Viewing 19 posts - 41 through 59 (of 59 total)
  • 3 kids across the back seat of an Octavia
  • FB-ATB
    Full Member

    I was most disappointed that a “baby change” area in a shop definitely doesn’t do as it says on the tin!

    Re the A6, a colleague changed to one to fit his 3 kids, but possibly the eldest was out of the booster.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    FB, I regularly threaten to ‘take one back to the Hospital’ when they misbehave, and have already used your line.

    Surely it would be better to sell one. That would help pay for the upkeep of the other two. In fact, I’ve always thought it would be best to have twins. Sell one, keep one. And just give it two names so you can pretend you still have both.

    scaled
    Free Member

    3 kids and 2 cars here.

    7 seater Kia Sorrento thing and my Toyota Avensis estate. The kids dont all fit in the Avensis really, it’s impossible for the two older ones to put their seat belts on themselves in the space. Even the Kia, which is bloody massive is a struggle.

    The Mrs wants a dog as well so stuff it I want one of the new(ish) crew cab transit customs. My mates had one for a while, can get bikes in for a family of 5 in the back, with camping gear and seat everyone in comfort. His kids cant even hit eachother in the back when they’re in the two window seats.

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    tomd
    Free Member

    We tried quite a few cars last year with the same dilemma. It is definitely possible to fit 3 kids in most medium to large-ish cars (assuming at least one kid is in a booster type seat) but as others have mentioned it gets tricky doing up seatbelts and things like that. Every child seat is different as well, there’s no way to know other than to try it. I would be pretty confident of getting our 3 kids in the back of an Octavia but it might be a bit of a faff (i.e. you need to unclip one of the isofix kids seats to buckle up the kid in the middle).

    Quite a few of French cars seem to have 3 proper seats. We had a Berlingo for a bit and 3 kids seats fit in that with ease but even things like the C4 seemed better than most.

    Got VW Caddy Maxi life and can get 3 across the middle row in that no problem, although it’s not quite 3 full seats like a berlingo. I *think* it’s a similar width to a VW Touran.

    hot_fiat
    Full Member

    I’ve gone down two separate routes for this. The first was to replace our useless skoda kodiaq with a VW Caravelle. The kodiaq may have had 7 seats, but only two were approved to take any sort of child seat at all.

    The second and slightly less drastic path was to replace my abarth 595 with an Alfa Giulia. Then I went to a Volvo dealer and bought two of these.

    Now, I can (just) get my 4, 6 and 1 year old across the back seat of my MLCC. The one year old goes in a maxi cosi two-way pearl.

    Rich_s
    Full Member

    @hot_fiat
    Huh?

    The kodiaq may have had 7 seats, but only two were approved to take any sort of child seat at all.

    Am wondering about one of those for my next car. What’s it all about?

    mashr
    Full Member

    Am wondering about one of those for my next car. What’s it all about?

    Sounds pretty standard tbh, the two outside rear seats will be the ones for child seats. The middle is likely a hump so not suitable, and the rears are folders.

    hot_fiat
    Full Member

    Yep, back two seats don’t even meet the minimum criteria for Universal (non-isofix) seats. According to the manual you can fit a britax KidSafe2. If you phone britax though they’ve never tested them in the car and have no knowledge of skoda’s “endorsement”.

    5lab
    Full Member

    we’ve got a trunki boostapak for holidays, that we use with a 3.5 year old – it looks pretty similar to the mifold thing. The trouble is that at that age kids don’t have the core strength and ability to brace to stop themselves toppling over on mild cornering, and if they fall asleep they literally topple out of the seat. They’re probably good for older kids, but I’d say at below 5 they’re useful for the shortest of journeys only. We’ve just bought a proper high-back booster for future holidays

    for what its worth, he’s completely happy in a britax kidfix, and has been since he was (just) 3 (was within the weight boundries already). He had to be told not to press the button and sit properly a few times when we first got it, but within a week he was sorted. Not suggesting it’ll work for you (although it could in the front??) – but someone earlier suggested it would be a struggle

    neilnevill
    Free Member

    Useful to know the Kodiak is not a good solution, that is a car I might have looked at whenever I do change. Are lots of 7 seat cars like that? MPV and SUV?

    hot_fiat
    Full Member

    Yep, its a real pain in the posterior. You can exclude the Tiguan and Seat Ateca as well as the’re essentially the same vehicle as the kodiaq. You can spec all three with an isofix point in the front passenger seat, as we did, however: how the smeg do you then use the back row? Clamber in from the boot, climb in through the gap between the two child seats in the middle row? It’s a marketing-led vehicle design. VWG needed a smallish 7 seat SUV for each marque. They tick that box. Just don’t try using them in the real world.

