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LisaD
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| Posted: Aug 14 2007 at 9:04pm | IP Logged
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SuzanneG wrote:
[QUOTE=Maryan]
Lisa….you were holding out on us!!!!!  Didn’t’ you know that when you find something like that you are supposed to put it in red capital letters on the Forum and let us know??? 
Maryan, where did you get 17” from? I didn't see that on the specs. I’m thinking that the SEAT on these Sunshine kids seats are narrower, which is where we have the problem (with the 49 inches). It seems wider on top which is where there is a bit of “give”. 17 x 3 = 51. So, we’d be smushing in an inch and a half. Maybe they would work. ?????
$600 is cheaper than buying a new van. 
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Sorry, Suzanne! 
And yes, the seat on the Radian is 17" at the seat base, according to the specs. I don't have three of them, as my two older kids are out of carseats, but if we had another baby, you can bet we'd get another Radian. We have a '03 Town & Country, which is basically the same as a Dodge Caravan, and dh would do anything to avoid buying a new van!
Last year I had the Radian in the middle of the back seat with backless boosters on both sides and it worked fine, though the bigger kids needed helping finding the seatbelt buckle.
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Mama to dd(99), ds(01), ds(03) and ds(06)
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Maryan
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Books I'm so glad you asked this question... because it is much in my thoughts too.
And ladies, you've given so much great input!! It's so helpful. Can you tell the whole thing has me frustrated!! It does seem like I should be able to ram those things in with only an inch and a half overlap. But as of yet... no. They end up riding up, etc.
Who knows? Right now our '99 has almost 200,000 miles on it and then we can upgrade to the newer wider version and use Rachel's smushing abilities! 
Fortunately, I have a two more months than you Books to figure this out!
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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humanaevitae
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| Posted: Aug 14 2007 at 11:14pm | IP Logged
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I don't know if this is relevant but...
we used a seatbelt extender (was given to us free from a dealership) that allowed our older kids to buckle themselves up since they weren't able to fit their hands between the wedged carseats. This allowed the locking part to be raised a few inches above the car seats.
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Nicole-Zane 10, Elizabeth 7, Xavier 4, and John Patrick 2
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teachingmom
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 12:08am | IP Logged
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Bookswithtea wrote:
| My plan is to have my three youngest (8, 5, just over 2 1/2) in the third row with the oldest in the middle, my two oldest (11, 14, by then) on the ends of the second row with the newborn in the middle of the second row in an infant seat. |
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Books,
I'll tell you what we currently do. We have an 8 passenger Chevy Venture with one built-in car seat located behind the front passenger seat. My 4 year old sits there. My baby is in her rear facing infant seat on the other end of that row, right behind the driver's seat. That means that none of the other children can enter or exit the van by the driver's side since the infant seat blocks the way completely, but it hasn't been a problem. My 9yo is not in a booster any longer, but she was until last year. Back then, both she and my 7yo sat on both ends of the third row in boosters, using the seat belts with shoulder straps. Car seats with 5 point harnesses would fit in those positions too. My 11 year old and 12 year old have been switching between the center seats in the second and third row until recently.
The girls usually get to the back row by sliding past their 4yo sister in the built-in car seat and climbing over the folded down middle seat. If my 4yo either gets buckled last or pulls her legs up out of the way, they have enough room to pass.
If I were you, I'd put the 11 yo and 14 year old in the center seats that have only the waist seat belt. I know it's not as safe as the shoulder belts, but what else can we do when we fill the van?
My almost 13 year old is as tall as I am, so she recently began sitting in the front passenger seat when dh is not with us. What a relief to her after cramming in the back with her long legs for so long.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Bookswithtea
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***We have an 8 passenger Chevy Venture with one built-in car seat located behind the front passenger seat. My 4 year old sits there. My baby is in her rear facing infant seat on the other end of that row, right behind the driver's seat. That means that none of the other children can enter or exit the van by the driver's side since the infant seat blocks the way completely, but it hasn't been a problem. My 9yo is not in a booster any longer, but she was until last year. Back then, both she and my 7yo sat on both ends of the third row in boosters, using the seat belts with shoulder straps. Car seats with 5 point harnesses would fit in those positions too. My 11 year old and 12 year old have been switching between the center seats in the second and third row until recently.
If I were you, I'd put the 11 yo and 14 year old in the center seats that have only the waist seat belt. I know it's not as safe as the shoulder belts, but what else can we do when we fill the van?
My almost 13 year old is as tall as I am, so she recently began sitting in the front passenger seat when dh is not with us. What a relief to her after cramming in the back with her long legs for so long.***
We've been doing something similar. Right now, we have 3 across the back, 10, almost 8, almost 5 (this one in a booster). This isn't working well as my 10 yr old is the height of a short adult, but its all we can do. Our center seats have lap/shoulder belts so I don't worry about that. In the front is one car seat for the 2 yr old that blocks using the driver's side flip down, and on the other side is my 14 yr old who is just under 6 ft tall.
