3 car seats in a Toyota Avensis?

gifted

Hi Folks,

Does anyone know if it's possible to get 3 car seats into the back of a Toyota Avensis? We have a 3 year old and a 19 month old and another one on the way. The car is a 2008 Avensis and going great and it's killing us to change to a people carrier. To get a people carrier of the same age I would probably have to give 6/7k with the Avensis .

Thanks

Moonbeam

with the maxi cosi baby seat and a normal britax non isofix seat you might jsut fit a booseter in the middle or you might squeeze in a baby seat and 2 of the britax 123s but it will be a super tight fit.

January

Super tight and there may also be issues with buckle crunch.

gifted

Thanks Moonbeam,

We'll take a look at that combo, hopefully it will work.

gifted

Hi January,

Thanks for highlighting that. That sounds fairly serious.

cynder

I have a verso nd the buckles are lower than the seat, when I purchased the baby seats the woman checked them out before she sold them to us. We've got ,2 britax evolva 123 seats and up until 2 years ago we had a britax booster seat in the middle, ( she's too tall for it now)

It was a tight fit as all seats were wide, you can get a slimmer booster seat for the middle.

Best bet is to go to a shop and get the assistant to See what will fit in your car.

hoodwinked

It might be worth your while if you can find your nearest mother care with the space outside,they'll bring the seat out to your car to fit it, it might take a bit of convincing but they should be able to see if it's possible to get three age appropriate seats in...

January

Tony Kealys will fit them for you too.

Be careful with booster seats. Many people move their children in to them way too early. Their suitability should be determined by height not age, but three year olds would rarely be tall enough for a booster seat.

Oh and don't limit yourselves to people carriers. A mini mpv like a Renault scenic would be ideal with its three individual rear seats.

January

Deleted User wrote: »

Be careful with booster seats. Many people move their children in to them way too early. Their suitability should be determined by height not age, but three year olds would rarely be tall enough for a booster seat.

Oh and don't limit yourselves to people carriers. A mini mpv like a Renault scenic would be ideal with its three individual rear seats.

When we were car hunting we realised that the Scenic, while it does boast about three individual seats, does not actually have three FULL individual seats, the middle seat is smaller than the outer two seats making it hard to fit three car seats across the back. The Citroen Xsara Picasso on the other hand, does have three full seats in the back.

January

January wrote: »

When we were car hunting we realised that the Scenic, while it does boast about three individual seats, does not actually have three FULL individual seats, the middle seat is smaller than the outer two seats making it hard to fit three car seats across the back. The Citroen Xsara Picasso on the other hand, does have three full seats in the back.

Oh that's good to know. I didn't realise the middle was smaller. Did you go with the picasso in the end? I can't remember

January

Deleted User wrote: »

Oh that's good to know. I didn't realise the middle was smaller. Did you go with the picasso in the end? I can't remember

Haha, no we went with an Opel Zafira. We use one back seat for Addison in her car seat, but we're looking into getting a car seat that can be fitted with a lap belt (there's one in the middle of our car) as there is room to fit three car seats across the middle row. Younger models of the car have three full seat belts but ours is a 2002 model.

Is there such a car seat? It sounds like it wouldn't be very well supported? Obviously that's the type of thing you're looking into!! I've just never heard of one.

January

Deleted User wrote: »

Is there such a car seat? It sounds like it wouldn't be very well supported? Obviously that's the type of thing you're looking into!! I've just never heard of one.

Britax Prince seems to be the only one, but, I'm very wary of it... I'm still researching it and have tweeted Simon at In Car Safety but he hasn't gotten back to me...

Britax are a very good brand so would be definitely worth considering I'd say.

cynder

We had a renault megan before we upgraded to the verso and we were told that if the 3 seats didnt fit, then the eldest child of the 3 is permitted to sit in the middle seat with NO booster seat or car seat and that they should wear the seatbelt. A lot of people cant afford to upgrade. For a time it was our only option.

Moonbeam added new laws below.

Moonbeam

There are 3 exceptions to the law -

The New Law for Children over 3 and up to EITHER 1.35 metres in height, OR the age of 12

In the Front Seat

The child MUST use the correct child restraint.

In the Rear Seat

The child MUST use the correct restraint, where seat belts are fitted.

