3 kids in a Prius?

[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.!!!

[mingoglia]

My wife and I have thought about this a few times (we have a 4 and 2yo now). We decided having a third child was exponentially more difficult than 2. For example, most homes are 3 bedroom (mom/dad plus a room for each child). 2 car seats fit in any vehicle but a 3rd limits you to a select few. This of course is a problem if you were to even travel by plane as at one point in your travel you'll need to be in an automobile. Holding 3 hands in the airport instead of 2... the list goes on. So we decided to stick with 2. I know that wreaks of selfishness on our part but hey.... we try.

[zenMachine]

One (ex)member who used to own a Prius has three kids and he was able to fit three car seats in the back. After his Prius got totalled in an accident he switched to a Navigator, which caused quite a lengthy (and often heated) thread on this forum for a while.

We have one 2-yr old and two 12 year old twins. The baby is still in a car seat and the twins aren't too big yet so everyone fits in pretty well. When the twins get a little bigger, hopefully downscaling to a booster seat for the littlest one will do the trick. Otherwise we'll probably have to get a minivan and, hopefully by then a hybrid minivan will be available in the US.

[efusco]

I've had 3 kids in the back since July of '04. My boys are now 8 and my daughter 3. The love the Prius. The mongo Britax and such won't fit 3 across, but we used the Graco and such without any problem. The boys are now out of booster seats, my daughter's still in a 5 point car seat but will transition to a booster in a few months.

While they are a bit snug to get it they will fit safely and securely (I'm an ER doc and my wife's a pediatrician--we don't treat that issue lightly).

[mingoglia]

Originally Posted by zenMachine

One (ex)member who used to own a Prius has three kids and he was able to fit three car seats in the back. After his Prius got totalled in an accident he switched to a Navigator, which caused quite a lengthy (and often heated) thread on this forum for a while.

Yeah, I remember that thread. I specifically remember it because I had a Navigator at the time it was going on. I personally have some of the worst fuel economy vehicles made... I'll admit it (one that gets 12mpg requires premium... and back then the Navigator got about 11 on Premium). What I do though is I only drive the other vehicles every now and then. My wife/I and kids drive the Prius almost everywhere...even on road trips. We use the gas guzzlers if we have more people in the car then the Prius can fit or are hauling something. Other than that they sit. I'll use my Jeep (about 10mpg with the large tires on it) once a month... I'll drive my SRT8 (12mpg on premium) every few weeks when I want to blow some steam and drive my truck (19 mpg around town, about 14 pulling at about 20k gross combined weight) when I'm hauling my RV a few times a year or when I have to move something large.

In fact I actually drove my dually pickup to work today. Even with dual monster batteries it almost didn't start because it's been sitting so long. Ironically I had to drive it today because at lunch I'm going to get the emissions tested on it. ...I also have some tile to pick up for the pool and figured if I was going to drive it I might as well kill two birds with one stone today.

[qbee42]

Or take another approach to the problem and stop at two kids. That will save even more resources than driving a Prius.

Tom

[efusco]

Originally Posted by qbee42

Or take another approach to the problem and stop at two kids. That will save even more resources than driving a Prius.

Tom

Dude, we tried....

[abq sfr]

Originally Posted by efusco

Dude, we tried....

One would think if 2 Doctors can't get it right, ain't nobody can!

[Rae Vynn]

I'm a bit flabbergasted by this.

I can think of a whole lot of things to sit and talk about when it comes to deciding on whether or not to bring another child into the world.

But the car that you drive as criteria for whether or not to commit to another life? I think I need to go lie down for awhile.

[hobbit]

Have we crested 7 billion yet?
.
_H*