I cannot imagine a 6 ft tall person, teen or adult, sitting in the center row. I'm tall, and just imagining it makes me feel like a sardine!
I wish I could see one of those portable car seats. I'm thinking of maybe trying one with just the older child, since the reviewers said it was harder to use with tiny-for-their-age children.
I just don't know what else to do. Dh will never go for a 200 dollar car seat...of that I'm sure. And this car is only 2 1/2 yrs old so a new car is out of the question.
If I decide to try it, I'll let you all know how it goes, and I will definitely make sure it can be returned!
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~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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Barbara C.
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 7:58am | IP Logged
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Suzanne, I'm a "car seat nazi" myself. I always have the car seats checked by the police after installation, and they are never removed unless being replaced by another seat. I think my parents are always slightly boggled by this when they come visit as they end up watching the various grandchildren of their friends from time to time and the car seats are switched around like musical chairs.
I had two Britaxs from when we had two cars, so when my second daughter was born we had one for each. But my older daughter at almost age 4 started out-growing the Britax in height and complained of being cramped width-wise. I couldn't afford a bigger Britax, or one of those Radians that look so nice. We went with an Evenflo car seat/booster with a five-point harness. I don't like it as well, but she has a little more room. Now she is almost at the 5 year and 40 lb. mark, and I am a bit hesitant of switching from the 5-point harness to the seat belt.
I could not imagine trying to squeeze a third car seat in there, though (we have a Honda Accord). If I ever became pregnant again, we know that we'd have to trade in are car for a mini-van. Right now whenever we want another friend or family member to ride with us I squeeze in the back between the two car seats. I'm lucky to be skinny enough to do it, but I have to sit sideways with my feet under the older girl's feet and my arm resting on top of the younger girl's seat and sometimes parts of my body all asleep.
Let me say that I sympathize with your dilemma and I wish you luck figuring it out.
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JodieLyn
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You know Books I was just thinking... what reviewers are you refering to about that one seat?
Because I've had a carseat (probably still have it) where I've seen customer reviews online and seen first time parents talk about how hard it is to install.. that they have to use a locking clip (gasp) and it took 2 of them 2 hours...
This for the same seat that I can put in by myself with a locking clip in under 5 minutes. But I've been doing it for a while ya know. (and when I put in a seat it doesn't budge)
So anyway, my thought was.. depending on the reviewers it might be worth it. And even if it's difficult to adjust.. perhaps you can adjust it for harness size outside of the car and then install it or something.. unless you're moving seats around a lot.. difficult to adjust doesn't mean it can't be.. and in your situation the longer time to deal with the seat might be worth it.
Oh and I wouldn't go on the official width of seats for what would fit in the rear seat.. I've squished 3 seats into the back of a '98 Ford Windstar.. worked best with a rearfacing seat between two forward facing seats (kids climbed over seats to get to where they needed to be.. make the one in the back corner someone who can buckle themselves in.. but the arms on them overlapped a bit and such.. so you might find you can wedge them in regardless that the dimensions seem to say otherwise.
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Philothea
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 9:12am | IP Logged
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I also have the Radian 65. I will measure the bottom and come post -- I would be surprised if it actually is 17" at the bottom, but I guess it's possible.
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 9:20am | IP Logged
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JodieLyn wrote:
You know Books I was just thinking... what reviewers are you refering to about that one seat?
Because I've had a carseat (probably still have it) where I've seen customer reviews online and seen first time parents talk about how hard it is to install.. that they have to use a locking clip (gasp) and it took 2 of them 2 hours...
This for the same seat that I can put in by myself with a locking clip in under 5 minutes. But I've been doing it for a while ya know. (and when I put in a seat it doesn't budge)
So anyway, my thought was.. depending on the reviewers it might be worth it. And even if it's difficult to adjust.. perhaps you can adjust it for harness size outside of the car and then install it or something.. unless you're moving seats around a lot.. difficult to adjust doesn't mean it can't be.. and in your situation the longer time to deal with the seat might be worth it.
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You know, this occurred to me this morning as well. The reviews definitely sounded like a less experienced set of moms than our crowd here. We always wrestle with car seats and locking clips until they don't budge. We *expect* that and consider it normal. I am wondering if we can make it work...
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: Aug 23 2007 at 12:48pm | IP Logged
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Maryan -
I talked to elitecarseat.com.......
There is a car seat similar to the one Lisa linked, but it's the
Sunshine Radian 80. Which means it goes up to 80 lbs. instead of only 65 (Sunshine Radian 65). They are NOT CHEAP....$250, but still cheaper than a new car  .
Basically, they are 17" across the bottom, which MAY work. You never know. They have free shipping and "return insurance" $3/seat to get free return shipping. So, for $9 you could TRY this option. See if these crazy seats actually fit back there.
I would put my 3 middles (36 lbs, 32 lbs. 22 lbs) in the back. Three in a row. Then the hypothetical-infant behind the driver, and the oldest (47 lbs.) in her booster seat next to the infant seat.
