Hello all! We are expecting our third this March. I have a 2015 Toyota Highlander. The third row just folds down as one, not like 2 or 3 separate pieces. I have captain's chairs in the middle.
In March I will have a 4 yr old, 2 yr old, and newborn. My 3-year-old is already front-facing due to extreme car sickness. My almost 2-year-old is rear-facing but 30 lbs and 100 percentile for height so we might turn her around after 2, I'm unsure (I know the stats on rear-facing and I don't need them again, thanks!).
I really don't want to buy a new car. All cars are astronomically priced right now and we got this car in May 2021 with under 50k miles on it. We have about 80k on there right now and pay ~350/month, which is the top of our budget. I also really like this car and the way it handles. It's an XLE so we have a DVD player, seat warmers, all the fancy features even though it's a 2015.
Anyway, my question is, how on earth do I arrange these car seats? I have been trying to teach my oldest to buckle and unbuckle herself. Someone suggested putting the infant seat in the third row and loading from the trunk but idk how that would even work? Another suggestion was to fold down/remove one of the captain's chairs in the middle and put both toddlers in the backseat and the newborn in the single captain's chair, but then I would have to climb in and out of the car to buckle the 2 yr old at a minimum every time? This doesn't seem feasible as my husband may be out to sea for birth/postpartum so I'll be alone after birth and I don't think I could be climbing in and out of cars.
Has anyone else been in this predicament and if so what did you do? Should we bite the bullet and start looking for something like a Toyota Sequoia or mini-van with a middle bench seat? I'd say we are about 50/50 on whether this is our last child or not.
In March I will have a 4 yr old, 2 yr old, and newborn. My 3-year-old is already front-facing due to extreme car sickness. My almost 2-year-old is rear-facing but 30 lbs and 100 percentile for height so we might turn her around after 2, I'm unsure (I know the stats on rear-facing and I don't need them again, thanks!).
I really don't want to buy a new car. All cars are astronomically priced right now and we got this car in May 2021 with under 50k miles on it. We have about 80k on there right now and pay ~350/month, which is the top of our budget. I also really like this car and the way it handles. It's an XLE so we have a DVD player, seat warmers, all the fancy features even though it's a 2015.
Anyway, my question is, how on earth do I arrange these car seats? I have been trying to teach my oldest to buckle and unbuckle herself. Someone suggested putting the infant seat in the third row and loading from the trunk but idk how that would even work? Another suggestion was to fold down/remove one of the captain's chairs in the middle and put both toddlers in the backseat and the newborn in the single captain's chair, but then I would have to climb in and out of the car to buckle the 2 yr old at a minimum every time? This doesn't seem feasible as my husband may be out to sea for birth/postpartum so I'll be alone after birth and I don't think I could be climbing in and out of cars.
Has anyone else been in this predicament and if so what did you do? Should we bite the bullet and start looking for something like a Toyota Sequoia or mini-van with a middle bench seat? I'd say we are about 50/50 on whether this is our last child or not.
and even if we get a minivan will my issues be any different?! Most minivans have captain’s chairs anyways!