Need a Car That Fits 3 Car Seats Comfortably

I LOVE my Honda Odyssey! It has 3 seats with LATCH, with plenty of room to fit additional people. It is not unusual for us to travel with 3 kids in carseats/boosters plus 4 additional adults. Even with all the seats in place the truck/hatch space is deep and can carry a stroller plus much more -- cooler, suitcases, groceries, etc. Then the seats fold down flat for those occasions when you need more cargo space. It has a backup camera and the GPS Nav is the BEST THING EVER!!! But the best thing is... it drives like a car. I never feel like I'm driving some huge van. I never thought I'd say I love a minivan, but I LOVE THIS car!

I have the Infiniti QX 56. I bought it because it is so spacous. You can fit the family and friends, and still have room for stroller and cooler behind 3rd row! Good luck! J.

I have a Jeep commander and I just love it. Now I only have 2 kids, one in a rear facing infant and the other in a high back booster, but when my friend came to visit with her son and rear facing infant seat all 3 seats fit beautifully. Plus there was plenty of room for their luggage in the back along with 2 strollers. (I had forgotten to take mine out before picking her up) The only thing I am not crazy about is the gas mileage it gets. I think it's perfect for any on the go family. Good Luck!

My friend has a Tahoe and it seems to have enough room for her and her 3 kids.

Hi there.

I hated to do it, but we went to a mini van when we were faced with your situation. It's actually been better than I thought it would be. We got a Kia Sedona which I love. They got the best safety record of any mini van ever tested and have all the great features. It makes life soooo much easier. My sister also has one and was t-boned last year by someone who ran a red light. She was in the car with my other sister, my niece and my nephew. Air bags went off, the whole nine yards. My one sister had a bruise from the air bag and that was the only injury that anyone had. The car was totaled, but did its job protecting everyone...they ended up getting another one after that!

Anyway, good luck!
-M

A Van.
We LOVE our Toyota van! Even my Hubby, who is an SUV type... LOVES our van and is so glad we got it, before we had our 2nd child.
AND it fits the kids plus other people too, like Grandma and Aunty. We can go places all together, PLUS all the kids and our gear and groceries!

My friends have SUV's, and it gets real crowded/tight in the back and in the trunk space. Maybe a 'huge' SUV type, like a Highlander, will work. But no matter what a Van just has more space. (the trunk space is very roomy and spacious).

Good luck,
Susan

honda odyssey all the way! I resisted the minivan for so long...I even felt like I was having an anxiety attack at the dealership! Lol. Well, we just had our third child and took the minivan plunge and let me tell you, it's awesome! It makes soooo much easier. I highly recommend it for any mom with more than two kids. And the kids really love it. Good luck!

Honda Odyssey - Love it, love it, love it! I travel from house to house and carry a lot of bulky equipment for my job, (tray chair, bags of toys, therapy ball, box of files), and I was having to unload our family car completely every time the family needed to go somewhere, and then scramble to get it packed back up for work. Now with the Odyssey I can leave it completely packed for work in the compartment behind the last seat, and still seat 7. And the kids love it because of the second row bucket seats, they don't have to touch each other. And it is easy to get into the back seat too. I bought mine when it was 18 months old, and I have just paid it off. I plan to use it for at least another 100,000 miles. It's a great car. The dog likes it too. We often take it on vacation, because it is nicer than any car we could afford to rent. I bring a big beanbag chair and put it in the last seat, that way the kids can lean up against it to sleep while still in their seatbelts (after the carseat phase. But it would hold three carseats comforably. I would put the biggest kid in the back, center, because she will need less help getting in and out. well worth the price.

I swear by my Subaru. Take the car seats, not the kids, with you to the dealer and be specific about what you are looking for. .Your twins can face the rear and the 3 year old can face forward. That usually creates more room AND she can "watch" them better if she is in the middle.

