Cars and carseats

We are renting a car next week for our vacation and I'm trying to reserve the smallest car possible but we need 3 carseats (1 booster, 1 toddler, and 1 infant). Are you able to put 3 carseats across the backseat in a midsize SUV?
Thx.

Re: Cars and carseats

totally depends on the SUV. I know that's really no help - but they aren't a standard width.

I assume your husband is home?????

[Vanquisher]

Re: Cars and carseats

Depends on the car and the width of the specific seats. I would rent a minivan.

Go to carrentals.com, put in your criteria, and pick the cheapest car that will hold at least 6 or 7 people. That way you know you will have room. You may get a small SUV with a third row.

Re: Cars and carseats

I don't know the answer to that, but I do know you can't fit three carseats across one seat in our Honda Odyssey. So your SUV would at least have to be wider than that.

[migirl]

Re: Cars and carseats

I agree with Heidi, get a minivan just to be safe.

I drive a Hyundai Santa Fe (midsize SUV), and definitely cannot get 3 carseats across the backseat.

[madeintaiwan]

Re: Cars and carseats

I have fit 3 car seats in the back of our honda accord. Depends on the car seat and it was a tight fit. We fit 2 car seats and a booster in the back of our honda passport.

ETA: The cost of renting a minivan is so ridiculous compared to a car. We are trying to do a surprise visit home and if so we will be renting a "full size" car just to get to my parents house from the airport. If you have USAA, make sure you go through their website. In my experience, the prices are significantly less with the USAA discount.

[Cumberland]

Re: Cars and carseats

I can do two high back booster seats and a roundabout in my honda pilot but it is TIGHT.

[planet]

Re: Cars and carseats

A lot depends on the carseat. Take a look at what it will cost you to rent the minivan and if it is cheaper then spring for the Radian carseat (or 2 depending on your combo). It has an incredibly narrow base, is very solid and secure and is convertible. With one narrow Radian, I can fit three seats across in a suburu outback, one seat (not the Radian) is rear facing infant.

http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Kids-Rad ... 026&sr=8-1

[peggyfromwastate]

Re: Cars and carseats

I followed the link to the Radian carseat, and while at first the price makes me I think it may be the car seat we end up getting- space is an issue, and it drives me nuts that the car seats we have *all* are wider than the allotted space, and I drive a suburban.

To the point, if you look around for a deal, you may find a minivan that's affordable...ish. When car seats are crammed 3 accross, it seems like you kill your fingers to buckle the booster seat belt, and it makes me think the safety of the car seats is probably negated at least a little since they are touching each other. But if your husband is home and he's willing to risk his super-precious surgeon fingers to do the buckling, while you sit in AC comfort in the front, then OK!

[planet]

Re: Cars and carseats

Peggy: The Radian is pricey, but since for us it was that or a car, we took the seat. But I have to tell you how impressed I am with it. This is the most solidly built of any carseat we've used. It is heavier, not one to carry around. It also gets an awesome fit, as in you can't budge it once you secure it. Our other seats have some wiggle room even when we tighten as much as we can. This is obviously just our experience, but I thought I'd mention it.

I took a quick look at prices on rental out of curiousity. It varies widely by agency. Enterprise was half the price of Hertz! I think you could probably find a decent deal if you shop around for a minivan. I'm thinking past the seat issue and having the space might make a world of difference for the comfort of a family away from home.

[Vanquisher]

Re: Cars and carseats

Seriously, check carrentals.com. I have found THE best deals there, and I have used them 3 times this year without a problem. You don't even have to give your credit card number up front, you can reserve it, and there is no issue or problem with cancellation if you decide on something different. The best prices.

I have a Britax Marathon, and I think it is one of the best seats out there as far as safety is concerned. I don't have a three car seat dilemma, but I can assure you, that I would never be able to fit three of those across any width of seat. On the other hand, I had a Britax Starriser for a booster seat for Ryan a few years ago, and that is an adjustable width booster for older kids that I could easily fit three of in the smallest of cars, so it hugely depends on what model of car seats you are talking about squeezing in. Even if you did buy one new car seat, you still have two others to consider.

I am a huge car seat person, and I am very picky about them to the point where people roll their eyes at me and just know that this is one of my issues. Given that, It is just my personal opinion, but I think you need to opt for renting something that has three rows of seats. You never know when you rent a car exactly what model you get and what the width might be. A rental company may say Ford Explorer or similar, but similar might mean something that isn't as wide, KWIM? I can count on one hand the number of times I have rented a car and got the car that I reserved as opposed to a "similar" model.

The only way to make sure, IMO, is to make sure that whatever car you rent says Will seat 6 or 7 or 8 passengers. You have to have the third row, just in case. Most newer models with the third row have the fold-down option, so that you have more cargo room too.

[Deebs]

Re: Cars and carseats

You could also look at getting the Graco Nautilus (and looking at the width of the seat vs hip width in car you are renting). It is a new seat that starts with a 5-point restraint, and goes to a booster. Might be appropriate for your toddler as well as your older one (it's similar in construction to the Radian, but goes to 100 pounds), and has a steel-plated back, increasing the safety. The cost is right around $150, so again, it would probably have to be made up for in the difference in cost between a car and minivan rental.

Re: Cars and carseats

Is the Britax Starriser still made? I had heard about it a few years about but that it was a discontinued model.

I'll spare you the rant I have ranted before but like someone else said, why isn't every car seat designed to fit within a car seat space? Drives me nuts.

ITA with everyone who has said go for 3 rows. It is just not worth being in a pinch. I think it is easier to install 3 across if they are all carseats but once you are buckling in and out in a booster, it gets harder to get kids in and harder to make things appropriately snug.

The Graco and Radian sound like great options too! Wish I had known about those 2 yrs ago.

[Vanquisher]

Re: Cars and carseats

Is the Britax Starriser still made? I had heard about it a few years about but that it was a discontinued model.

It probably is discontinued. I used it for Ryan, and I bought it when he was 4, back when carseats only held up to 40 pounds. In 6 years, car seats have changed so much! Alexia is 4 now, and she is not in a booster seat, and she won't be for a long time! Ryan is 5' tall now, so he isn't in a booster seat anymore.

From what I know, if I was purchasing an infant seat today, I would go with the big and heavy and bulky, but very safe Graco Safeseat, and I still love my Britax Marathon for the convertible seat. I am all about safety first and foremost though, and there is a huge difference between models as far as that is concerned.