Expecting twins - fitting 3 car seats in corolla?

amother

OP ↓

Thu, Feb 23 2023, 10:22 pm

BH we are expecting twins, and BH I have a toddler, and one (among many) of the things I'm puzzling over is how to fit three car seats into the backseat of our '90s toyota corolla. (smaller than camry; no latch system)

Has anyone done this? I will need one toddler seat which can stay in the car (seems like the diono is the best for that? Any opinions?), and two infant seats that can come in and out for the double snap and go. Which infant seats are very slim? (Also would want ones that have insert for very small infants since the likelihood is high that they will be born early and/or on the small side.)

I have been looking here: https://www.thecarcrashdetecti.....59375 - but since I am specifically needing two infant seats I would like to hear from you all what you recommend.

(Current inventory: graco extend2fit and chicco keyfit)

Any words of wisdom and/or chizuk would be much appreciated! Thank you!

amother

Steelblue ↓

Thu, Feb 23 2023, 10:27 pm

The link says clearly that 3 keyfits fit across, and I imagine the diono is slimmer and should work well with that.

B'shaa tova! First months with twins are a ride, but the nachas is more than double! Enjoy!

Kiwi13 ↓

Thu, Feb 23 2023, 10:41 pm

I successfully installed 3-across car seats many times in many cars. It can be done in most cars, but you need to buy car seats that fit. In a smaller car you wouldn’t be using the latch system anyway, most likely. I learned from the firefighter who initially taught me how to install 3-across that the latch method gets in the way in smaller cars.

Also important is to know the proper order. My twins were born when my oldest was a little over 2 years old. The forward-facing seat went in the middle, with the rear-facing seats on either side. When my older child moved to a booster, that went in the center too, with his now-forward facing siblings’ seats on the sides.

Hatzlacha, and Bshaa tova!!

ETA: The latch system I’m referring to is latch vs. belt. Meaning, you’d most likely want to use the seatbelts to install the car seats/infant seat bases anyway in a small car. Once they’re in forward-facing position, you’ll still use the seatbelt to install, but absolutely use the top latch if your car has anchors above the seats. In any case, 3-across tends to provide an extra snug fit (less wiggling), which I found to be an advantage.

amother

Ecru

Thu, Feb 23 2023, 10:46 pm

I did it with a 2007 Camry … a booster, toddler car seat and newborn car seat. I did not take the newborn car seat out of the car on a regular basis because it was difficult to buckle it. It was much easier to take the baby in and out rather than to deal with the car seat in and out.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Feb 23 2023, 10:48 pm

amother Steelblue wrote:

Yes, I saw that but was having a hard time believing it since the keyfit seems somewhat bulky to me and my back seat is miniscule...so I wanted to hear from those who have done it personally...

Amen, thanks!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Feb 23 2023, 10:51 pm

Kiwi13 wrote:

Thanks! Which brands did you use, just curious?

write4right

Thu, Feb 23 2023, 10:53 pm

Another option is to skip the infant seats entirely and get three small convertible car seats, like the Graco slimfit. It may not be worth taking infant seats in and out of the car and buckling them in each time.

A lot of the convertible car seats can be used from 5 or 7 lb. They come with infant inserts.

amother

NeonPink

Thu, Feb 23 2023, 11:03 pm

I don't have twins but I have 2 of the Graco extend 2 fit and while I'm a big fan, I don't think they'd fit 3 across in a small car. I had 3 across in a minivan (two of these and one cybex) and it was just enough space.

amother

Lemonlime

Thu, Feb 23 2023, 11:08 pm

amother NeonPink wrote:

They make a slim version of the extend to fit but I also don’t see them fitting three across.

I agree with it being better to just have car seats that stay in the car though. Unless you think there are many times you’ll be taking the twins without the toddler then for those times I guess you’d want the buckets?

amother

Red ↓

Fri, Feb 24 2023, 1:42 am

amother OP wrote:

Mazel tov and Bishaa Tova!
No twins but 3 kids in the back of a corolla.
I found the graco slim fit lx3 to be the slimmest car seat. Can be both rear and forward facing which is a plus. There is another name for the same car seat when bought on other sites but I got it from Amazon as it was cheaper then than walmart but that of course changes day by day.

I was also told the chicco keyfit30 was the slimmest car seat. I use a base for it but that might not work in your car. My corolla is a little newer than yours.

It does depend on which exact model/year corolla you have as they do change the dimensions.

amother

↑ Red

Fri, Feb 24 2023, 1:44 am

amother NeonPink wrote:

Graco slimfit 3lx is skinnier than the extend to fit when I checked. The slim fit is very narrow.

youngmother6

Fri, Feb 24 2023, 3:15 am

I have three car seats in a Toyota Corolla we went to the store and had to try out the car seats before buying. We gave away our old car seats and bought three new. We are using a doona for baby but it doesn’t fit with the base. Also, we need both doors open when putting in the doona or else it doesn’t fit.

Good luck!

deeygee

Fri, Feb 24 2023, 9:58 am

I had 3 car seats in the backseat of a Honda Accord (not twins). When my 3rd was born, before we bought any more car seats, we went to Buy Buy Baby and had a salesperson help us maneuver different car seats to figure out what would work best for our car. Was worth buying from there so we could test everything out in advance. Ended up buying a Diono for our oldest at the time since it had the slimmest profile.
Hatzlacha!

amother

Lightpink

Fri, Feb 24 2023, 10:14 am

I had three car seats (2 toddler car seats and 1 Graco) in the backseat of a Toyota Avalon.
Very frustrating!!! but it is possible.
I was frustrated every time I had to put the kids in. It is hard to buckle and put the car seat in out and of the car when there is limited room.
My sister fit three car seats in the back of a corolla.

amother

Cappuccino

Fri, Feb 24 2023, 11:09 am

amother Lightpink wrote:

I’m annoyed putting my one toddler in my Avalon, let alone 3 kids 😂!

OP, are you planning to keep your toddler rear-facing? This will make a big difference in seats. The diono Radian is quite tall with no adjustable recline option so it takes up a lot of room front-to-back. I believe the graco slimfit is quite a bit shorter and has an adjustable recline to help it fit behind seats/not block your view. The clek Foonf and Fllo are also narrow seats that, if you can’t get a good fit with the graco, might be worth looking at. They’re very expensive and .2” wider than the graco, but they sit up quite high on the base so you might have better luck squishing one in between the Chiccos.