Car That Will Fit 3 Car Seats

Updated on December 23, 2010
A.R. asks from Fort Leonard Wood, MO
17 answers

Hello, I have a 2 year old child and we are expecting twins! We have an Explorer that I believe will fit 3 carseats, but we also have a Mitsubishi Eclipse that only seats two people in the back. SO, we will be trading it in very soon. Does anyone know of a car that will fit a booster and two baby seats? It doesnt have to be very roomy because we do have the SUV, we just dont want to be stuck with only one car that fits all of us.

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So What Happened?

My two year old isnt exactly in a "booster seat". Im just not sure what you call it. Its a convertable carseat....

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S.A.

answers from Madison on

Congratulations :)
Its sounds like me as I have my older one 15 months older than my twins,At first we have toyota corolla in which its really hard to fit their car seats but then we bought ford windstar & used it for 5years ,I think any van will fit better than any car as I know when we have even 2 or 3 hrs trip to anywhere with all the kids & their diaper bags & stuff, we definetly need room for them ,I suggest any van would be better than car.

3 moms found this helpful
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D.M.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi,
My sister had this same issue and found that while you can put three car seats in an Explorer, you really can put two car seats and a booster seat in one because you can buckle the booster seat. She had to get a mini van has their main vehicle.

1 mom found this helpful

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J.V.

answers from Chicago on

Really consider a mini-van. I do understand that you are looking for a car since you already have a SUV, but seriously consider a mini-van. Here is why: the automatic doors. Seriously. With a push of a button, the doors open. You don't have to empty your arms, or struggle to pull open a door with your arms full. Your 2 year old will not have to wait for you to get the door for him. A good friend of mine just had her second and she admitted the other day that they really should have just bought the mini-van. There is no competition for convenience for a family with young children. As a bonus, grammie and papa can ride along too.

1 mom found this helpful

D.H.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi there, we never had three kids of our own, but I did do childcare and when I had my explorer we could not fit three car seats in it. We could barely fit two and a booster. We ended up trading it in for a van. We have a Dodge Grand Caravan with the sto-n-go which helps tremendously. I ended up putting two seats in the very back and one in the middle...then my kids could ride also and not be in danger either. It is roomy too. Plenty of room for legs and car seats. Hope this helps. Good luck and God Bless.

1 mom found this helpful
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H.H.

answers from Kansas City on

when we bought our car we also needed 3 carseats and I tried them out to make sure they would fit. We also had a big stroller and tried it out as well as it wouldn't fit in most trunks. We ended up getting a chevy cavalier in 2002. We didn't trade anything in as our vehicles were paid for and they wouldn't give us more than 1000 for our van so we kept it and kept driving it when we needed more seats. The cavalier was our main trip vehicle because of the gas mileage. (34 mpg) Now the kids are teenagers and we still have the car and still drive it more than the trailblazer 7 seater we now have because of the gas mileage. It has 240,000 miles on it and still going strong. We plan to keep it until it dies. Even with teenagers learning to drive, it has been an awesome little car. My friend bought a chevy malibu that also held 3 carseats. She used 2 high back boosters and a big carseat for the baby.
If you car is paid for, you may want to keep it and get a mini-van for the family vehicle.

Test drive several cars and when you decide on the few you really like make sure you put all 3 carseats in that car before you buy it. I wouldn't drag them out for every test drive but drag them out on the ones you are serious about purchasing so that can help you make your final decision and will ensure it is big enough before you end up buying something you won't be happy with. also different brands of carseats make a difference in how well they sit in different cars. One of our carseats did not work well in the cavalier, it sat too straight up and would slide even when I strapped it in as tight as it would go and even used the clip on the car harness but still slid around so we did not use that carseat in the car and had to switch it with another one which was an older car seat from our other vehicle.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Yes-the new Honda Odyessy fits 3 full size carseats in the middle row...and the middle seat moves up so that the drive can have closer access to the child. IMO the best vehicle out there for families with very young kids.

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B.S.

answers from Springfield on

My Jeep Liberty has enough (just enough) room for 2 carseats and a booster. But when you are looking take the seats with you to measure. Also, a 2 year old isn't old enough for a booster yet..!!

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

This past Saturday, I just bought a Ford FLEX. As my sister says, it doesn't look like a soccer mom car. It has 3rd row seating and 3 anchors for kid seats. It is built on a car chassis, so it is easy to get into. There are various models from the basic to the super fancy. It replaced my Ford Freestyle, which I loved. This is my 3rd Ford...excellent vehicles. Buy American!!

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R.J.

answers from St. Louis on

We just had baby #3 this summer and I traded in my car for a Honda Pilot...we also have a Odyssey. The Odyssey carries a lot more 'stuff' but the Pilot can carry more people. For the twins...you may want a minivan where you can open doors with the touch of a button....congrats!

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M.F.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have an '03 Toyota Camry, 3 carseats will fit in it but they're quite tight. My husband just bought a brand new Honda Fit (a cheap but well made car and GREAT on gas) it fits all 3 seats better than my camry.

M.P.

answers from Provo on

I really love our Honda Pilot. I agree with Sadia that no car is going to fit them all comfortably. The honda is a perfect size SUV. Not to big and not to small. Fits a TON of stuff in the back, and has a third row that folds down. I love it.

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T.B.

answers from Miami on

My Toyota Camry LE fits three car seats in the back.

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K.B.

answers from Kansas City on

Our oldest was 2 when our twins were born -- we got a minivan, so no problem there. We kept our Camry, knowing the babies would only ride in the minivan. But you might consider a particular car seat - Sunshine Kids Radian. Its narrower than most, so you could put your 2 yr old in this, in the middle, and fit 2 infants seats on the outsides. But ours are now 4 1/2 and the twins are 2 yrs, and we still just have the Camry and the minivan. We know we can fit 3 Radians in the Camry, and plan to do that when the twins start preschool in the spring. This is saving us from having to buy a 2nd car, so the price of the seat is definitely justified.

Web site for the Sunshine Kids Radian 65.
http://www.skjp.com/en-US/product/97556/165XX/_/Radian65S...

It also allows you to keep them rear-facing until 40 lbs, and then forward facing until 65 lbs.

Kathy

L.C.

answers from Kansas City on

i personally want a suburu outback. But i think a chevy impala would also work if you wanted to stay with a sedan. My MIL has a 300 and it is definitely wide. I personally hate it, lol, but i know a lot of people that love it.

A.G.

answers from Pocatello on

I have a Chrysler 300 and I fit 3 car seats in the back no problem. Love the car and it has a nice wide backseat.

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

I have a Honda Pilot and although we don't have 3 kids, we weren't sure if we would when we bought it so I made sure the 3rd row was nice, etc. It is roomy and I LOVE it, but the kid in the third row would have to climb over the seat or climb in the back to get buckled, just keep that in mind.

My neighbor just bought a Ford Flex, like Stefani mentioned, and it is super awesome! It would be perfect for kids! The middle seats flip up with the touch of a button to let someone climb in the back, although I suppose you couldn't utilize that with car seats strapped in, but someday they will be cool! ;) Anyway, I agree you should check it out. It was really roomy and lots of awesome features!

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S.H.

answers from St. Louis on

I, too, have an Explorer & you might want to measure that back seat! It's going to be a snug fit!

We had mini-vans for the car seat years. My sis had a Suburban & then a crew cab pickup for her car seat years.

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