3 kids still in car seats in Honda Pilot--how much of a pain is it??

[mecawa]

I am currently driving an 07 Pilot, with the 3rd row (although we don't currently use the 3rd row). DC #3 is due this fall. I currently have DD1 (7) in a Frontier and DD2 (2) in a Decathalon. I think it's going to be too hard to put 3 across (DD1 is in private school and needs to be picked up and dropped off, so no bus, I will be getting all 3 kids in and out of the car at least 2x a day). So my question is has anybody done this? Put the oldest in the 3rd row and two in the 2nd, and can that even be done? I'll need to keep one outbound seat open to allow DD1 to the 3rd row. And how bad is it if you've done it? DD1 does not even do her on seatbelt yet, it stresses her out she is afraid she can't get it tight enough.

Am I better off following DH's dream of an Odyssey, LOL?? Any help advice would be great.

[AnnieW625]

Friends of mine have done it in their 06 Pilot and there is plenty of space to do three across in the car. The last time I checked their car seat line up was:
Frontier (old, not 85) behind driver seat, Graco Snugride infant seat, and a Radian. I can't remember the exact placement of the Radian though if it was in the middle or behind the passenger side.

If you don't want to use the third row I would keep DD1 in an outboard position, and put the Decathlon in the center (if it's narrow enough) and put the infant seat and base on the other outboard position, this way DD2 can climb out either side.

As much as I love my Pilot (06) had we had twins instead of just DD2 we most likely would've gotten a van to make things easier, although we probably would've looked at a used Yukon, Tahoe, or Toyota Sequioa just for a little extra space.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Sliding doors on a key fob make the van so easy when you're loading DC often. They can all climb in while you make your way out of the house with the baby. The Pilot is nice, but the Ody is just really family friendly.

[lovebebes]

We have the Pilot (2011) and have our 8 year old in 3d row, and our 4 year old and baby in 2d row- it is great and we love it. I sit in 2d row right next to baby.

[mecawa]

We have the Pilot (2011) and have our 8 year old in 3d row, and our 4 year old and baby in 2d row- it is great and we love it. I sit in 2d row right next to baby.

Now with the 2011, do they have the captains seats in the back? A friend of mine saw one that did,and said it looked so much easier than what I have. I think it was a Pilot she was talking about.

[hakoch]

I prefer the Odyssey hands down when I have the kids with me (mine are 9, 7, 6 and 2 months. We have never been able to get 3 seats in the 2nd row of the Pilot so we had one of the girls ride in the back in a booster. We just used a low booster (didn't do this much because it was such a pain) and it BARELY fit. It was tough even for me to get it buckled, which I would do from the back, also a pain in any inclimate weather. In the van, all the seats fit and the kids can get in easily without climbing over a seat or flipping the seat up to climb in. Right now we have our 2 captains seats in the middle row side by side so my 9yo can help with the baby if he's fussing. When they are on the outside, if it's very hot or cold or raining, etc, I could just lock us all in the car, then walk back and buckle everyone in. (I did this all the time when we lived in AZ and the girls were 3, 1 and baby!)

I do love the Pilot, but only if I'm alone or have 1 or 2 kids with me.

[mecawa]

I prefer the Odyssey hands down when I have the kids with me (mine are 9, 7, 6 and 2 months. We have never been able to get 3 seats in the 2nd row of the Pilot so we had one of the girls ride in the back in a booster. We just used a low booster (didn't do this much because it was such a pain) and it BARELY fit. It was tough even for me to get it buckled, which I would do from the back, also a pain in any inclimate weather. In the van, all the seats fit and the kids can get in easily without climbing over a seat or flipping the seat up to climb in. Right now we have our 2 captains seats in the middle row side by side so my 9yo can help with the baby if he's fussing. When they are on the outside, if it's very hot or cold or raining, etc, I could just lock us all in the car, then walk back and buckle everyone in. (I did this all the time when we lived in AZ and the girls were 3, 1 and baby!)

I do love the Pilot, but only if I'm alone or have 1 or 2 kids with me.

Thanks for the advice/info. I was fooling around with the pilot today and don't see how it really is going to work with 3 of them in seats, it's going to be very cramped, and a real pain during the winter. I think I'm going to have to look into getting another car, unfortunately. The Odysseys sound nice, I think I'll look into that and a Sienna ( because of the all wheel drive which is sometimes a must around here)

[hakoch]

Thanks for the advice/info. I was fooling around with the pilot today and don't see how it really is going to work with 3 of them in seats, it's going to be very cramped, and a real pain during the winter. I think I'm going to have to look into getting another car, unfortunately. The Odysseys sound nice, I think I'll look into that and a Sienna ( because of the all wheel drive which is sometimes a must around here)

Good luck with your search! I love the Odyssey when I have more than 2 kids, plus the space in the back is fantastic for cargo too. :)