need 2 infant carriers & a mini van -- Graco Safe Seat? Honda vs. Toyota?

[kroppink]

Our son is 3 years old, and we are planning to adopt 2 babies from Vietnam this fall. They will likely be about 5 months old when they come home & they will probably be small for their age at that point.

I am thinking about the Graco Safe Seat for both of them. I had originally ruled it out due to the review in Baby Bargains... but now that I've read more on the message boards here about the whole Consumer Reports mess, it sounds like it IS a good seat afterall. The Safe Seat would prolong the life of the infant seats for us, since we don't really want to buy 2 seats that will only last for a few months. We're new to infant seats, as our son came home (adopted from Russia) at age 15 months. We went immediately to an Evenflo Triumph with him.

Now we also need a mini van!! We're thinking about the Toyota Sienna or the Honda Odyssey. Any opinions on either of those in relation to installing 3 car seats?? Or just safety in general? I suppose we'd put the 2 babies in the bucket seats in the center row -- and our son in the 3rd row in the middle? I really don't know anything about LATCH placement in mini vans or how this all works. I just hope our son isn't upset about being all the way in the back by himself. He likes to talk to us in the car! ;) He'll be about 3 1/2 when the babies come home.

Our son is in a Sunshine Kids Radian seat. I don't know what we'll eventually switch the "twins" into after they outgrow the Safe Seats.

Thanks for any help or suggestions anyone can provide!! :)

[o_mom]

The SafeSeat would be a great choice. Having seen a friend with an international adoption, you don't know what the size or development of the babies will be, so the ability to carry them longer if they are behind will be a big help. At 5 months they should fit well in them, even if they are small for that age. You should be able to get them to 18 months in the SS and then you can evaluate all the options at that point.

On the minivans, from a child seat perspective, I would pick the Honda. The Sienna only has two top tether anchors in the third row, so that limits where you can put a forward facing seat. While technically you can use the seat without the top tether, it is much safer to use it, so I personally wouldn't. The 2006 and newer Odysseys (or 2004 or older, just not 2005) have three anchors in the third row. I think both have side curtain airbags and electronic stability control available. Avoid the 'run flat' tires - they are expensive and don't last.

[crAbbymom]

The 8 passenger Sienna has top tethers for all 3 middle row positions. The row is also wide enough to accommodate 3 seats. I've even seen someone with 2 Regents and an MA in that row. That way, your 3 yr wouldn't have to be put in the back row by himself.

I haven't had an infant in yrs, but from what I've read here and on another board, the Safeseat is a great choice.