[mom2sol]

My daughter is currently 21 months old, 22 pounds and 32 1/2 inches tall.
My son is 4 (March is his birthday) and he is 45 1/2 pounds and about 44 1/2 inches tall. His torso is long and his head was over the back of the Evenflo convertible seat we had when he was 2! So we then moved him to a Britax Marathon. When we decided to switch him to a booster and were researching we saw that the reason for getting a back as opposed to a backless was whether or not your car had back seat head rest and ours did, so we decided to go with the simpler backless booster seat.
We are going to shoot for 3 to 3 1/2 years spacing between the youngest.
Our current car is a Subaru Wagon, Legacy I think... and it's a '97 or '96, no middle seat shoulder belt.
We still have the Evenflo seat and used it when my daughter was a baby but it's pretty wide, so I'm thinking we need something else for the baby.
Friends of ours have a Mazda 5 and I like the idea. Side by side it's the same length as the Subaru, just a little higher but not as high as a minivan or SUV. the gas mileage is a little better than the Subaru, no 4-wheel drive. The middle seats are two bucket seat and there are two more bonus seats in the far back, the problem with always needing them is they are in the area that would be the wagon part of the Subaru, where I haul stuff... so there wouldn't be much room for hauling around anything but I suppose I could get a roof box.
My husband is determined that we can get all three kids in the back of the Subaru but he doesn't have any experience. I tried once when I had the Evenflo and Britax to get a friend's kid's seat in there and it wasn't happening, and that was a highback booster.
I should try to find someone with a Passat and check out the back seat, I looked for stats briefly but couldn't find them.
Thanks for your help.
Kassi

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Convertible Car Seats Convertible seats are for infants and toddlers. The seat can be used as a rear-facing seats for younger children, and switched to a forward-facing seat on the child's first birthday if the child weighs at least 20 pounds. However, experts recommend keeping the child in a rear-facing position until he or she outgrows the weight or height allowed by the safety seat.

	Booster Seat A booster seat raises your child up so that the car's lap and shoulder belts fit correctly. The lap belt should fall across the upper thighs. The shoulder belt should go across the middle of the shoulder and chest. A booster seat is used for older children up to about 80 pounds. Some states have passed laws requiring booster seats for children up to age 8 or 80 pounds. Check your state's law.

	Britax Marathon - Click for more info Increasing the time a child can safely stay in their convertible car seat is a big issue and Britax engineers have come through in a big way with the introduction of the Britax Marathon with LATCH. A LATCH Compatible Convertible Child Seat, the Britax Marathon can be used rear facing 5 to 33 pounds and forward facing from 20 to 65 pounds. Compare the numbers and you will see it is hard to find a seat with these weight limits that is safe and functional.