Car seat configurations

I came to the realization that this baby will be here before I know it and I have no idea how I am putting the 3 monkeys in the car. We have a Chrysler Town and Country and right now the twins are in their convertibles in the middle seat. I am trying to figure out how to move things around with the baby coming. I thought I could move both twins to the back seat and have the infant seat in the middle row. This might make it difficult to buckle both of them in though. I could leave one next to the baby and put one in the back, making it easier to buckle everyone and allowing the possibility of putting half the 3rd row down if I need the room. This could lead to fights over who gets the back, though. Those who have similar minivans or 3 row SUV's, what arrangement worked for you? I'm especially interested in those who have younger ones, because mine will only be 28 months when the baby is born and thus will be in their car seats for quite some time. I wanted this so badly but now I'm not so sure I'm ready for it Guess it's too late to turn back now! At most I have 7 weeks and then

 

I put the twins in the back, the baby behind the drivers seat in the middle row, and I took out/folded down the passenger side middle row captain's chair. It was easy access to the back. When Sam was born obviously the middle row was occupied but I was still able to make it work. I have an Odyssey, though, so I was able to push the two captains chairs together to get to the back row. I imagine the same might be true of the T&C?

 

Just thought I'd warn you, that the latch system may cause some hiccups to put both in the back. You may want to go back and see if there is actually 2 latch systems back there. In our T&C there is only 1 in the 3rd row.

 

We bought a Honda Odyssey. We have the boys in the 2nd row seats (we took out the middle seat of the 2nd row so we can walk through to the 3rd row). We have installed the infant seat in the 3rd row. This way an adult can sit in the 3rd row next to the baby. And, when the baby is not in the car, the 3rd row can be partially collapsed for extra cargo space. The older boys are the ones who need the most attention in the car right now, so having them directly behind us is what makes the most sense.

 

Personally I would put your twins in the 3rd row, and put the baby in the middle row. Is it captain's chairs in the middle? Can you take one out? Or fold down part of the middle row to make access to the back easier?

I had older kids, a 7 yr old and a 2.5 yr old when I had my twins, I put my older kids in the third row of our Yukon XL, and then the twins in the middle row. It was, (and still is) a pain to buckle my older dd in the third row (she turns 5 on monday), but this configuration has worked best for us

 

Unfortunately, the middle row is a 2 seat bench. I will have to check the latch connections though. I never thought of that!

 

You can still use the seatbelt without latch It would probably still be easier to have the twins in the back and then the baby in the middle or against the driverside of the middle row, that way you can sit on the middle row seat to lean over and buckle your big kids. I'm trying to picture it in my mind how things will work! :lol:

 

I use regular seatbelts in my Odyssey in the 3rd row as there is only one LATCH in the middle. It's just as effective...just not as easy as LATCH.

 

We have a Town and Country too and I have the boys in the 3rd row and Hannah in a captains chair behind the drivers seat. We also have stow and go so we fold the other middle row captains chair down so I can climb in to buckle them

 

I have 4 kids in carseats (mini van)

the twins are almost 6, and they sit in the back seat with their high back boosters
3 year old sits behind driver
1 year old sits behind passanger (automatic opening door)


I have the twins get in the door behind the passenger and then let the 3 year old in, and then hook the baby in.
I have all of the kids sit in their seats and get their arms in the belts of the carseats (if the seat has them). I walk around and buckle in the 3 year old, and then open the back hatch and step into the back of the van and lean over the seats to buckle the twins.

If either the 3 year old or the 1 year old isn't with me, then I crawl into the van to buckle the twins in.

 

My oldest DS was 3.5 when the twins were born. He was used to his "spot", so he stayed behind the driver's side captain's chair. Then one carseat for the little guys is in the passenger side captain's chair and the other carseat is in the back bench seat in the middle. The seat is a 60/40 split, so we have the 40 part folded down for easier access to the carseat. It has worked well for us. They little guys take turns (they are the same weight within ounces and the same height, so that makes it possible) in the different carseats. Sullivan rides "to" places and Finley rides home. Makes it easy to keep track of whose turn it is to ride in the "front" as they call it.

 

This is what we plan on doing, and we are also strongly incouraging the boys to learn how to hook themselves in correctly NOW, so maybe we will not have to climb back there to do it everytime!

 

Boo! Drawback to owning an older model Town and Country...the 2008 doesn't have captains chairs for the middle. It's just a 2 seat bench.

 

Our Town & Country has stow & go seats (captain chairs in the middle and split bench in the back). When we added the third child, the twins moved to the back and Evan was in the middle, which is the SAFEST spot for an infant. We also had to use the seatbelts instead of the latch system in the back because of the placements of the seats. Good luck!