    A Caravelle is an extreme solution – we had to go that way as we also needed to cart some elderly grandparents and it’s exceptionally capable in that regard. We’ve been to the alps several times with ours, crammed to the roof with luggage, bikes on the back, box on the roof. 7-up and it just does it with no fuss. You can do similar without being that daft: Caddy 4 life, Grand Picasso, S-max and such ilk all pretty much meet the requirement.

    neilnevill
    Free Member

    I see, I think. Any of the (many, particularly SUV) 7 seaters where row 3 fold away, those seats aren’t approved for child seats other than boosters?
    And if you use child seats in row 2 then you want sliding seats in that row, if the seat simply tilts for rear row access then… Well you can’t without removing the child seat. This would seem to, as you say, rule out most SUV type 7 seaters. Ahhhh. Now I understand all the s-max/galaxy/Alhambra/grand scenic/etc comments…. If you’ve 3+ children and need 2+ isofix/or more than a booster, then you really are limited to just the mpv market. Although I’m sure I could learn to love the s-max, this seems like another reason to hope the wife can survive in the back of the Octy for a year or so, when with an almost 6, almost 4, and a 1 yo, the kodiak/5008/ SUV 7 seater would take the eldest 2 in boosters in the back row, the youngest in one side of the middle, allowing access for the kids from the other side, and wife in row 2 or front.
    Yikes.

    perchypanther
    Free Member

    I see, I think.

    You don’t. I think.

    There are virtually no 7 seaters ( other than  a mk2 Galaxy / sharan / alhambra or a van derived model)  where the 3rd row are able to take fixed baby seats.

    There are also very few where you’re able to usefully access the 3rd row without tilting a second row seat. That’d need a third set of doors or an impractically wide rear door. Only really works with sliding doors.

    The reason that MPV are the practical 3 kid option is that the second row tends to be comprised of individual , evenly spaced,  seats (rather than a bench) which allows 3 child seats of any configuration  to be side by side without fouling the seat belt positions. The seatbelts on virtually every bench seat allow for two wide seats by the window  and a narrow seat in the middle.

    The added benefit of an MPV is a flat floor pan with no transmission hump in the middle  and a higher roofline which often allows you, the adult to  be able to step into the car, albeit bent over at the waist,and fasten the kids into the car if they’re in the middle.

    hot_fiat
    Full Member

    AFAIK Discovery and Q7 are the only suvs with proper i-size-compliant isofix spaces in the third row. But they’re gopping.

    SaxonRider
    Full Member

    welcome to the Outnumbered club

    Amateurs.

    perchypanther
    Free Member

    Amateurs.

    You need to buy a television.

    …and a minibus.

    neilnevill
    Free Member

    Cheers perchy. So the finer point is for some reason most/all SUV have a bench 2nd row, but the result is the same, is SUV 7 seaters become an option once at least 2 kids are past group 1 child seats.

    As for disco and Q7 being gopping, well I can think of ways I’d prefer to spend £50k if I had it, but I also think they are more appealing than an MPV. When it comes to changing car, I hope practicality will rule tbh, but a bit of me will want a Kodiak or such like to work…. Really hope I can extend the run with the Octy for a year plus!

    5lab
    Full Member

    If you’re going to change it for something bigger in a year, just do it now. Theres enough crap going on with 3 kids not to be fading with kidseeats that dont properly fit the car you’re using. The first priority of life when you’ve got a baby should be making life as easy as possible. A higher seat base and larger boot will also help

    vinnyeh
    Full Member

    Here you go, stick a couple in the boot.

Viewing 19 posts - 41 through 59 (of 59 total)

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