Car Configuration help needed- 3 across

[connors_mom]

I believe I read about a site a while ago where you could enter your car model and it would help you with car seat configuration based on the dimensions of the car seats. Does anyone know the name of the site? My baby is outgrowing his infant seat, so I am going to have to move things around again.

[connors_mom]

Thought I had found it, but still looking...

[Joolsplus2]

www.carseatdata.org, but actually we are way more likely to know the answer :). What car do you have and what's your budget?

:)

[connors_mom]

I have a Suburban. My kids (and seats) are:
5 1/2 - Graco Nautilus
4 - this is the seat I need. She is average weight, but tall for her age.
10 months - I plan to put him in one of #2's Britax Marathons.

The older children usually ride in the 3rd row, but I would like to have the ability to seat 3 across for trips that require us to remove the 3rd row.

How long will the Nautilus last for my son? We are required to keep them in a seat or booster until they are 8 in our state.

I also want to get a spare booster for extra friends since my oldest will be starting kindergarten next year. Since I still use strollers for the baby, is there a small booster you would recommend for occasional use that won't eat up a lot of cargo space?

Thanks in advance for your help!
Lisa

[connors_mom]

Bumping.. hoping someone can help. :)

[Joolsplus2]

Maybe a Radian? My tall 4yo has loads of room to grow in hers, and you can hand yours down to the baby when the Marathon expires. It's narrow and, well, anything should fit in your car... though two Nautis and a MA might be pushing it (or it might work, then get a Nauti for the 4 yo if you like it).
A backless booster would be fine for short carpool trips, I'd think. Harmony LiteRider fits younger kids really well and is $13.50 at Walmart, but a Graco Turbo with a high back might be a decent investment, you could use it later with the back on or off, depending.
Most kids fit harnessed in the Nautilus till age 7 or so (when their shoulders reach the top slots), then it fits as a booster till 8 or 9 (it's not very tall as a booster, Monterey and Parkway and Vivo are several inches taller in the back height).

I'm glad the law in Texas has finally changed, but 8 is still inadequate, kids need to be about 57-60 inches before the seatbelt fits safely, so go ahead and assume you'll be using a booster till age 10-12, as NHTSA has recommend in it's booster commercials for a few years now (not sure why States can't seem to get that, but I guess there's too much politics involved...)

[mom2acrew]

What year is your Suburban? I had an 05, I could do just about any combo 3 across 2nd row.

3rd row in my 05 and our 08 only has 1 top tether anchor, just something to keep in mind.

[connors_mom]

We have an 04. We only have one seat tethered on the 3rd row because we also only have one tether. The other thing I don't understand is why the only seats in the 2nd row with LATCH are the center and far right. The far right is the seat you fold down to access the 3rd row, so that makes no sense to me.

[connors_mom]

If I go with the Radian, is it only a 5-pt harness, or can you use it once they are past the top slot? My daughter turns 4 next week, but she is tall and a solid 5T. When I put her in the seat at the store, it looked like she would start at the top slot (possibly the one right below, but it would be close). I would likely not pass it down to the baby because she wants a pink seat and #3 is a boy (but I guess I could buy a new cover at that point). Also, does the XT SL accomodate larger kids or are the head wings the only difference? We have side impact air bags, so I don't know if we need the wings.

Thanks in advance. :)