All the best.
S. B.
www.shaklee.net/brady

I was in the same boat as you a month ago. I hemmed and hawed (sp), as I didn't want to go the minivan route (as my husband and I swore we weren't "minivan people"). We looked at every option, including SUVs, and eventually actually went with the 8-passenger Toyota Sienna (there's a 7-passenger version as well). It's actually quite nice, we have room for the 2 car seats (we have a 17-month old and 4-month old) as well as the double jogging stroller and we can still fit the grandparents in for outings as well (plus lots of luggage room still left and room for the dog). I know it seems like a stodgy choice, but seriously, go check them out, they have great features and really are the most bang for your buck if you're looking for a safe, roomy family car. My husband, who was more anti-minivan than I originally was, now loves the car and was the one that encouraged me to get it. As we were car shopping and looked at the minivans, he said "if we're going to do it we might as well get the most functional car to fit our needs and not half-ass it". Words to live by. :)

Oh, and also, it's awesome to be able to walk to the backseat when we're on long drives and give a bottle/snack to one of the kids if they're fussing. A lot easier than trying to maneuver from the front seat of my old car (Infiniti G35). Plus, I'm still completely blown away by the number of cup holders in the minivan--8 just for the front two passengers. Seems superfluous at first, but now I don't know how we lived without them. :)

Hi A.-

We love out Toyota Sienna. I only have two kid's but there is plenty of room for car seats in the middle row. Our family likes to camp and we outgrew my Toyota Camry, (Which I have had 3 car seats in before,) and we did a lot of research and found the Sienna. I really like the idea of renting one before you buy. I just went to a conference and a woman was driving with me, she told me that she excited that I was driving because she was checking out my van. Going to a minivan is tough, but our family loves it!

Just keep in mind that once your older child is 4 (in a year or less) she will move to a booster that takes up less room on the seat. So buy a car for the future not just for right now. You could consider renting a minivan for the trip and seeing if that works out for you. But with both rows of seats in there will be less storage space in the back.

Maybe you could look at wagons that accomodate three carseats and then get a luggage pod for the top of the car. I know that Volvo wagons are roomy in the storage area and I believe they can fit three seats. Most have built in boosters which is cool.

Get the Combi side by side stroller for the twins--I loved it b/c it folded up so compactly. I drove a Honda Civic until my kids were almost 6 and it worked out fine.

Hi,
I used to be in car business and now work with many police agencies. I don't know what state you're in. In California
the Ca. Highway Patrol is at family events installing car seats. They used to give them away free.

My suggestion is contact your state police. Ask for their
community services dept regarding car seat installs and question them. They should have answers from installing
experience and research.
Google: law enforcement car seat install events CA
just put in your state or zip code instead of CA

After that try
http://www.carseat.org/

PS I'd look into a wagon or small suv that has a third seat option. (Saturn, Volvo, etc) It has to have the LATCH system. Preferable a front facing third seat)

My girlfriend has the Sienna mini van (and 3 boys).

Hi A.,

I was plaqued with the same thing. My advice would be to invest in a Mini Van, and I know how u might feel but it was the best thing I could have done for my family. I got a 8 messanger van that fits everyone and everything comfortable. I hope this help good luck.

We went for a minivan which has a bench seat in the back and 2 bucket seats in the middle. We removed one of the bucket seats in the middle for more room and easy access to the rear car seats. It's much easier when you get to turn the car seats around. Been great for us!!

Buy a luggage rack for your SUV and put your luggage on top! :-)

We drive a Honda Odyssey which is great for fitting 3 car seats while leaving a lot of cargo space. If you can tolerate driving a minivan, it's the way to go. It's actually quite fun to drive all things considered. My husband likes it better than he thought he would. Other than that, you would have to go with a suburban or somthing in that category but, your three year old may have a difficult time climbing into the third seat and getting buckled with no help. You would probably have to have them all in the second seat which may be tight. Hope this helps!

my friend does it with a Honda Odyssey

We have a Yukon XL, basically the Suburban and you will need that size if you want to stay with the SUV. Three car seats in a row is very difficult. We could never get them to fit and be as tight and the kids not SO close that they were breathing on each other. So we put two in one row and then the third in the other row and if you have the split seats you can still have the extra back space. Although, as much as I love my SUV, I think a van would be great. A lot easier getting kids in and out. But, I am not sure about trunk space?? Good luck on the trip, hopefully not too long of a drive:)

check out the ford Flex - 7 seats with lots of "flexibility" in seat configurations. We drive around with 3 kids often (we have two twins) and we put 2 car seats in the 3rd row; one in the 2nd row & keep an open seat in the 2nd row for guests & or our ability to get in the 3rd row.....automatic seat folding; all seats (execpt driver) fold flat if you need to pick up a lot of stuff at costco....room for stroller & groceries...... I bought mine at el cajon Ford.....let me know & I'll refer you to our salesman who did an awesome job & wasn't pushy!

