3 car seats in Ford Focus SW

[jocelyn179]

Hi! I'm expecting baby number three in November and really am hoping to keep my current vehicle - new car seats are far less expensive than a new car I have a 2005 Ford Focus SW. My daughter is 7 years old, but bitty - only about 43 pounds, 46 inches tall; my son is 4 years old (5 in October) and about 41 pounds, 44 inches tall. They are both currently in Cosco Summit convertible booster seats (daughter using car shoulder harness, son still using 5 point harness) but I'm assuming I'll need to replace both of these because they have extremely wide bases and leave very little room in between for a new infant car seat. The center position does have a shoulder belt, not just a lap belt. There are tethers for all three seat positions, but I believe there is NO LATCH position at the center seat. My husband measured the rear seat and figures we have about 51 inches to work with. Thanks in advance for any assistance you might be able to give. I'm not so much concerned about the cost of the car seats as I am safety and simply fitting them all in!!!

	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.

	Infant Car Seats Infant-only rear-facing seats are for babies up to about 22 to 30 pounds, depending on the specific car seat. You will need a new seat when your child gets bigger. Infant-only seats have handles that allow you to move the seat from the car to the house or other locations. Some have a base that you can leave installed in the car, so you can just click the car seat into place each time you use it.

	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.

	LATCH LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. It is a system mandated by the Federal government in an effort to standardize and simplify the installation of child restraints without using the vehicle's seat belt system. New vehicles and child safety seats manufactured on and after September 1, 2002 will be equipped with the LATCH system. Cars, minivans, and light trucks will be required to have anchor points between the vehicle's seat cushion and the seat back in at least two rear seating positions, and a top tether anchor (with the exception of convertibles). Child safety seats will have a lower set of attachments that fasten to the vehicle anchors. Most forward-facing child safety seats will also have a top strap (tether) that attaches to the top anchor in the vehicle.

[Papooses]

I don't have a link at the moment, so I'm not sure, but the Summit may be one of the seats (Cosco & Evenflo models) related to some rather serious head injuries -- because of square shaped indents/notches on the inside "wings" of the shell/frame.... Try lifting the cover to see if it looks like the picture below.

3-in-1 seats in general are not that great (jacks of all trades, master of none kinda thing) & they're really wide in comparison to other options, which is going to make 3 across virutally impossible with these seats, especially in this vehicle.

I would consider the Sunshine Kids Radian for both your kids: they can both stay harnessed quite a while longer, which is safer than booster + it's a very narrow seat. It's usually easier to buckle harnesses in 3 across situations. But, if you choose to keep your 7 year old only boostered then I'd consider the Britax Parkway since it lacks armrests to make buckling easier & it protects the head better than your current seat (correctly used harnesses are safer than correctly used boosters in every crash type because they contain the body better + spread crash forces out more + they reduce head excursion).

The Radian is generally more difficult to install than other seats, though, so I'd also consider the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe or Britax Marathon -- the Radian fits smaller babies better because it's bottom slots are lower, but any of these seats should puzzle together well enough in your vehicle.

Just remember that each seat must be *independently* secure with less than 1" movement at the belt path.

	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.

	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.

	Britax Parkway - Click for more info The new Parkway Booster from Britax builds on their company's reputation as the maker of some of the safest seats on the market today. It's one of the only boosters to offer True Side Impact Protection - the EPS foam-padded headrest and side "wings" aren't just great for naps, they're engineered to provide vital protection to your child in the event of a side-impact crash. (Side-impact crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 6-14, making this an issue of major importance for booster seats.)

	Sunshine Kids - Click for more info Makers of a number of accessories geared towards making parents lives easier, Sunshine Kids has recently embarked in a new direction. In 2005 they unveiled their first car seat, the Radian. Their years of experience working in children's products focusued on child comfort and parent convenience shine through in this unique convertible car seat. The Radian is packed with safety features and is the first ever folding convertible car seat appealing to parents who car pool or travel often.

	Sunshine Kids Radian 80 or 65 - Click for more info If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent. While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat. The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.