My husband and I are working on our third child, and we do have an SUV with 3rd row seating so it won't be a problem to tote them around in that, but we are looking at full-size sedans right now (for my husband- he needs a newer car for his job, which requires lots of local travel), and we share the responsibility of dropping off/picking up our children as we both work. So, he will sometimes need to transport all 3 in his car.
Our children are ages 5 & 8. The 8-year-old just uses the seatbelt, she doesn't need a booster any more. The five-year-old is still in a carseat, and of course the baby (who will hopefully be on the way soon!!) will be in an infant car seat with the base. Can all three fit in the back seat of a full size sedan?? Anybody successfully do this?? We certainly don't want our 8-year-old riding in front, we just don't feel safe doing that.
When I was watching baby Mason last summer I had his seat on one side, Aubrey's on the other and Julia in the middle. It was a pretty tight squeeze but we made it work.
Yes... we have two car seats (infant and toddler) in the back of our '05 Pontiac grand am... and we have a seat to spare, and on occasion we have our nephew (5) with a booster with us too... so it is completely do-able. With the car fully loaded with people, yeah it is a bit snug.
My advice.. when you go to test drive cars - bring all the carseats and kids with you. It may be a hassle, but you don't want to buy a car that is a pain to use. See what you need to do to install a carseat or two, and find where the LATCH systems are located. with the carseat in the back... sit where your 8 year old will be sitting for a minute or two and see if it has enough room for her to grow and still be comfortable. Make sure the trunk is adequate for groceries, travel bags for 5, sports equipment, etc... Don't be fooled... some cars look spacious, but the internal layout makes them really uncomfortable (especially in backseats) and some small cars are surprisingly comfortable! A good car for you should be able to hold 5 adult size people, and their "things" comfortably.
-M.
My almost 9 year old rides in the front sometimes, but not always. I turn the air bag off when she does. She is almost 5 feet tall and about 85 pounds, so she is the size of a 12 year old.
My 6 year old, almost 7, is also a big guy, and no longer needs to be in a booster size wise, plus he fits nicely with a seatbelt.
My 5 year old, rides in a backless booster.
We traded in a Yukon Denali XL in February for a Camry Hybrid. It has saved us SO much money, is full of safety features, and the kids fit nicely. All 5 of us just took a 2 hour drive one way on Saturday and the kids were fine in the back then too.
Totally doable!
Just take the kids that you have with you before you buy and let them get in and test it out...but I am pretty sure most full size sedans will seat 3 comfortably...even a booster + carseat w/a base + regular kid seatbelted.
~Way back when, when they first came out we had a Dodge Intrepid and it fit a carseat w/a base + a booster + the biggest kid in the middle. We found it was easiest for the one who could buckle themselves to sit in the middle, then we parents could each take a kid that needed to be buckled on the outside edges!
You could put one carseat on each side, and the 8 year old in the middle seat. They do make narrower infant seats, and your 5YO should be in a slimmer booster in a year I'd imagine.
I've got a Mazda 6, and three teenagers. Plenty of room for all. It's a wagon so there's also room for two Golden Retrievers.
:)
I have a honda accord and we have 3 carseats in the back, one rear facing in the middle, two sunshine kids radian forward facing on either side...everything fits and is secure but it is tight. Considering your 8 isn't in a seat or booster you should have no problems, you may be able to even swing a compact if gas milage is important.
We bought Sunshine Kids http://us.diono.com/ seats for everyone, that is the only way they fit. The seats are narrower. We never used an infant seat with the base for any of our kids. We used a convertable seat, putting it rear facing when they were babies.
Are you sure you should have your 8 year old out of a booster? Is she 4'9" or taller yet? Does the belt sit across her chest and not her neck and also on her hips and not her stomach? Can she sit on the seat with her bottom all the way in the back of the seat, back straight against the back, knees bent at the edge of the seat with her feet touching the floor? If not she should be in a booster still, her age has nothing to do with it.