I have a Honda minivan. and let me tell you, I am not a mini van person. the plus to a mini van over an SUV-you can comfotably, as an adult, get into and sit in the 3rd row. My van can hold 8. 6 adults comfortably, or 2 adults and 6 kids. It makes me wonder what the lady that had octuplets drives, a bus? I have lots of room in the back for cargo-but, I think it may just depend on how big your stuff is. I'd go test drive, w/ that big stroller. and a suitcase. i would also recomend the leather interior and the built in dvd player. makes those long trips much easier.

A.,
I think many of us are now facing this dilema.
We needed a car that fit four car seats and a triple stroller. We have had a few vehicles. We tried mini-van, but we were hit by a red-light runner. That vehicle crumbled! I didn't like that for my family.
We are now driving a suburban with a hitch on the back. I really like it. Not only does it have plenty of space for the car seats, but we have LOTS of room in the back (triple stroller and back packs and diaper bag and my business case.) We also rented a Durango and loved it.
I hope the suggestions help. Good luck finding what works best for you.

We have a Honda Pilot and we believe it is the perfect vehicle... really! Good luck!

I have a three year old son and one year old twin daughters so i know exactly where you are coming from. I seriously do not think a minivan is what you want. You can only fit two kids in the center seat so one kid would always be in the back which limits your cargo space to even less than a small SUV. I have a 2001 Dodge Durango and we have all three kids in the center seat. We always have the third row down do we can put lots of cargo in the back (stroller, suitcases etc). If you want a lot of cargo room, the only car that is going to do it for you is the Suburban or Yukon XL. If you can find a used Ford Exercusion that would work too. We looked into this thouroughly! =) Good luck. And definitely take the car seats, the strollers etc to the car dealership and test fit them. That's the only way you will know if it will work for you!!

i have a nissan armada. it seats eight and has a lot of room in the second row and when you fold down the third row you have a lot of cargo space in the back. i dont actually have 3 car seats. i have one full size car seat and 2 teenagers that fit great even when we travel.
good luck!

The new Chevrolet Traverse is awesome! It's a van/suv crossover. It has the suv looks with the van space! I can't wait to get one, we have to pay off our current car first.

My friend has an older 1980 something Chevrolet Suburban and it's awesome! Tons of space and her dad put in a third row of seats for her which is cheap and simple to do. So looking into older roomier vehicles might be an option too.

I would also suggest picking out a few then taking the kids, car seats, stroller all down to the dealership and trying it out. Checking it out like this will tell you if the kids fit comfortably and safely, and if your gear all fits so you don't have to eye ball and then find out things don't fit as well as you thought they would.

I would suggest getting a cargo thing for your car/suv. They make them that attach at the hitch or there are kinds you can put on top of your car. Since you have an SUV already, I dont know how much bigger another car would be. Mini vans are great, but again not sure if you would get more space. My beef with mini vans and twins (I have 5yr old boys) is that the Latch system is not conducive to having twins plus one, IMO. I only am actually referring to the Odyssey. My sister has an 07 or 08 and there is latch in the 2 seats in the middle row, but the back row there is only one latch seat. So you cant put all 3 kids in latch in one row. We have to use the seatbelts instead of Latch when I am with her. I guess it is not that big of a deal, but I just feel safer using Latch. Good luck!

A minivan is definitely perfect for your family. the 3rd row can snap down one seat or two seats option which will give you more cargo space.

Suburban works for me. We have a 3 year old and 11 month old twins. With three kids in the 2nd row and 3rd row seats folded up I am able to fit stroller and all our stuff. :-)

You might need to get a rack on top of your car! We have a similiar problem with our wagon because of the 2 kids and the dog in back!

We're a family of 4 with plans to grow and we LOVE our Ford Excursion. Unfortunately, they don't make them anymore but they're very reliable and usually great if purchased used depending on the previous owner. We've got the diesel motor and we use it to tow our travel trailer when we camp. Otherwise, it gets us everywhere we want to go and will seat 8 comfortably. We've had 3 car seats in the 2nd row and still have the 3rd row completely open. The engine is great, though it probably helps that my husband baby's it. Talking with other owners, they all same the same thing. We'll likely keep ours forever, or until the government bans them on the road - you never know:)

I drive a GMC Safari van. I love it. It seats 8 people comfortably with plenty of room in the back. The third row seats fold down (I've carted around a lot of furniture that way) and can also be removed. The one thing I wish was different is having only one slideing door on the drivers side. It would be convenient to have them on both sides. The third row seats have a bit more room for the car seats but it's harder to access.

my bff loves her chrysler pacifica. at least chek it out online.