yeah I know....someone will suggest a multimac but most will suggest a kodiak or a n other 7 seater, but...well ...someone must have done it!  I've had the wife in the back seat between 2 large isofix group 1 car seats for a fairly long journey and she is willing to do that so littl'un #3 can go in the front but I'm interested to know if people have got 3 kids in the back and how.  when #3 arrives in the summer #1 will be almost 5 and #2 almost 3, so currently in a highback booster seat and an isofix group 1 seat, but it would only be 8 months or so before #2 would be 3.5 and can also go in a high backed booster.  From a read of the regs it seems legal to use simple boosters without a back too, less safe but legal and an option perhaps for the eldest if it means squeezing in next to #1 in the isofix group 1 and #12 in a high back booster is possible.  Oh and the group 1 seats we have, Joie ianchor, can fix in with the sat belts instead of the isofix, so shuffling it over half and inch or so is probably possible.

So, any way to do it?  Oh and currently we are a very low mileage car using family, hence why we are thinking we are prepared to put up with a bit of faff and less comfort instead of the expense of a car swap, that may change of course.

Have a look at the Volvo high backed boosters. My brother in law has 2 of these and a normal recaro kids seat in the back of an Alfa guilia quad and that’s smaller than an octy. Certainly couldn’t get 3 recaro child seats in the back of my Octy when I had it and I can’t in the superb either. But I can get 2 of the Volvo seats in and a recaro no bother. 
kids fit in the boot quite well tho and it makes the drive so much quieter in the front haha 

Edited 11 February, 20206 yr by Esseesse200

🤣  I would, but the wife would kill me! 

 

ah, someone else mentioned the volvo seats, cheers, I'll take a look.

Wife in boot. Older child in front and two smaller ones in the back in proper seats. That’d be the cheapest option. But maybe not trouble free lol.

yea I think the Volvo ones are expensive but certainly not multimac price 

this one?

4 minutes ago, neiln said:

this one?

Yep

cheers.  Now I know a width dimension is not everything, shape is, but those are quoted as 42cm wide (and 38 deep...think its that way around).  I've just found a simple halfords seat at 41cm..and at 27 quid its cheap enough to risk trying

 

https://www.halfords.com/kids-zone/car-seats/child-car-seats/halfords-essentials-high-back-booster-seat

 

I may be off to halfords in Brixton to see if I can convince the shop assistant to let me try 2.  

 

Wife in the boot for about 14 months until #2 reaches 4 yo and then 2 of those would seem viable.  I'll let her out to pee and feed her of course

Keen to find out more! If you could take pictures that would be handy mate! 

will do.

Can't you do #1 one side, #2 the other side and for 8 months just use one of the travel system carry car seats?  They're much narrower at the base so may be able to fit between the bolsters of the larger car seats.

 

Don't bother with the isofix base for it, just belt it in.  Worth a try.

Yes I'm not wedded to using the iso fix bases and using the belts to secure gives a bit of sideways wiggle room to help everything fit.  The youngest will be in the carrycot type seat (Joie gemm) and probably strapped directly in rather than on the iso base, if he/she is in the front that is the only option.  #2 in the group 1 seat however does need the base as although the base can be strapped in the group 1 seat must attach to the base, but that likely isn't really an issue as the seat is the wide  bit.

 

I think things may fit, but it might be a real faff to get the kids in and belted up, but if we can live with it for a year then once #2 moves to the group 2/3 seat it should get easier....I hope.

Generally having non-isofix seats creates a fair bit of space.  We have between two cars a Joie Spin 360, a Joie Everystage and a Cybex Aton Carry seat thing, with the base for it in the wife's car.  The 360 and the base for the Aton make life very very convenient and quick (hence she has them as she's dealing with both kids on her own daily), however everystage is so much less bulky, I can reach over to the middle ok and my boy can't reach the front seats with his feet.

Strapping in the Aton in mine is a bit more annoying, but again less bulky.

 

Saw this that might be an option..  high back booster with straps so suitable for #1 and #2 and 41cm.  

 

 

Watching this thread with interest as we have 3 Grandsons 5, 4 & 2 and it would be great to get all three in the Octavia with us Granddad and Grandma.

I get what you're saying Alex and I agree.  #1 is currently in a maxi Cosi rodi high backed booster, a really old one we scrounged up from my brother and SIL when my nephew grew out of it.  It is definitely easy to reach over/climb over to get to the middle and strap someone in there. However I was surprised to find it's wider than the Joie ianchor thing.  I'm definitely hoping to do as you say though and that George seat would be good, I'd (wrongly) assumed any group 1/2/3 seats would be bulkier so thanks for that find!  MIL works in Asda too so might be able to save a chunk, not that they are costly.

 

Wife also has an i10, so current Joie and maxi Cosi in the rear of that for 1 and 2, 3 in the front with strapped in gemm (or clipped in the base in the back, #1 in the front).  Then in the Octy hopefully 2 of those from George either side of the gemm in the middle.... And when#3 outgrows the gemm it's...hmmm....if they are small it could be late enough to go forward facing and into another George but there's probably going to be 3-6 months where they will need to face backwards (15 months I think is allowed to face forward, need to check).....so hopefully I can squeeze 2 George beside the based up ianchor to one side.... Or I'll need another seat for a while.