There are three exemptions, where a child in this category does not have to use a child restraint. In each case the child MUST use the adult belt instead. They are -

1) in a licensed taxi or private hire vehicle;

2) if the child is travelling on a short distance for reason of unexpected necessity;

3) if there are two occupied child restraints in the rear which prevent the fitment of a third.

In addition, a child 3 and over may travel unrestrained in the rear seat of a vehicle if seat belts are not available.

It is the driver's legal responsibility to ensure that the child is correctly restrained.

For babies there is one -

The New Law for Children up to 3 years old

In the Front Seat

The child MUST use the correct child restraint.

In the Rear Seat

The child MUST use the correct child restraint.

In a licensed taxi or licensed hire car, if a child restraint is not available then the child may travel unrestrained in the rear. This is the only exemption, and has been introduced for practical rather than safety reasons. You should always think about ways to make sure that a child seat is available.

It is the driver's legal responsibility to ensure that the child is correctly restrained


Personally I want my kids to be as safe as possible in the car at all times,the 13 onth old is still in the carry tot and the 3 year old is in a rear facing seat.
I have to buy a new car to carry the child that I mind too,he is 2 and has the same car seat as my 3 year old.

(Source http://www.rospa.com/)

I'm so shocked that they have made these changes. It's a step backwards and particularly number 2 - I understand if you are trying to get another child to the hospital or something, but the problem with this country is people look for loopholes and they will only have to claim that "it was an emergency" to get away with not bothering their arse to properly restrain their children.

:mad:

2) if the child is travelling on a short distance for reason of unexpected necessity;

3) if there are two occupied child restraints in the rear which prevent the
fitment of a third.

Moonbeam

I can understand it in extreme emergencies.
On an every day basis it is crazy,it is safer to just put another car seat in the front.

January

There's no way the third part of that rule should exist, at all and I can't believe some people would use it as an excuse to get out of using a car seat... If I put a seat belt across Addison in the back seat and we were in a crash, she'd be strangled other than anything else because she's not tall enough for the belt...

January

January wrote: »

There's no way the third part of that rule should exist, at all and I can't believe some people would use it as an excuse to get out of using a car seat... If I put a seat belt across Addison in the back seat and we were in a crash, she'd be strangled other than anything else because she's not tall enough for the belt...

It's essentially saying that the child in the middle is less important!

cynder

I think they are well aware not everyone can afford a big car, and do not penalise people for being unable to buy a big car.

As i said we did it for 6months then took out a 17k loan to buy the verso. Its not an excuse when there are 5 people in the car. If there is only 1 adult and 3 kids then the baby seat can be fitted in the front IF the airbag turned off.

Moonbeam

It is my opinion that if you can't fit the kids in the car then using the car is not an option as a result I have to walk or get a bus or train to go anywhere during the week.
There is no way I could afford 17k to spend on a car but I am buying another car to fit the kids in to safely.
I am a bit crazy about car safety and the kids and I really hope it is never warranted but if it is I need to know that I did the best that I could to protect them and not have to think about the what if I had...

Moonbeam

Moonbeam wrote: »

It is my opinion that if you can't fit the kids in the car then using the car is not an option as a result I have to walk or get a bus or train to go anywhere during the week.
There is no way I could afford 17k to spend on a car but I am buying another car to fit the kids in to safely.

I am a bit crazy about car safety and the kids and I really hope it is never warranted but if it is I need to know that I did the best that I could to protect them and not have to think about the what if I had...

100% agree.

Except the bit in bold - it ain't crazy to want to give your kids the utmost protection - it's normal.

And you know that I unfortunately have been in the situation where I could have been living the rest of my life wondering "what if", but I'm not, thank god. Having to attend your own child's (or children's) inquest is quite a horrific experience, but imagine that inquest had ruled that if your child had been in a proper car seat they might have had a better chance of surviving? No thanks!

January

If you can't afford a bigger car then you walk or get the bus/train... there is no way I would compromise my child's safety because I couldn't afford a bigger car. When my third daughter was born we were in the predicament where we couldn't fit all three kids in the car with proper restraints, we saved for 4 months and got a bit of a loan off my partner's parents.

