Car for 3 kids in car seat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fit 3 across in my Honda Accord.

We should get seatbelt extenders.

You can't use these with car seats, unfortunately.

I have an 8 and 6 year old (and 3 year old) so the extender is for the kids to buckle themselves in

Right--I mean that they are not approved for use with boosters. They aren't considered safe because of how they affect the seat belt angle--you'll see a warning not to use them at the front of your manual.

I didn’t know that. I’ll look into it now. Thx!

It's the note in the front of most manuals (at least the three we own!) that says " Use ONLY the vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt system..." I think I found the background on one of the car seat info sites when trying to find out if it was feasible. Apparently the extenders are only tested in the specific situation of overweight/obese passengers who cannot physically use the seatbelt as is, so neither car manufacturers nor car seat companies allow their use with car seats or boosters.

We ended up solving the problem for our child by getting a different, much easier to buckle booster. I was amazed at how much variability there was--we now own a ridiculous three. By my 6yo's assessment, the "best" one is the Evenflo Amp/Big Kid, followed by the Chicco Kidfit, and then last, the Britax Frontier in booster mode, which he actively dislikes and asked not to use anymore because it was so hard to buckle. (He had been buckling/unbuckling himself in harness mode for nearly two years so was not up for losing that independence--nor was I!) We handed down the Frontier and now use the Kidfit most of the time and the Amp when we need three across or to take for carpools.

[Anonymous]

We have the same age spread and three across the back of our sedans. The only trouble is the 3 yo being rough with the baby or putting things close to his face.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have the same age spread and three across the back of our sedans. The only trouble is the 3 yo being rough with the baby or putting things close to his face.

It can help to put the oldest in the middle, which is the recommended position when it's feasible anyway from the safety perspective. But not all boosters play nicely with middle seatbelts, so it just depends on the car.