Anonymous wrote:My kids are 9, 7, and 4, and we still have a five seater car. It has only rarely been a problem. Two caveats:

1. We don’t do sports with equipment needs other than ski (and have a rack), so I am not putting three lacrosse/hockey/etc pads.

2. I can’t carpool as much as I would like because I can’t easily reciprocate. Hasn’t been a huge problem but as kids get busier with activities this may come up more.

What do you have?

The tax credit is still available on the plug-in Chrysler Pacifica. I really wish that had been around 15 years ago when I was expecting my third! I gave up my VW Passat Wagon as I tried it out with three carseats before #3 arrived and it was simply impossible.

Our minivan gave us great service for many years, and the flexibility of having the captains' chairs plus the third row was indispensable not only for the bulky carseat years but also for the carpooling years.

It’s doable. I have three kids however I can’t carpool. It sucks but not the end of the world

Anonymous wrote:Mini van. It’s not forever, it’s until your kids are a little bigger. Think of it as 8-10 years.

Yep. If you get the plug in Pacifica then you don't need to worry about mileage as much. We basically only get gas for road trips.

No, you don't have to. It makes things easier, IME, to at least have the option for a third row. There are hybrid minivan options now, too, though I know they're not cheap.

I don't know that there's a vehicle out there that will give you space, have good mileage, and not be expensive, so it all comes down to trade-offs.

It’s doable but it’s a pain not being able to have their diaper bag, backpack, snacks etc ( depending on age) with them at hand. You gotta have it on the floor where it gets stomped on or the front seat or the cargo area/trunk. It’s a pain. And you can never take another kid anywhere.

We did it with two kids in carseats and oldest in a booster. It took some searching that would find seats that would fit in a midsize. But with two in boosters, should be pretty easy for you.

What do you have now? The primary issue for families with three kids is car seat configuration. If that’s not an issue for you (it sounds like it’s not with older kids), then you shouldn’t have any problem getting them into one row.

I have 3 in car seats and a suburban with captains chairs (keeps the peace). The oldest sits in the 3rd row and can buckle/unbuckle himself. I think the cars with a 3rd row that aren’t a full-size suv or a minivan are sort of useless if you’re planning on always having the 3rd row up because you really can’t fit anything in the back (stroller, groceries, sports equipment etc.).

We did it just fine until our 4th, our 3rd was almost 4.

Anonymous wrote:Expecting third child, older two are early elementary. I’m looking at third row options - full-size SUVs and minivans - and dislike their size and crappy mileage. Smaller third-row options, like the Highlander or the Telluride, seem like the worst of both worlds (third row makes it too cramped and you lose storage space.) For generations people managed to keep their three kids in one row, so is it really that bad if I don’t go for a vehicle with a third row?

Many families with 3 kids don’t have a 3 row SUV with and they manage fine.
Go for a third row if you can’t manage it. It depends on what your activities are.

Mini van. It’s not forever, it’s until your kids are a little bigger. Think of it as 8-10 years.

With the older two out of the bulky carseats it would probably work fine.

You would run into storage space and carpooling issues though as stated above.

I grew up with 2 siblings. We had a HUGE Oldsmobile station wagon.

My kids are 9, 7, and 4, and we still have a five seater car. It has only rarely been a problem. Two caveats:

1. We don’t do sports with equipment needs other than ski (and have a rack), so I am not putting three lacrosse/hockey/etc pads.

2. I can’t carpool as much as I would like because I can’t easily reciprocate. Hasn’t been a huge problem but as kids get busier with activities this may come up more.

Expecting third child, older two are early elementary. I’m looking at third row options - full-size SUVs and minivans - and dislike their size and crappy mileage. Smaller third-row options, like the Highlander or the Telluride, seem like the worst of both worlds (third row makes it too cramped and you lose storage space.) For generations people managed to keep their three kids in one row, so is it really that bad if I don’t go for a vehicle with a third row?