In the meantime, if we wanted to go anywhere we walked/bussed there, or one of us went while the other stayed back with the kids, or if we really needed it my partner's father would come and collect the oldest and put her in her car seat in his car and we'd travel over to their house that way.

Yes, it was a pain in ass most times, yes it was tedious and it took a lot of time out of a day, BUT it was worth it rather than thinking what if.

We bought the 7 seater when the baby was 4 months old, and it didn't cost the earth, it cost €2500.

But this is getting off the OP too... have you had any luck OP?

cynder

January wrote: »

If you can't afford a bigger car then you walk or get the bus/train... there is no way I would compromise my child's safety because I couldn't afford a bigger car. When my third daughter was born we were in the predicament where we couldn't fit all three kids in the car with proper restraints, we saved for 4 months and got a bit of a loan off my partner's parents.

In the meantime, if we wanted to go anywhere we walked/bussed there, or one of us went while the other stayed back with the kids, or if we really needed it my partner's father would come and collect the oldest and put her in her car seat in his car and we'd travel over to their house that way.

Yes, it was a pain in ass most times, yes it was tedious and it took a lot of time out of a day, BUT it was worth it rather than thinking what if.

We bought the 7 seater when the baby was 4 months old, and it didn't cost the earth, it cost €2500.

But this is getting off the OP too... have you had any luck OP?

Just wondering if you have the same opinion on car seats, you choose the cheaper option and go for a booster cusion or you save for 4 months and get one with side impact protection.

Same then would apply to the car, and it's safety features. Also that would involve getting car serviced every 6000km to check brakes and etc.

It's not too long ago that kids could sit freely in the car. Not everyone has a bus stop or train station outside their door. Walking 6km with 3 kids under 7 is no fun at all, infact not many parents let their kids walk on country roads because they class them as too dangerous. There are always what ifs.

gifted

Hiya,

Thanks for all your replies, some got our hopes up, others got us worried , we have a free day on friday do we are gonna go looking at baby seats then, we will let ye know if we have any luck...( or one of the kids is going on ebay )

gifted

gifted wrote: »

Hiya,

Thanks for all your replies, some got our hopes up, others got us worried , we have a free day on friday do we are gonna go looking at baby seats then, we will let ye know if we have any luck...( or one of the kids is going on ebay )

I'm on the hunt for a child! Send me on the ebay link when it's up

cynder

gifted wrote: »

Hiya,

Thanks for all your replies, some got our hopes up, others got us worried , we have a free day on friday do we are gonna go looking at baby seats then, we will let ye know if we have any luck...( or one of the kids is going on ebay )

Enjoy, fingers crossed you find a seat to fit in the middle, or it you have to try different combinations.

January

grindelwald wrote: »

Just wondering if you have the same opinion on car seats, you choose the cheaper option and go for a booster cusion or you save for 4 months and get one with side impact protection.

Same then would apply to the car, and it's safety features. Also that would involve getting car serviced every 6000km to check brakes and etc.

It's not too long ago that kids could sit freely in the car. Not everyone has a bus stop or train station outside their door. Walking 6km with 3 kids under 7 is no fun at all, infact not many parents let their kids walk on country roads because they class them as too dangerous. There are always what ifs.

You can buy a group 0+ car seat (this one) in Argos for €64, car seats don't have to cost the earth. So there's no excuse to put a child that is not tall/heavy enough for a booster cushion on one.

Listen, we can argue all day long about this, if you have circumstances where you can't transport all of your children safely then you need to look for alternatives. Now, I know the law is the law but IMO it's a stupid law that should never exist in the first place. It places children in danger, full stop.

cynder

January wrote: »

You can buy a group 0+ car seat (this one) in Argos for €64, car seats don't have to cost the earth. So there's no excuse to put a child that is not tall/heavy enough for a booster cushion on one.

Listen, we can argue all day long about this, if you have circumstances where you can't transport all of your children safely then you need to look for alternatives. Now, I know the law is the law but IMO it's a stupid law that should never exist in the first place. It places children in danger, full stop.

If the seat fits in the car ( would 3 if those fit in the back seat) and there are no issues with the buckles and car is fitted with 3 3point seat belts.

