OT: What Do You Drive With 3 Car Seats?

[SLK1]

I would recommend a van, such as a Toyota Sienna, where you can lay the middle row flat into the floor. You can lay one seat into the floor for very easy access to the third row. It'll help when you need to buckle up the kids.

 

[Familycircus]

When our third kiddo was coming, we where already on our second minivan and we needed to buy a bigger car to fit the three car seats/ booster in. We bought a Dodge Intrepid. My wife never felt comfortable driving the minivans. Not a stigma issue, she felt it was too much vehicle for her. When it came time to replace the minivan, I decided not to look at another one because she wouldn't drive it anyway and I had to drive them both for 6 years. We found the Ford Freestyle crossover and never looked back. We've had it two and a half years and don't miss the minivan at all. It seats 7, has 3 LATCH spaces and a well behind the third seat for all the groceries. The seats all fold flat including the front passenger. We just returned from a 3,600 mile roundtrip to Disney World and the car was great. Ford replaced the Freestyle in 08 with the Taurus X and has just discontinued that also so there are deals to be had. The TX also comes with a power liftgate and automatic seat access to the third row. It is built on the Volvo platform used for the XC90 and is one of the absolute safest vehicles on the road.

 

[jlstwinmommy]

My older DS was 5 1/2 when my twins were born. We got a Honda Odyssey which was a lifesaver when they were small because of the 2 automatic doors (so much easier to click a button to open the doors while carrying 2 infant carriers).

A couple of years ago they got into the "he's touching me" phase , so now I have one twin in the very back, one in the middle row, and (if things get really ugly), I can put my oldest in the front seat...

 

[jennybell]

Congratulations on your upcoming additions to your family! My husband and I are people that have an aversion to minivans. Lots of my friends drive them and love them, but we just can't see ourselves in a minivan.
With the addition of our third child we upgraded from a Tahoe to a Suburban. We got the one with the 2 bucket seats in the 2nd row. We LOVE it!! Our oldest child sits in the back row and she can buckle her own booster seat. Our 2 younger children sit in the 2nd row. When we have other adults traveling with us, we can all sit comfortably. This car also goes great in the snow and we can haul our boat with it! Good luck to you with whatever you choose.

 

[Colleen27]

I've got a minivan, but it isn't so much for the 3 kids that are mine but for the others that always seem to tag along. Both my older kids play baseball, DS plays football, DD cheers, they're both in scouts and 4H, and it just seems like we do a lot of things that involve extra kids. I like being able to do it, though, so I've only bought vehicles that seat 7 or 8 since the kids got old enough to take part in those kinds of activities.

There are non-minivan options with 3 rows of seats. We looked at the Ford Flex and the Taurus X (wagon) as possible alternatives to a new minivan when it is time to replace mine, since it is very possible that there won't be an American built minivan on the market by that time (Chrysler is the only one of the Big 3 still making a minivan). We liked the Flex. The Taurus not so much. And of course there are the really big SUVs, though I ruled those out right off the bat for the poor fuel economy.

 

[luvmy3jewels]

No, a minivan is definitely not mandatory. I think there are many cars and SUVs that can hold three car seats. My parents drove a Honda Accord with three seats accross the back for several years and dh could even got three seats in his Grand Am.

However, from my experience a minivan makes life with three kids in carseats much easier. When my kids were babies I started out with a Honda Odyssey. I decided I wanted something sportier so I traded the van in for a Pilot. It ended up being a terrible mistake. Although I loved driving the Pilot, it was such a pain in the rump to either try to get all three buckled in in the middle row, or try to get one kid buckled in on the third row with the other two on the second. After less than a year, I traded the Pilot back in for another Odyssey. That experience completely helped me get over my minivan stigma issues. For me the convenience factor far outweighed anything else. And now that my kids are a little older and have lots of friends, the minivan is even better because we can fit so many people in it. My Ody drives like a car and is pretty good on gas, I'm hoping to keep it forever! (Or at least till the kids are driving their own cars).

 

[Mickeyherewecome123]

First off, Congrats on expecting twins!!! I have 5 year old twin boys and let me tell ya it's such a blessing!
We have a minivan and I am very pleased with it. Remember you'll have a big double stroller to lug around. so you'll need a very large trunk area in what ever vehicle you choose.

 

[princessmorgan]

We bought a minivan, a Toyota Sienna, when we found out our third was coming! I had always been against them, but my children are young, so the van was the best option for us. If I had older kids then I probably would have bought a large SUV. I can't say I love driving my minivan around, but I will say I love the automatic doors and the room inside. My oldest (4) can walk to the back and buckle herself. It's nice having extra room in the car. It doesn't feel so cramped.

 

[DebRMN]

I have driven a Toyota Sequoia for 8 years. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it

I could fit 3 Britax Marathons across the middle seat with no problem.
I am looking into new cars now & am leaning toward a minivan........only due to price & gas milage.

My twins are now 6 & the minivan just seems more practical, economical & more versital..........though i am still very resistant......I had an SUV for years before my Sequoia too.
I am not a soccer mom, but I am a baseball mom

 

[all4fun]

Congrats on twins! How exciting. There is a 3-across thread on car-seat.org. HERE's the link. hth!
edit to add: you can search within the thread to see if anyone has done a 3-across in your current vehicle, or a vehicle you're looking at buying.

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

we had 3 in my DHs hyundai, but it was a tight squeeze. I drive a durango and it is huge, plenty of room. BUT I never had 2 infants at one time in it, and you have to move one of the middle seats to get to the back seat, so if I were you I'd go with a minivan for convenience, (sp?) My fave minivan is the Dodge Caravan, I like the spinning seats. But next I like the Toyota for the stow and go seating. Congrats on your twins.

 

[4forMe]

I also recommend getting a minivan. My oldest was 2 years old when we found out we were having twins. We realized that a minivan would be the most practical and traded in my Honda Civic for an Odyssey. I did not want the minivan; however, those sliding doors are a lifesaver when you a holding an infant car seat in each hand. When my twins were 7 months old, I found out I was pregnant - we were very happy that we had decided on a minivan rather than an SUV.

We started looking at new cars last year. I really wanted a Toyota Sequoia as I always wanted an SUV. However, the trunk space is very small. The only SUVs we found to accomodate our family were a Suburban or Ford Explorer which are too large for our garage. We ended up getting another Odyssey. I actually love it now. I still love the dual sliding doors, especially when dropping the kids off at school. It comes with an optional 8th seat that can be folded into the floor (in the 2nd row). We are always carting extra kids around, so having a vehicle which accomodates 7-8 people was very important to us.

Good luck with your decision, and congratulations on your twins!