car seats in. So, anyway it came down to it that a saloon car was just as spacious, or as is reported here, more spacious than an SUV.

It is one of Ray D'Darcys pet hates, he's a cyclist!

BostonB

I saw something once about SUV's. Safety test are always done against the same criteria, 30mph offset wall, head one against wall etc. There isn't any thing done with regard different vehicles hitting each other. So a say a Micra hitting a Micra is far different from hitting a Van, from hitting a SUV. In the tests I saw when bigger vehilce hit a smaller one the bigger one came off far, far better. The show was trying to demonstrate how dangerous SUV's are to other vehicles. But I couldn't help thinking that in an accident like that, I want to be in the SUV.

Like all big vehicles people have a tendancy to use their bulk, to bend/bully other road users to their will. Same as big vans, buses etc.

cjt156

One of the things about SUVs is that they are much more likely to roll in a crash than a car with a lower center of gravity - which can be fatal for occupants.
The first time I ever drove an SUV was a rental in the States - when in Rome & all. Inside the sun visor in this Ford Expedition (where my car has a warning about child seats and airbags) was a single sentence "Do not attempt sudden manouvers" :eek:

Khannie

cjt156 wrote: »

Inside the sun visor in this Ford Expedition (where my car has a warning about child seats and airbags) was a single sentence "Do not attempt sudden manouvers" :eek:

Holy crap. That's disturbing.

Lots of talk about SUV's here. What about normal 7 seater minivan type things? We have 2 kids now. If / when we have 3 I'll probably sell the current car (Audi A4) and go with a 7 seater.

Also...as for being overprotective: I've been in a serious car crash where I was not at fault and could have done nothing (I was actually a passenger, but the driver wasn't in a position to save us). There is no way in hell I would expose my child to that without the absolute maximum protection I can give them. It's going to happen to someones child. Lunacy not to spend the effort and / or money (ignoring legal requirements for a second).

OTK

E class merc estate is a 7-seater with good handling that doesn't block pedestrians' view of the road as much as a minivan/4x4.

it is expensive but a reliable used car

Does everyone with 3 kids need a 7 seater? Come on.

What's more dangerous to children's health -
obesity caused by being driven everywhere
or the risk of an accident in a car with less than perfect safety features ?

BostonB

For me its 2 kids and 3 or 4 adults on a regular basis. Also its handy having more load space for doing stuff at the weekends. I'm tired cramming everything into a saloon.