Thats only up until 18kgs, some kid are 18kgs by 2 and a half.

still even at 4 would it NOT BE SAFER to have a seat with side impact protection than just a normal booster seat? would you also say this is a stupid law? that up until age 12 or 150cm that the child should be in a seat with side impact protection as a booster seat is unsafe? Quote: if you have circumstances where you can't transport all of your children safely then you need to look for alternatives. If you had a crash would you not think what if? because you only had a booster seat and not one with side impact protection?

You have no right to be telling people that ' if you have circumstances where you can't transport all of your children safely then you need to look for alternatives.' based on 2 car seats in rear seat and child 3 and over sitting in the middle with an adult seatbelt on. When he law says that you can. and i would guess some figure this safe enough, better than squishing 3 car seats in the back. Do you judge all drivers saying they are endangering their kids lives? seats are only one piece of the puzzle, there are driving techniques, speed, cars condition, tyres among other things that add to safety of your children in the back seat NOT JUST THE SEAT.

grindelwald

grindelwald wrote: »

You have no right to be telling people that ' if you have circumstances where you can't transport all of your children safely then you need to look for alternatives.' .

What is so wrong with that sentence exactly? Do you honestly believe it's ok to to not ensure your kids are transported safely?

cynder

Deleted User wrote: »

What is so wrong with that sentence exactly? Do you honestly believe it's ok to to not ensure your kids are transported safely?

But they are!

You/no one has the right to be telling people that ' if you have circumstances where you can't transport all of your children safely then you need to look for alternatives' based on 2 car seats in rear seat and child 3 and over sitting in the middle with an adult seatbelt on. When he law says that you can. and i would guess some figure this safe enough, better than squishing 3 car seats in the back.

They are as safe as they can be in the present situation, would they be safer if you brought an armoured vehicle? Should you judge people because they dont have one?

Perhaps you should condemn all parents because they dont own a Volvo S60 one of the safest cars in the world. If your kids aren't safe then walk, get a BUS or Train (how many of those have crashed in the last few weeks?) until you buy the safest car in the world......


A parent is, entitled to, by law, have 2 car seats in the rear and if a 3rd doesn't fit safely than its safer to have the child sit in the middle with a seat-belt on.

Its there choice, their decision and the law backs their choice. Not just Irish law EU law. Because they know we are all only human and we all cant afford bigger cars, bigger road tax, bigger insurance, bigger servicing costs, bigger tyres, that some of us will only drive little 1.2 cars or 1.4 cars or cars that cant fit 3 seats in the rear and they dont expect us to walk or get a bus or a bigger car because of it.




Most parents these days remember the times where we had no car seats, or even seat belts, and considered ourselves safe. You can bet there's a good few out there who wouldn't have their kids in car seats/booster if the law had not of come in and still considered their kids safe as our parents did years ago.

Moonbeam

*mod hat on*

We need to keep this thread on topic.

Moonbeam

We are never going to agree on this.
They are your children it is up to you how you transport it and luckily you did not have an accident that you came to regret.
I will continue to keep my kids in the safest car seats available despite the price of them and when I have the 3 of them and do not have a car big enough I will continue to walk a stupid distance every day to walk my daughter to Naionra because I can not fit a 3rd car seat in my car safely.
We all have different priorities,we are all different people.
There is alot more traffic on the road now then when we were kids,it is also faster and more dangerous no the roads these days.

You can not fit 3 full size car seats in an Avensis and definately not 2 isofix and a 3rd.

grindelwald

grindelwald wrote: »

But they are!

Well then why are you attacking January for saying what is the truth, if you can't transport your children safely you should find alternatives. That's a perfectly valid statement and if you are transporting your own safely then I can't understand why you would be offended by that sentence.

I'm not sure if you referred to a Volvo S60 because you know I drove one up until a few months ago, or that was entirely coincidental. But if we're going to get smart then I would like to point out that you have yourself come up with other excuses (that are entirely not in line with the law) for your children not being in car seats. You seem to believe that they are not a neccessity and I think that is sheer madness quite frankly.

Another possibility is that you're in an accident. All three kids thankfully survive the crash, the two in car seats are unharmed. The one in the middle is seriously injured, a spinal injury most likely. I would hate to have them growing up thinking why me, why was I the less important child, why did mum and dad care about me less. And that is exactly what it is, you can make up whatever excuse you like, but that's the bottom line.

