thread: Anyone with a Honda CRV and 3 car seats?

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Aug 2006
    Springvale South, Melbourne
    2,826

    Anyone with a Honda CRV and 3 car seats?

    As the title suggests, I am after some info about getting car seats to fit my CRV. At the moment I have a Maxirider AHR and a S & S compaq. It doesnt leave much room for a car seat when #3 arrives in October. We were thinking about getting a bigger car, but that really means something huge like a Tarago. We are definately only having 3, so if I can get car seats to fit the back then we will be able to save the $$ which will be going towards house renos.

    DD1 is almost 3 and quite tall. We took her out of the compaq just after her 2nd bday because she was too tall for it.
    DD2 is 16 months old and in the compaq. She looks as though she will be just as tall, if not taller than her sister. So more than likely will need to go into a bigger seat. Shes almost 11kgs. I have a spare compq so we wont be in a hurry to move her out of it until she gets too big for it.

    So we will use the compaq for #3, a compaq until safe with dd2. The problem is the maxi rider. Am happy to get rid of it. Any suggestions for a more compact booster seat? Eventually we will need 3 compact booster seats to fit in the narrow back seat of the crv. Anyone with the similar experience?

    thanks in advance.
    Melissa

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Jul 2005
    Perth Western Australia
    1,697

    We are just going through the very same thing- I had DH panicked for a while thinking we were going to have to upgrade our car. We have a Mazda Tribute SUV and I was able to fit 3 seats across the other day, DD is almost 4 and weighs about 19 kgs, so she is in a Vario Booster with a protector harness, this was rated the top booster seat and i *think* has a 5 star safety rating. DS is in a mothers choice seat, which I am hoping will do him untill he is heavy enough to go straight to a booster, because I am yet to find a slimline convertable 8-26kgs convertible booster/ car seat.
    Then I had our SNS compaq in as well in the rear facing position. We are going to actualley use the a capsule for the first 6 months or so, and then bubs will go into the compaq.
    I did find I had to move the other 2 car seats out towards the door and I am going to have to use towls or something to make sure they sit flat due to seat shape, but there was def enough room for all 3 and it wasnt like they were busting out of the doors when we opened them.

    Good luck finding a combo that works. If you have a look here it gives you a few different brands of car seats and their measurement, which might help.

  3. #3
    BellyBelly Member

    Jun 2005
    Sydney
    2,121

    Yeah, the MR's are the widest seats. When we had 3 and a falcon, we had to put the MR in the garage, and buy a SNS Hi-liner - does same thing as MR - made by same people, attaches to bolt of car, and made for H harness.....its a lot taller and skinner too. We got a SNS compaq rear facing, MR, and the Hi-liner across the back of the falcon....but the MR was defn the prob. If we had of had 2 x hi-liners there would have been even more room...
    Maybe save your MR for the spare car ????

    In saying all that....MR's are still my 1st choice of any car seat.....ive now got 4 in my car...

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Aug 2006
    Springvale South, Melbourne
    2,826

    Thanks girls. I still have plenty of time to research, but am thinking the s&s hi liner may be the go. Then if DD2 needs a bigger seat we will just do another hi liner. I really like my car.... and the thought of having to get an auto doesnt do it for me (I cant find a people mover in manual). The only other standard size car with extra seats was the toyota avensis...but I imagine I would have the same issues with car seats as it looks fairly compact.

    Thanks for the link too Ali...its a great read.

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Dec 2005
    5,951

    I have a Rav4, so have a similar issue to you.
    We have been able to fit a HiLiner (for DD1), MaxiRider (for DD2) and S&S Compaq (for DD3). These are the only seats that will fit in our car. I could replace the MaxiRider with a HiLiner, but I don't want to get rid of it, love the seat too much.

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Mar 2011
    1

    Hi, new here, and was looking for 3 across in a CRV when I came across this message.
    I have a 2007 CRV, ie the newer shape, and have 2 kids in SNS hi-liners.
    Your concern about fitting 3 boosters eventually is what I am trying to do now. I need to fit a 3rd booster in, just for transporting cousins and friends.
    Three seats would fit OK except that the stupid CRV designers have put the buckle for the centre rear seat about 10cm towards the centre of the car instead of next to the buckle for the window seat (IYKWIM). This means that although a child restraint will physically fit, it sits right on top of the buckle, so the seatbelt can't be done up. You can kind of manage with a fixed car seat but not a booster that needs doing and undoing every trip. AAHHH!!!
    I have investigated seat belt extenders, but these are illegal for use with child restraints and RTA engineers say they may cause severe injury.
    Tomorrow I am taking the car to a seat belt fitting station to investigate getting the actual buckle replaced with a longer one and moved over. If they'll do it I'll post the success story.
    Also, we had to change from a maxirider to the hiliner because the MR was too wide to allow the seatbelt to be buckled in once it was being used as a booster. For your 3 across, I think the only likely options are 2 compaq's and a hi-liner or infa vario, the safest and narrowest boosters, with the booster on the window side. But try them first, because getting your hand in to do up the buckle is the trickiest part and you can't tell from measurements how manageable that will be.
    Good luck!
    I love my CRV but wouldn't advise buying the newer shape if you might ever want 3 seats. It looks more spacious than it is!

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Aug 2006
    Springvale South, Melbourne
    2,826

    Hey kj+2.... I had my dd3 back in October and have had seats in since then. I have a hi liner, a compaq and a unity capsule (tight fit). I sold my maxi rider because it definately did not fit and got the hi liner instead. However, I had to make sure I got them sitting in the right combination for it to work! Ideally I would have had baby in the middle, but it just did not work, so I have capsule behind the driver, compaq with dd2 in the middle and dd1 in the hi liner behind the passenger. It all had to work arounsd the hi liner so that I could get my hand down to buckle her in and that was the only spot that worked. Its still a very tight squeeze. I will be taking the capsule out soon as dd3 is getting too heavy for me to carry around in it and will replace it with another compaq (rear facing of course). That should free up some of the tight squeeze.
    Thanks for replying. I have seen the new crv and they are much smaller than mine!