Anonymous wrote:Don’t have a third if you don’t want a minivan. The cool part of your life is long since over...

OP here. I am absolutely aware the cool part of my life is over (e.g., I currently drive a volvo). For me, I would prefer an SUV over minivan for height on the road and perceived better safety in case of crash. I also used to drive my mom's minivan while I was in college and I HATED parking that thing.

I have 3 kids all in car seats in a small svu with no 3rd row. Works fine so far.

Don’t have a third if you don’t want a minivan. The cool part of your life is long since over...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s really hard to buckle 2 boosters in a second row with a car seat installed. Way harder than getting a kid in the 3rd row.

This! You will have to help the older kids buckle. I’d go for three rows with captains chairs in the second row.

In my honda crv, it's impossible to fit 2 booster seats and 1 car seat. Not wide enough.

For the love, get over yourself and get a minivan already.

Omg just get a freakin Honda Odyssey and move on with your life. You can thank me later.

This is my only experience. My 10 year old - no car seat. And my niece and nephew both in FF 5 point harnesses. Grandparents pick them all up from school. My kid sits in the middle and helps buckle the kids in. She needs a kid to get out so she can get out (she gets dropped off first). Bottom line she says it’s a PITA.

So there’s the opinion of a 10 year old. FWIW

I found it difficult not to have three rows. The baby had to go in the middle because that's how the configuration worked best with the others in boosters, but then the ones in boosters had difficulty buckling their seat belt by themselves because the baby's seat was in the way. Then, as my kids got older, it seemed like everyone was too big. You can try a smaller 3-row SUV like the Mazda CX-9 - it drives like a car (it's on a sedan's chassis), but can comfortably seat 7. Or you can get a minivan. We had to buy a minivan when we were overseas (it was the only car available at the time) and while I hated the "idea" of driving one, it was very practical!

Anonymous wrote:It’s really hard to buckle 2 boosters in a second row with a car seat installed. Way harder than getting a kid in the 3rd row.

This! You will have to help the older kids buckle. I’d go for three rows with captains chairs in the second row.

Do you ever carpool in this car? Or will you carpool in this car? Or do your kids have friends over? If so, you REALLY want a third row.

It’s really hard to buckle 2 boosters in a second row with a car seat installed. Way harder than getting a kid in the 3rd row.

We have three across the back of a small SUV. It’s hell on long trips - we actually caught a brother with his hand over the baby’s nose and mouth once - and they just can’t keep their hands to themselves when they are bored.

Day to day it’s perfectly fine. Kids are now 6,4 and 1 and the last trip we took was the best yet, so you might be able to do it since your older kids are even older.

SUV with 3rd row, oldest in 3rd row. Baby and middle child sit in second row, one in the middle and one in the position that is NOT directly in front of 8YO. Ideally the seat in front of 8YO would be unobstructed and have a button to press so he can access his seat.

No one pawing anyone and everyone can get in or out relatively easy.

It's not the pawing, it's the seat width of the car seats. Test it out.

Then if you get a third row, put the 8 year old in the back. They'll enjoy having their own row and can climb over/in themselves.

I have an 8 year old and a 6 year old. DC8 has just started using a regular booster (i.e. glorified phone book). DC6 is in a high back booster. DC # 3 is arriving next month. Will we NEED a vehicle with a third row? Most SUVs with third rows seem like it will be a pain to get a kid in and out of the third row, unless we get captain's chairs. It seems that a minivan would solve all practical problems, but I really, really don't want to get one. Do you think it is doable to just get a large SUV and have two kids plus infant across the second row? Will I just be subjecting the poor baby to older siblings pawing at him and over him?