Oh, and I didn't always drive an S60. This is what I used to own

Just seeing your mod note now moonbeam. Apologies. That'll be the last I say on the matter

cbyrd

Slight hijack of the thread cos i don't think it needs it's own thread???.. i'm looking for a particular type of car seat.. i have one and want another... long story as to how i have the first one but i can't find it anywhere online and as i've no car yet going to shops is still a bit difficult
its a junior's top class car seat.. i've seen 2 advertised on adverts.ie but they're sold.. anyone that could help??


And i can personally vouch for the importance of car seats...

cynder

Moonbeam wrote: »

You can not fit 3 full size car seats in an Avensis and definately not 2 isofix and a 3rd.

Well thats one thing we agree on....

Whatever the person chooses to do after that is thier choice, and if they opt not to go for a booster seat its not against the law and NOONE should criticize them or call them a bad parent who doesn't consider thier child's safety. Which is what a few are doing on this thread, i think thats unfair when the law says they can.


People who do that are not braking the law, in any which way or form. A driver should be given the full facts and not just ones that you agree with.
Same goes for drink alcohol level , i personally dont drink anything if im driving even though the law says i can, I DONT, others do, its not for me to judge them or say to them they cant drink alcohol at government recommended level because it would affect their child's safety.

cynder

cbyrd wrote: »

Slight hijack of the thread cos i don't think it needs it's own thread???.. i'm looking for a particular type of car seat.. i have one and want another... long story as to how i have the first one but i can't find it anywhere online and as i've no car yet going to shops is still a bit difficult
its a junior's top class car seat.. i've seen 2 advertised on adverts.ie but they're sold.. anyone that could help??


And i can personally vouch for the importance of car seats...

Its not advisable to buy second hand seats as you dont know if they were in an accident. For the child's own safety it is recommended you buy a new one, or at least know the history of the car seat you plan on purchasing, basically you need to know the car seat from day one and be 100% sure its never been in a car that has had an RTA. Otherwise your risking your child's life and would be better of walking or taking the bus/train.
Of course it's not against the law to purchase a second hand seat, and my own personal choice would to buy a new one as I wouldn't trust a second hand one. But the choice is yours and i respect that.
I'll try find the link so you dont think im making it up...


http://babyproducts.about.com/b/2006/01/27/should-i-buy-a-used-car-seat-for-my-baby.htm


Out of this thread, now....

grindelwald

grindelwald wrote: »

Its not advisable to buy second hand seats as you dont know if they were in an accident. For the child's own safety it is recommended you buy a new one, or at least know the history of the car seat you plan on purchasing, basically you need to know the car seat from day one and be 100% sure its never been in a car that has had an RTA.

Grindelwald is spot on. If you don't know a car seat's history, you can't be sure that it hasn't had some internal damage. Even if it looks like it's in perfect condition, it may be structurally unsound.

cbyrd

grindelwald wrote: »

Its not advisable to buy second hand seats as you dont know if they were in an accident. For the child's own safety it is recommended you buy a new one, or at least know the history of the car seat you plan on purchasing, basically you need to know the car seat from day one and be 100% sure its never been in a car that has had an RTA. Otherwise your risking your child's life and would be better of walking or taking the bus/train.
Of course it's not against the law to purchase a second hand seat, and my own personal choice would to buy a new one as I wouldn't trust a second hand one. But the choice is yours and i respect that.
I'll try find the link so you dont think im making it up...


http://babyproducts.about.com/b/2006/01/27/should-i-buy-a-used-car-seat-for-my-baby.htm


Out of this thread, now....

Ask a question and get shot down:rolleyes:
This is why i was asking if anyone knew where to source one.. i saw them on adverts.ie and wanted to contact to seller to see where she originally bought them but i couldn't cos they were sold and the ad wasn't live so i couldn't message her. . the reason i want to replace the one i have is due to an accident and i won't use it again even though it looks ok. i did mention that i couldn't get to the shops thought this would indicate i wanted to buy a new one
this is why i said long story ... just didn't want to waffle on about a lot of stuff that wasn't relevant to the post.. i dont know if they sell second hand car seats in shops... :rolleyes: i've tried halfords mothercare tony kealys and a lot of other random online shops.. It would help me if someone knows where i could source one as i've drawn a blank online and due to the accident i had i would trust my childs life to this type of seat again...