These are HARNESS ONLY!!!! (NOT BOOSTER SEATS) Meaning that the kids are in harnesses up until 80 lbs. Which is safer, but bad for the kids who are looking forward to a regular seat belt. But actually easier for buckling in purposes (three in a row in the back). The locking mechanisms look GREAT, so the olders can buckle themselves in, with you double checking tightness, etc. So, maybe it wouldn't be THAT bad
Also, the gal at elitecarseat.com gave this website Car Seat Data for future reference. Her name was Jamie and was really helpful if you want to talk to her.
Also, they have those car seat BUCKLE-EXTENDERS for $5.99. That is a GREAT idea for boosters.
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Suzanne in ID
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Maryan
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| Posted: Aug 23 2007 at 1:10pm | IP Logged
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Thanks Suzanne! My kids could care less how they are buckling - five point harness is just as easy.
I am concerned that the math still doesn't add up to fit across my 49.5" backseat -- but that is interesting to think about!
I did buy 3 cheaper seats back when this first became an issue in VA (one just a booster) that all claimed to be a 17" base, but I couldn't get them to budge into the spot.
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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MelissaClaire
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| Posted: Aug 23 2007 at 1:21pm | IP Logged
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I have an 8 seater Sienna as well. I can fit 3 carseats across. I can do 2 Apex 65s and one other forward facing seat (it doesn't go up to 65 pounds though.)The Apexes have harnesses good for up to 65 pounds. They're $129, but Babies R Us gives a discount when buying 2 at one time so they were $10-15 less. The kids say the seats are very comfy too--more padding than their old ones!
Apex 65
I believe they now have longer straps, but we needed to call the company and spend $10 to get 2 strap extenders. My 5.5 year old and almost 4 year old use these and she's on the taller side.
You could certainly fit 2 of these and an adult in between them in the back. (It's not comfortable--but I know that it can be done since that's where my MIL chooses to sit when she visits us!)
If you do end up looking for boosters without harnesses, I believe these are the most narrow on the market--but I believe they are being discontinued so you need to buy them while you can!
FP Safe Voyage
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Mom to a dd ('02), ds ('03), ds ('05), dd ('07) and baby due 9/01/09
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: Oct 24 2007 at 10:00am | IP Logged
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Pulling this back up...anyone find any solutions?
Its time for me to buy something, as I have about 5 weeks till baby time. I measured the third row to compare it against the measurements listed here...an 05 Sienna has 52 inches across the back. I looked into the Radian and seriously considered it...until I did a practice run this morning.
I installed 2 big car seats, one 19 inches at the base and 1 18 inches at the base. Even the Radian branches out to a wider width above the base. I don't need 3 car seats in a row. I have one child back there who is out of a car seat.
What I discovered is that she is out of *shoulder* room because the car seats widen out. Her one shoulder was really squooshed. I also discovered that the Sienna does not have a latch hook in one of the end seats. Their diagram in the car manual shows 2 car seats next to each other and one seat without a car seat...apparently I am not supposed to have three car seats across the back? Either that or use the old fashioned locking clip method for that spot (which I am not opposed to doing if I had to in the future). I don't think there are any narrow-at-the-top car seats available, are there?
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: March 26 2008 at 7:50pm | IP Logged
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I know this is 5 months after we talked about this....but I thought I'd share my success, since it originated with this thread. Thanks LisaD!!!!
5 car seats in a 7-passenger '99 minivan
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Suzanne in ID
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SusanJ
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That's great, Suzanne! So encouraging. We have a Radian 85 for our son. We got it because it fit all of his "special-needs" requirements and then learned that it's also the only seat that will go three across. We're wondering if we can stick with our sedan a little longer whenever baby #3 comes along if we get two more of those seats. As you've said--$400 is cheaper than a new car! And those seats are built like tanks. I bet your husband hopes never to have to haul them out the car again!
Susan
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Life Together
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: March 26 2008 at 8:15pm | IP Logged
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SusanJ wrote:
| And those seats are built like tanks. I bet your husband hopes never to have to haul them out the car again! |
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They TOTALLY are "built like tanks!" Steel-alloy frame! I made the mistake of trying to pick one up when we pulled them out of the box , and I thought I was going to go into labor right then and there...8 weeks early!!!!!
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Suzanne in ID
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teachingmom
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| Posted: March 26 2008 at 9:51pm | IP Logged
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I also bought a Sunshine Radian 65 after reading this thread. Even though I only needed one - for my almost 18 month old - I still love the fact that it is so narrow because I have three across the middle row of my 8 passenger van when dh is in the vehical with us. Since the other two are my 5 foot 6 inch 13 yo dd and my 5 foot 4 inch almost 12 yo dd, the narrow Sunshine Radian carseat leaves lots more room for them than any the other car seat out there. I highly recommend them!
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Car Seat Advice, please?
