Which seats for 3 y.o. triplets?

[Naomi S]

My son and I were in a fender bender earlier this week. I assume I need to replace the carseats, and my insurance will pay for new seats.

We currently have the Evenflo Triumph seats, which I have liked a lot, but the straps are getting a bit tight, especially now that the kids are dressed in their big winter coats. I was thinking of moving up to booster seats, but my kids are all less than 35#, so I guess I need to stay with harnesses for a while yet.

I've done so much research that I'm thoroughly confused at this point. Obviously with three kids the same age/size, it's quite an investment purchasing carseats, as it's not like we can purchase one seat and then pass it down when the child outgrows it. I want the seats to last a few years.

I've looked online at the Recaro seats, the Evenflo Generations seat, and the Britax seats (Regent, Marathon, and Decathlon). We drive a Ford Windstar with two kids on the back bench and one kid in the drivers side captains chair. We never move the seats to another vehicle - this is the only vehicle we have that fits all three!

Any suggestions? Thank you so much!

Naomi
Mom to three-year-old triplets

[Joolsplus2]

The Generations is really a nice seat (the stripped down "Bolero" at Walmart is the same, but without a recline bar), and the Graco Cargos (as long as you can adjust it in your car with the child in it, sometimes it's pretty sticky)...the Recaros have the advantage of becoming *really good* boosters later, the Generations and Cargos are only 'so-so' as boosters, and you may prefer a better dedicated booster (another $100 each) down the line later, anyway... so if Insurance is paying for equivalent replacement seats (you have nice seats, with deluxe adjusters, side impact head protective foam, nice recline...don't short yourself by going to cheap on replacements if you can be getting equivalents, if you can afford it)...of course the Generations and Cargo (and even the Cosco Apex is brand new and quite nice...)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[Naomi S]

Thank you so much for the feedback, Julie! It's wonderful that you help parents navigate the complicated world of child car seats.

I have an additional question for you. I have always had "Britax envy," and this may just be the opportunity to finally upgrade to Britax seats. I have looked at the Marathon, Regent, and Decathlon seats online. Obviously I do not need the features for infants, as my children are three years old. Which seats would you recommend for my kids? I like the Regents b/c the harnesses fit up to 80#, but the fabrics are not attractive to me. I think the Decathlons are super cute, but is this the best choice for us? And I wonder if the Marathons would be useful to us for very long, or if I would be shopping for new seats in another year or so. My kids are long and skinny, so I think they'll outgrow their seats due to height rather than weight. I think I've ruled out the Boulevard seats due to the deep head wings - I don't think my kids would like those.

Again, thank you so much for your volunteer time! I lead a local group of triplet moms, and I know how valuable your experience is.

Naomi

[Joni]

If you're going to get replacement seats from insurance, I'd go for the Regent if they'll pay. They are a bit more spendy but heck if someone else is going to pay...I'm not sure exactly how the insurance thing works (I guess I'm lucky to have not experienced that) but from what I understand, you buy the seats and they reimburse you for them. If that is the case and you can swing the bill for a while, I'd go for that.
I admire you and just want to know if you're still sane, having triplets. I can't imagine :)
JONI CPST

[Naomi S]

Hi Joni,

Thanks so much for the feedback! I will confess that I'm not quite sane most days, the kids can really drive me crazy!! But I love 'em and wouldn't trade them in (most days, at least!)

I can't tell you how much time I have spent researching the carseats today. Literally hours. I had just come to the same conclusion - that the Regent seats are the way to go. Should I have any concerns about getting a "fresh out of the chute" seat - does Britax work all the bugs out before releasing new models?

I *think* I found a site that has the seats in stock. Once I had decided on the Regent, my next dilemma was finding a place that has some. What the heck, I'm going to place my order and see what happens!

Naomi

[Joolsplus2]

Good, she just said what I would have, lol...Thanks, Joni!!!
Unfortunately, we're still waiting on Regents, and it's getting hard to find Huskies in stock...If you can find Huskies, I say grab them, otherwise you could be waiting a month or more for Regents (and yes, they have worked the bugs out... it's really 'the same' and they've been cranking these out with a few names since 2001).

My long, lean kiddos fit in the Marathon till age 6, the Decathlon is a smidgen higher, but has a 'sticky front adjuster' for the first few months of owning it, so it's not my favorite to recommend right now.

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[Joni]

Another poster here just said that Babyage.com has Regents in stock with free shipping. I'd go there now!
JONI CPST

[Naomi S]

I read on another board that babyuniverse.com has the Regents in stock, so that's where I ordered mine from. But I'll be sure to call Monday morning to make sure they actually have them!

Thanks for the shopping tip - I'm always glad to have a backup plan!

Naomi

[Joolsplus2]

Good idea to call...BabyUniverse is always very early to post new seats... But fingers crossed, since I've heard 'late november' and I think that technically qualifies as now, right? lol

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[Jourancel]

Hi Naomi,

What a coincidence, we are in the same situation. I have 3 year old triplet girls and we also got into a car accident. We are also having the insurance pay for our car seats. So we were looking at Recaro Start Model. The problem is one site says it is 19" and another says it is 17"-in your research did you run across this model and do you know the real size. I really like it because it sounds very comfortable and looks good. Also the other problem we have is our car has a bench seat that can only fit three 17-17.5" car seats all lined up side by side.

So what did you end up getting?

Jennifer

[Naomi S]

Hi Jennifer,

Wow, that is a coincidence! Do you post on the Triplet Connection? What is your screen name there?

We don't have to fit all three seats across, so that left me with more options than you will have. I chose the Britax Regent seats. They look absolutely HUGE, but I like that the harnesses fit kids up to 80#. My kids may be going to middle school still wearing a harness, who knows?!? LOL

I didn't look at the specific measurements for the Recaro Young Start. This may be a great seat for having all three side-by-side, b/c with the head wings, plus it looks like there's wings by the arms, the kids will pretty much have to keep their hands to themselves.

I about ebates.com from another forum. You sign up (which took just a second to do), then when you purchase stuff from certain websites, you get a percentage of the sale back. I ordered our seats from babyuniverse.com, and I'll receive 6% back - in cash! It's not a fortune, but maybe I'll be able to treat the kids to a nice lunch out.

Good luck choosing the right seats for your family. I don't know why, but choosing car seats for my kids has been one of the most difficult decisions out of everything. I love living in America and having so many choices for products to buy, but sometimes it can be so overwhelming!

Naomi

[Joolsplus2]

Are you looking at the Start, or the Young Sport? That might account for the differences in measurements? The Start is a booster-only, the Young Sport has a harness to forty pounds, then becomes a booster. Harnessing is obviously more ideal for 3 yos and way easier to buckle them up... Read down for posts by "uccomama" and "3rugratz" and see what info they have posted about the Young Sport, they are probably more accurate than the usual retailing webmaster.

Good Luck!!!
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[SusanMae]

I have to say this because no one else picked up on it...or if they did--didn't mention it.

Children should NOT wear their big heavy coats while sitting in the car seats. The coats would compress in an accident and they could be in harms way. Put on sweatshirts and have fleece car blankets.

Besides who wants to be in a heavy jacket in the car when the heat is on too.

Susan