 

I'm going to have to get the current seats out, and a tape measure, and see how far off things are.  Already checked the wheel arch bulge to wheel arch bulge as 118 cm, and arm rest to arm rest as 128cm, so it really comes down to shape and where the wide bits are.

where the wide bits are is the important bit. A lot of the newer seats for older ones have lots of protection (and therefore width) at the head hieght, as opposed to the seat part. therefore even having a grown up or older child in the middle of 2 kiddy seats may be more about shoulder comfort than squeezing hips in.

59 minutes ago, neiln said:

...if they are small it could be late enough to go forward facing and into another George but there's probably going to be 3-6 months where they will need to face backwards (15 months I think is allowed to face forward, need to check).....so hopefully I can squeeze 2 George beside the based up ianchor to one side.... Or I'll need another seat for a while.

You can go forward facing earlier than that, however it's still seat dependant.  I-Size ones are 15 months, however the older design weight based ones they can go forward facing from 9kg in a group 1 seat.

They advise rear facing up to 4 years but I'm pretty sure whoever says that doesn't have kids.

We put my boy forward facing on occasion from about a year, although tried to do rear facing most of the time.  Once he was about 18 months he wasn't having any of it though.  A tired child screaming while you're driving as they want to see what's going on is far more of a danger due to the distraction to you IMO.

 

That said, the forward facing rigid seats are less forgiving when they do fall asleep and generally will result in their heads flopping when they're little as there's no real recline funcition.  We love the 360 from that point of view, you can spin it either way and tilt how you want, plus it's a doddle to get him in and out.  But it is bulky.

Saying that, because it's so raised and the base is small, it may actually be possible to put a smaller seat right up to it....

I don't have kids to worry about so not qualified to reply, but just wondering if anyone has read what the law says?  I've heard the subject being disussed many times with the the parents in our running club with them thinking they have to buy some large vehicle.

 

If there's no room for three seats then can't your #1 child just sit in the rear with a seat belt? 

 

 

Child car seat law by age

Read more: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/child-car-seats/article/child-car-seat-laws-uk-and-abroad/child-car-seat-laws-in-the-uk - Which?

There's definitely going to be compromises made on safety... But with 3 I'll have scope for some acceptable loss, right? 😂

 

Seriously though, since we don't actually do many miles a year, and even less as a whole family..... And I suspect that will definitely be the case initially when #3 arrives, wife and I are content to use older style seats that may have less protection, so long as legal.

 

Scot, yes but there's another bit I think about traveling in the front if there is space for a car seat.  I did check the other day and although I could read a bit in two ways, I determined no car seat wasn't legal for planned journeys.

Oh and yes Alex, I agree.  We intended to keep #1 and #2 rear facing while they had leg room, I thought about 2, but they both became vomitersa at16-18 months and were instantly improved by turning to face forwards.  If the forward view from the back of the vrs wasn't so bad I suspect that would have ended all vomiting.

26 minutes ago, neiln said:

Scot, yes but there's another bit I think about traveling in the front if there is space for a car seat.  I did check the other day and although I could read a bit in two ways, I determined no car seat wasn't legal for planned journeys.

 

Yeh, some laws seem to be about as straight forward as VAG's servicing schedules, but as with most of our laws it's common sense which prevails.

 

If you don't have space for a 3rd child seat, then no reasonable person can expect parents to purchase a larger vehicle when it's legal to carry a child over 3 in the rear. It'd certainly be illegal if your car only had two rear seats.

 

 

I think you'd be on dodgy legal ground if you put a child in without a car seat on that basis tbh.

Plus, I would say I'd agree about the compromises in regard to seat design, practicality etc, however putting a 3yr old in the back with just a normal seat belt, trying to use a technicality of interpretation of the law would certainly be a step too far for me.  

 

Seat quality is all well and good, but the most important thing is that the child is strapped in properly.  A 3yr old of normal size could easily come out of a adult seat belt, if not in a collision but just because there's too much scope for them to adjust it and get out of it IMO.

If it makes you feel any better btw, my main reason for buying the Octavia was car seat based.

My Accord is big enough and capable enough to be a family car, however despite searching for ages and spending hours in shops trying all sorts of seats I couldn't get any seats that went in without buckle crunch.

The exception was the everystage, which only avoids it rear facing, however that wasn't useful for very long and was hideously impractical to put my boy in as the seat belt was in the way.  Front facing it gets buckle crunch.

 

We got by with just using the Mazda for 2 years, but had a daughter last year and have to take them in different directions so needed 2 capable cars.

So, I essentially bought my vrs for my kids.

 

I refused to part with my Honda though so we run 3 cars as a result.

 

The sacrifices we make eh!

Edited 12 February, 20206 yr by Alex-W