[Andywrx]

I have 3 kids under the age of 3 and I want to keep the 3 children in rear facing child seats for as long as possible.

This post is just to say how I have done it and how pleased I am with the outcome, with one minor issue.

1. I have an 8 seat Touring L Plus (so it has the leather seats, which will be relevant later)
2. I have 3 Diono RXT car seats
3. I use the LATCH anchors in the second row for two child seats. One behind the drivers seat and one in the middle "8th seat".
4. I "stow" the seat behind the passenger seat under the floor.
5. I have the third child seat LATCHed to the 60% seat in the 3rd row.

Each car seat can be easily accessed, there is no "middle seat" to reach over to.
Sometimes my wife or I will sit on the back row so we have full visibility of each kid, but need to take off seatbelt to actually access the kids in the 2nd row. This can be helpful if the drive overlaps with a mealtime/snacktime for example.

The stowed seat can be easily put back into place after we have accessed the back row if we have an additional passenger. But the child seat on the back row effectively uses up two spaces so max capacity is 7 people including the 3 kids.

Safety specialists generally recommend staying rear facing for as long as possible, in fact I believe the legal age requirement for changinging to forward facing in Sweden is 4 years old, so I am glad I have been able to solve this. No other minivan offers the stow n go which makes this possible, I would have had to remove one 2nd row seat.

The only problem is that the 8th seat does not have a crevice where the seat back meets the seat, it is one continuous piece of leather so the bottom of the rear facing car seat does not have a crevice to Jam into. I have a rubber seat protector which I have used to protect the leather but it is necessary to tighten the LATCH Belt very tight to make it safe so there is a lot of pressure on the leather and i am not sure if it will cause damage.

The only other point is that the LATCH system is limited at 65lbs for rear facing, which my boys and the Diono RXT together will likely exceed fairly soon so will have to switch to seatbelt to attach the seats to the car.

I cannot think of another car on the road that would allow such easy access to three rear facing car seats, if they would fit at all. It is the stow and go that makes the difference.

Just thought I would share my experience.

 

[dcpacifica]

Would it be possible to post pics of the setup? We're going to be adding a second baby seat soon - so am curious to see how it looks in the 3rd row or if we'll use the other captain's chair (we got the 7-seater). Thanks!

 

[spicedham]

So there's latch anchors in the middle (8th) seat? Or put another way: how many latch points are there?

 

[generaltso]

So there's latch anchors in the middle (8th) seat? Or put another way: how many latch points are there?

Yes. There are 5 latch points in the 8 passenger.

 

[Tsuter]

That's good to know. We do two forward facing on the outboard captains chairs and then our infant rear facing in between on the 8th pass seat. As for the leather, it should be fine, the seats are pretty resilient.
I like the idea of stowing one of the captains chairs to gain access.

 

[Scallion]

@Andywrx, I know there are only two latch points in the 3rd row, but since you have 3 RXTs and that's what we use as well for our three, I'm wondering if you think you could get all three rear-facing across the back with a seatbelt installation? We will most likely put two in the back and one in the middle most of the time, but it might be nice to cram all three back there to let adults ride in the second row if needed. The kids are used to being jammed in like sardines, but the grandparents not so much!

 

[soontobe]

5. I have the third child seat LATCHed to the 60% seat in the 3rd row.

I'm assuming you're using the angle adjuster. Does it fit in the 3rd row and still allow someone to sit in the 2nd row in front of the car seat?

I have a Diono RXT and Radian in a 2010 Odyssey in the third row with angle adjusters. I had to move the 2nd row forward a bit and the seat backs are not reclined much. The Pacifica's 2nd row doesn't move back and forth. So it'd be impressive that it fits.

 

[vdubpower]

can you all post pics of your set ups, thanks cheers

 

[squishles10]

I have a similar setup to Andywrx. RF radian behind the driver (fits without the angle adjuster if you're not too tall), passenger captain stowed, booster in the back latched into passenger side. If I added a third seat for some reason, I'd do it next to the booster in the back. Having the one captain stowed makes it so much easier to get kids in.

Soontobe- would that setup work for you too? Then there's no one in front of the RF in the back row. I haven't tried the radian in the third row with a seat up. Just from eyeballing it, I think it might fit since Diono allows you to brace, as does the pacifica (correct me if I'm wrong) since there aren't any sensors in the second row seats.

 

[tsax6010]

The only other point is that the LATCH system is limited at 65lbs for rear facing, which my boys and the Diono RXT together will likely exceed fairly soon so will have to switch to seatbelt to attach the seats to the car.

If your RXT was manufactured before March 2014 Diono certifies use of the the SuperLatch connectors to the maximum combined weight rating for the seat so long as the vehicle is a 2005 or newer. I would say it is a "parental decision" to take up Diono on their weight limits, but car seat manufacturers are typically very conservative with their limits and recommendations since they carry a lot of liability.

I have 2 Radian RXTs, one currently forward facing and one rear facing. I found that I had*remove the second row seat's headrest to fit the seat forward facing by removing the plastic access panel on the back of the*seat, popping off a metal retaining ring, and disconnecting the stow and go cable. I use Diono's own seat protectors with both seats to protect the leather.

 

[soontobe]

Soontobe- would that setup work for you too? Then there's no one in front of the RF in the back row. I haven't tried the radian in the third row with a seat up. Just from eyeballing it, I think it might fit since Diono allows you to brace, as does the pacifica (correct me if I'm wrong) since there aren't any sensors in the second row seats.

I've tried two configurations. Both seats are rear facing and I've stowed the 2nd row driver's side seat.
1. One seat in the middle second row and one in the middle 3rd row: The second row seat didn't seem that stable. It would rock side to side. The middle seat bottom cushion seems softer.
2. One seat in the second row passenger side and one in the third row passenger side: The second row seat does not need an angle adjuster. It just touches the front seat.

Putting the seats in separate rows allows parallel loading of kids when more than one adult is present.

 

[GlenP]

I have 3 kids under the age of 3 ...

:smile2:This might be a good time to start saving for college...

 

[Bond007]

I thought the minimum limit for rear facing seat was two years in US. I can’t imagine my 3 year old going back to rear facing seat. That will be a riot.
My year and half old is already balking at the rear facing infant seat in the second row seat and it’s a struggle every time to buckle him. Whenever we are parked and he is free inside the car, he will jump into the third row seat between the two older kid’s car seats and establish his place there. Then it’s another battle to tease him out into his infant seat. . The joys of parenting.


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