Hello all,

As the title suggests, has anyone managed to fit three child seats across the rear bench? If so could you advise me of the make and models you used.

We really don't want to part with the octy, but with a new arrival expected later in the year we may have no choice, unfortunately we have not been able (using the seats we already possess) to fit three in the back.

Our eldest daughter is 7 and in a booster seat, middle daughter is 19 months and in a front facing maxi-cosi seat.

Any advice welcomed.

Andy

I would honestly be amazed if you could mate. I've heard good things about the ford c max though....!!

Not possible, just not wide enough - you're gonna need a MPV type vehicle........

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or one is gonna have to walk!

Easy fix - 7 year old on booster seat in the front (she might be able to sit without booster - check height requirements) two youngest ones in the outside seats of the bench and put the missus in the middle.

I have a Polo and have managed this way - fine for short local journeys.

Its not the number of bodies that is the problem but car seats/travel systems/boosters - the smaller children are, the bigger stuff they need to sit in.

Wouldn't be rushing out to change your car.

Cheers.

Cheers everyone!

I was really hoping to keep the octy. Had considered putting the eldest in the front seat too, the Missus doesn't mind sitting in the middle too much as long as she gets to keep her vrs!

Should we have to sell it any suggestions for a replacement. Best I could come up with was an s-max 2.5t?

Does the mk2 superb take three on the back seat?

Not sure on the Superb - although it's long it's not much wider than Octavia:

From the brochures: rear track width

Octavia - 1514mm

Superb - 1518mm

Think you'll have same problem - VW Sharan, SEAT Alhambra, S-Max/Galaxy.

Cheers everyone!

I was really hoping to keep the octy. Had considered putting the eldest in the front seat too, the Missus doesn't mind sitting in the middle too much as long as she gets to keep her vrs!

Should we have to sell it any suggestions for a replacement. Best I could come up with was an s-max 2.5t?

Does the mk2 superb take three on the back seat?

You will struggle to find any car that will take three child seats on the rear bench - there was a device, forget what it was called, that effective lay on the bench attached by the isofix and allowed you to have three child seats all fixed - but the cost is something like £1.5k for this kit.

Why change the car when you like it? I like my Polo GTI and for 51 weeks of the year it is perfect - either me and dog, me and missus, me and 1/2/3 children but not that often are all of us in the car at the same time.

For our summer holiday up north I hired a Seat Alhambra - brilliant and did the job for the week but would hate to live with it for the rest of the year when I do not need that space (apologies to Seat owners out there).

You have a big family car, just use some initiative to get round the problem.

I see too many new fathers panicing and rushing to change their motor when they don't need to.

Enjoy the Octy and the expanding family - congratulations.

Cheers.

http://www.multimac.co.uk/home

time to get the credit card out...

I have just got rid of a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso and that could fit three child seats in the middle bench. It was a very practical car for kids and while it was a good comfortable motorway car it made the kids sick on anything remotely twisty.

I've tried getting three boosters in the back of my Octavia and they just don't fit. It seems to be the side bolsters that limit the width available more than anything.

Was thinking of that 'all-in-one' solution. One of the Evo magazine long-termers had it fitted to an M3 and really rated it.

Remember it being 1-1.5k - think it must have been that Multimac one.

Yes it's a fair bit of cash, but then again if it saves you changing your car then it's probably not that bad compared with the hassle and possible depreciation hit you'll take.

I've had three car seats in the back of both my mk1 and mk 2 octy vrs's, the last time was a baby seat, a booster for a 4 year old and a booster seat for my 6 year old, its very tight, granted, you have to have very dexterous hands to get to the seat belt sockets but it IS possible.....in  fact to prove the nay sayers wrong when the missus gets back home with the car I'll take a photo with all 3 in, they wont fix onto the isofix but the car seats I have can be isofix and belt fitted.

^^ Whilst fitting them in is fine, my fear would be getting out in an emergency. You mention "you have to have very dexterous hands to get to the seat belt sockets" so if you struggle to do it imagine trying to do it should the car be on fire.

