3 kids in a Prius?

[kimgh]

Originally Posted by shooflymama

Hi all,

Have any of you managed to make a Prius work with three young kids? If so, what carseat/booster seat combinations have worked?

We currently have two kids, 1 and 3, and that has been very comfortable. Plenty of room for them, us, stuff.

We are thinking about trying for a third kid, but are loath to think about driving anything other than a Prius. If everything went as planned, we would need to fit an infant seat, and seats for a 5 and a 3 year old. We are not afraid of being a little smushed, so long as it's safe .

Thanks in advance for any and all advice, insight, experiences, etc.!!!

Well, as far as crowding into a car goes: I grew up in a family of 3 kids. One year, our family vacation consisted of driving from Illinois to the East Coast and down the Eastern seaboard, visiting all the historical sights along the way and ending in DC, thence back home to IL. I was (I think) 13 or 14 at the time, and my sisters were 10 and 6. We crammed our stuff into 2 medium suitcases, and the suitcases an ourselves into a VW Beetle. The trip lasted 3 weeks, and (needless to say) we had to find a laundromat about every 2-3 days.

It was a memorable trip, but:

My wife and I stopped at 2 kids, and I cannot imagine trying a stunt like that now!

Of course, we didn't need carseats in those days, but the point (or one of them) is this: the kids get bigger over time, and they (and all your stuff) have to fit. Can it be done? my story is an existence proof that it can. The real question is: do you want to do that for the next 15 years in only a Prius?

And I'm with the poster who said that the car shouldn't be the deciding factor here. On the other hand, I think the question is: can you raise a family of 3 kids with only a Prius as your transportation? I think you can, but do you really want to? I think if you have a third child, you may end up getting a "kidmobile" (SUV or Minivan) before they all take off to college and career. THEN you can go back to the Prius, I guess.

[shooflymama]

Ouch! This was my first first here, and I wasn't really looking for input on my family planning decisions. I was a little shocked and frankly, disgusted, to have the thread take that turn. I just wanted to know whether or not people had been able to use the Prius with 3 kids.

It's obviously a huge decision, and if we make it, we want to be as responsible as we can be in the process. That's why I came here, to learn how we might. Please don't assume we're just mindlessly getting ready to bring yet another soul onto this planet (and that it is your duty to enlighten or scold us). THat is so far from the case, and it's actually pretty condescending to assume those things, actually.

I firmly believe that kids are really adaptable and that we as parents play a huge rule in setting expectations for what they "need" - if all they know is having a small family car, they'll do just fine. Ditto for a lot of things like that. We just wanted to know if it was physically possible to have three little kids with seats in a Prius. If it is possible, that is what we would do. If not, we would start exploring options like the Camry hybrid if we decided to expand out family.

Thank you to those of you who helped to answer my question - I really appreciate it. Evan, thanks specifically for your post and pictures - they were super-helpful and inspiring . Way to go!

[ny biker]

Originally Posted by shooflymama

Ouch! This was my first first here, and I wasn't really looking for input on my family planning decisions. I was a little shocked and frankly, disgusted, to have the thread take that turn. I just wanted to know whether or not people had been able to use the Prius with 3 kids.

It's obviously a huge decision, and if we make it, we want to be as responsible as we can be in the process. That's why I came here, to learn how we might. Please don't assume we're just mindlessly getting ready to bring yet another soul onto this planet (and that it is your duty to enlighten or scold us). THat is so far from the case, and it's actually pretty condescending to assume those things, actually.

I firmly believe that kids are really adaptable and that we as parents play a huge rule in setting expectations for what they "need" - if all they know is having a small family car, they'll do just fine. Ditto for a lot of things like that. We just wanted to know if it was physically possible to have three little kids with seats in a Prius. If it is possible, that is what we would do. If not, we would start exploring options like the Camry hybrid if we decided to expand out family.

Thank you to those of you who helped to answer my question - I really appreciate it. Evan, thanks specifically for your post and pictures - they were super-helpful and inspiring . Way to go!

FWIW, I read your question the way you meant it.

I have zero children so I couldn't provide any input. I can verify that 2 bicycles fit easily with the rear seats down. But that won't really help you here...