I had a good google earlier cbyrd and couldn't find them at all. Have you asked the ones you've tried to source it for you?

cbyrd

No i've been looking online.. i've no car yet so getting into the shop itself is a nightmare cos i work on saturday.. the only day i could have the car :rolleyes: I'll hopefully have one in the next 2 or 3 weeks but i'm getting fed up using the double buggy to get around everywhere.. this chair is brilliant.. steel frame and it never moved an inch despite the car flipping over twice.. the baby seat (graco)moved sideways on the base and the straps locked and i haven't been able to loosen them since..i have a lend of my friends brand new car seat (she's due in june) and my sis in law's bigger seat for the time being but i need to give the bigger one back...

http://www.adverts.ie/car-seats-travel/2-x-junior-s-top-class-car-seats-0-18kg/487048

this is what they look like . .

Give baby biz in dun laoghaire a call, they are great for advice and won't stock anything they don't have faith in. I hope you're all ok after your accident

cbyrd

Yeah.. it was amazing that we weren't hurt at all .. i know it's an issue close to your heart and it's why i know how easily an accident can happen tipping along at under 40kms round a bend and the car just took off..(dodgy temporary surface..like ice) next thing i know i'm sailing through the air and land in the field.. no seatbelts or carseats we'd all be dead cos all of the loose contents in the car flew out the smashed windows..except my very heavy hairdressing box.. that smacked me on the head :rolleyes: but at least i missed the telephone pole

Moonbeam

I can't read the bar code off that chair.
read the barcode off your existing one or put a pic of it here,makes searching way easier.

It is years since I have seen a chair with the metal frame like that.

Did you contact the person with them for sale on gumtree?

Moonbeam

Got the barcode but it did not help:(

cynder

cbyrd wrote: »

Ask a question and get shot down:rolleyes:
This is why i was asking if anyone knew where to source one.. i saw them on adverts.ie and wanted to contact to seller to see where she originally bought them but i couldn't cos they were sold and the ad wasn't live so i couldn't message her. . the reason i want to replace the one i have is due to an accident and i won't use it again even though it looks ok. i did mention that i couldn't get to the shops thought this would indicate i wanted to buy a new one
this is why i said long story ... just didn't want to waffle on about a lot of stuff that wasn't relevant to the post.. i dont know if they sell second hand car seats in shops... :rolleyes: i've tried halfords mothercare tony kealys and a lot of other random online shops.. It would help me if someone knows where i could source one as i've drawn a blank online and due to the accident i had i would trust my childs life to this type of seat again...

Since you mentioned adverts.ie which does second hand stuff ill mention donedeal which also does second hand stuff aned new stuff, heres the link


http://www.donedeal.co.uk/for-sale/childrenitems/3119469

milstreet, cork. It is second hand and not new.

gifted

Hi Folks,

Well, we went looking today and it is possible to get 3 child seats into the back of the Avensis. One for the 3 year old on the outside, one for the 19 month old on the other side and the newborn in the middle facing the back window...:D.
The car seats were a tight fit and we would need seat belt extensions for one of the seats but there was no question of buckle crunch. The downside to all of that though is that once the seats are in place, they have to be left in place. It would be way to awkward to be removing the middle baby seat all the time, so we would have to have a seperate baby carrier and transfer the baby into and out of the baby seat thats already fitted in the car ( sorry if that sounds confusing )
Also, one of the children on the outside would have to be out of their seat while we are putting the baby into the middle seat ( problem there straight away )
The extra baby carrier would have to be in the boot all the time so thats a third of the boot gone.
While it is physically possible to have the 3 seats in the Avensis, their seems to be way too many negatives with it so we have decided to go with a people carrier ( Bawling out side baby shop I was )
Herself then told me that as we are getting a people carrier we might as well go for a fourth child ( the Bawling got louder and felt shooting pains in my chest area :eek:)
So thanks for all your advice, really appreciated it .

PS. The shop assistant in the baby shop in Galway was really great, he came out to the car with a lot of baby seats and tried every combo to see if it would work.