Just my thoughts - child safety is paramount at the end of the day and I wouldn't do anything to compromise it.

I would expect with a multimac that you'd get a very big chunk of that money back when you sell it on after they've out grown it.

Lots of people in your position..

oh, and congrats, obviously!

Or you could spend £1500 on a slightly older mpv and then the kids can ruin that!

Cheers for the feedback everybody, and thanks for the congrats!

I take on board what has been said about getting the nippers in and out quickly in the event of something unforeseen happening. In honesty that aspect had not crossed my mind, definitely something to consider.

The multimac does look a handy piece of kit...even at that price. As some of you have pointed out I would be quite likely to lose a similar amount via trade in / depreciation.

We have a little while before the new arrival, so we are planning a trip to kiddicare in Peterborough to see what options (seat wise) we might have. I guess if the seats have their own built in straps, then reaching the cars seat belt points is not such an issue.

@TB1 the thought of an older MVP for the kids to trash had crossed my mind too!

Thanks all,

Andy

On the point of getting children out quickly - in that position you'd surely just release the restraints on each individual seat, which is holding the child in? In that situation it wouldn't really matter that you couldn't get the actual seat back out in a hurry?

Just over 1K isn't too bad for that multiseat, at least you keep your car. Buying a 2K people carrier could end up costing you much more!

Exactly - it's a huge false economy that, especially when you factor in not being able to use your Octy while you mooch about in an old MPV!

Add in insurance, road tax, servicing, maintenance = large mistake. Good point by Rob on the residual value of the seat once you've exhausted the need too. It's a great idea they've come up with there, and as said - there'll will ALWAYS be a market for it, as the human race continues to evolve :p

I do understand the points raised about the expense of running a second car. As I work very odd hours (shift work) we have to run two cars already. Admittedly the last car cost £500 and has (somewhat astonishingly) lasted 6 years so far. That said I imagine running an mpv like a galaxy / sharan / alhambra would be vastly more expensive.

Hopefully this weekends planned trip to P'boro will provide a solution. If not the multimac looks promising!

Thanks all,

Andy

If you want to stick with a Skoda, try a Roomster, it works for me fitting 2 standard boosters and 1 ISOfix seat. Otherwise a smaller 7 seat option is the Toyota Verso.

It pains me to say it, but we had a Peugeot 307sw prior to the Ocatvia Estate (which is physically a bigger car) and could fit three seats in the back of the Pug. Or two seats and the wife. (I'm going to recommend the 307 though as it was the most unreliable car I ever had).

Just not possible with the Octavia unless you don't use the Isofix, and my wife is pretty slim.

It seems to be that Pug had three seperate seats which, individually, were narrow than the two outer seats on the Octy.

A VW Touran should more than suit.

I would probably not be using the isofix so I'll try kiddicare first and see what they can offer. If not there is always the multimac...

Had considered both the touran and the 307SW, touran would be my preference. Will update this post with results from the weekend

Cheers everyone

I'm in almost the same situation, my wife and i have a 6/7 year old each from previous relationships, and we are expecting a new addition in June.

We had a little Vauxhall Meriva and i got rid of it for a "bigger" car, the Octavia estate. We've already got the baby's seat system, and tested it with the two graco booster seats the older pair have. It fits, but it's tight, as mentioned, the seatbelt releases are a bit harder to get to.

We did as much research as we could into finding narrower booster seats, and came to the conclusion they are all much the same width, probably an EU directive on dimensions to meet a safety certificate.

We only have my daughter on alternate weekends and have decided the wife will go in the back with one of the kids on a booster seat and the baby seat rear facing, the other booster seat will get upgraded to the front seat for the few times a month we are all out together.

Simply can't afford many other options, and not really worth it for the limited time it would be necessary. A narrower booster seat would be heavenly though :-)

This is where I heard about the multimac

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/feb/27/mishal-husain-cars-multimac

Thread resurrection, for anyone interested!

We have managed to fit three seats across the rear bench. 1 x baby seat, 1 x booster and 1 x toddler seat. The eldest is easily able to reach the seat buckles herself. All it took was a narrower baby / carry seat.

Andy.