Help! JT car seat solutions needed- save me from trading!

[husker_fan]

I have a Diono in the middle and Two Chicco Gofit backless boosters on the outside.

This setup barely works, but it works. I usually have to slide the kids near me in order to buckle them and then slide them back into place.

The buckles are not easy to get to, but I got used to it.

I also placed some foam under the buckles to keep them propped up, otherwise they would fall below the seat.

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[JTBurns]

I have three in the back. My 5 year old can buckle his on his own, he's in this seat:

I'd imagine you could use it for both your older ones. I think it's the skinniest seat my wife could find. We have the carrier in the middle which I think helps.

 

[Dark_Iron_Mojave]

As a parent of 2, I can't imagine trying to cram 3 car seats in the back of a Jeep. Probably need to roll a full-size truck.
That said, my wife suggested possibly moving the oldest with a tiny booster seat to the middle. That might give enough room to buckle. Certainly not ideal.

 

[Scootjeep]

Sounds like you need the space. Ever thought about a Power Wagon. Still fun off road, but has the space needed for kiddos

 

[CerOf]

Keep the JT. You’ll figure it out. I crammed three across the back seat of an old VR6 Jetta. My eldest, had her on the side with the single buckle.. My twins were latched to the middle and opposite side. Opposite side being where the two buckled right beside each other.

 

[aj8544]

Sounds like you need the space. Ever thought about a Power Wagon. Still fun off road, but has the space needed for kiddos

Test drove one today! Still working to keep my JT, but if not it’s on my shortlist.

 

[ThatStinging_Jeep]

Have you tried duct tape?

JK.. good luck. No kids, no experience.

Yeah Duct Tape cant fix that lol XD

 

[davetha]

You could try putting your oldest on something like a backless booster like Graco Turbo GO or something similar. A lot of space is taken up with the booster arms and cup holders. You can also get her a seat belt extension. My older daughter is in a backless booster.

My daughter was having issues buckling her belt because the Gladiator buckle tends to fold back into its compartment. Having a few inch extension made it a breeze.

I did try a Diono Radian 3 for my younger daughter, however I didn't feel like it fit correctly. The head rests were in the way and made it too upright in my opinion. We ended up something else that fit a bit better with the headrest.

With this setup. I'm able to sit in the middle with them, just barely. That middle seat is definitely going to push it.

 

[Minty JL]

We already sold my wife’s JL for an expedition. I need a truck…When i bought the JT we didnt plan on a 3rd, but 6 months later we decided we were getting old and it was now or never to try for a boy. Thank god it was a boy, and yes snipping is now on the table haha!

So if you can't come up with a plan to exchange vehicles to accommodate the littles ones, you need to trade/sell the JT for a full size truck. Again, adulting is a bish..........but decisions have a cause and effect. Not trying to be a dick, trust me I understand the situation all to well. I've had to sell 2 of my favorites over the years to accommodate car seats.

Congrats on the boy, but you gotta keep em safe. With both of your occupations and income......there will be plenty of time later for toys or less practical/desirable vehicles.

 

[Jeepin' John]

We welcomed our 3rd child this past July, now a family of 5 with a 7 year old, almost 5 year old and a newborn. My issue is with car seat fitment, specifically buckling the seat belt with our 7 year old’s belt positioning booster. I’ve already done some research and bought multiple different seats. My current set up that has barely been working is:
- Graco snugride infant base and carrier in the middle seat (base anchored with middle seat belt).

- Diono Radian 3 RXT harnessed booster front facing (4 year old’s spot) at the drivers side. Anchored with seat belt.

-Peg perego viaggio flex 120 belt positioning high back booster at the passenger side for the 7 year old.

This is the slimmest combination I have found, and it barely works. The issue is buckling the seat belt for the 7 year old down between her booster and the infant carrier. I can barely get my hand in, sometimes it take 5 minutes of contortion to get it buckled. My 7 year old can get it maybe 10% of the time.

Here is the issue: the baby is growing fast and will likely be out of the infant carrier within the next 6-8 months. At that point I will need a rear facing convertible in the mix. I had thought (hoped) that a diono radian would do the trick. Well- I tried it in hopes it would actually be easier than the carrier. It’s not, in fact it is impossible to buckle the 7 year olds seat belt next to the diono.

So I’m at a crossroads- are there any other possible seat combinations that may work? Does anyone have experience with this age combo in a JT or Wrangler? Or is it just time to bite the bullet and go back to a full size truck? My wife already traded her Wrangler for an Expedition for this reason, I hate to lose our other Jeep but we both need to carry the kids on a daily basis…

Solved! Similar situation here. I have 8, 4, and 2 in the back of the JT. The combo is 2 diono radians and of all things, a walmart booster:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/450136342

The Cosco booster is narrower (actual kid size) at the rear, and the armrests come up and leave plenty of room to reach the buckle. The only down-side is that it just sits there on the seat and does not latch in. It's very light and doesn't need to be latched for kid safety while buckled in, but when the kid isn't in the seat, you probably will want to buckle the seatbelt like the kid is in there so the seat doesn't flop around

Put the radians middle and passenger, and the booster on the driver - the driver side buckle is easiest for a kid to access. I found the passenger side buckle to be pretty inflexible. In your case, easy to turn the center seat radian rearward facing for the baby and to have plenty of front seat room

 

[aj8544]

Solved! Similar situation here. I have 8, 4, and 2 in the back of the JT. The combo is 2 diono radians and of all things, a walmart booster:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/450136342

The Cosco booster is narrower (actual kid size) at the rear, and the armrests come up and leave plenty of room to reach the buckle. The only down-side is that it just sits there on the seat and does not latch in. It's very light and doesn't need to be latched for kid safety while buckled in, but when the kid isn't in the seat, you probably will want to buckle the seatbelt like the kid is in there so the seat doesn't flop around

Put the radians middle and passenger, and the booster on the driver - the driver side buckle is easiest for a kid to access. I found the passenger side buckle to be pretty inflexible. In your case, easy to turn the center seat radian rearward facing for the baby and to have plenty of front seat room

Excellent info and pictures! Thank you so much- will be trying this tomorrow. The booster I have is very narrow, but is on the passenger side. I hadnt realized the difference between driver and passenger buckles but can confirm the passenger buckle is rigid and a pain in the ass!

 

[JTzntz]

Solved! Similar situation here. I have 8, 4, and 2 in the back of the JT. The combo is 2 diono radians and of all things, a walmart booster:

This. That’s how I fit 3 across in my JT, though also both front-facing. I had 2 Diono Radian RXTs In Passenger and center seats + a narrow booster. I just placed a kids play foam cube in the buckle recess to keep it out and easier for the booster-bound child to buckle easier.

Recently switched to two Diono high back boosters in the outboard seats for my two 7 year olds. 11yo in center.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

My 7 yo is big and heavy enough that he hasn't needed a booster for about a year now (78lbs and ~50 inches tall currently) Are you sure you need the booster still?

Also, do your seats have the LATCH system, and do you use it? That system eliminates the need to use the vehicles seat belts, and can save a little space.

 

[aj8544]

My 7 yo is big and heavy enough that he hasn't needed a booster for about a year now (78lbs and ~50 inches tall currently) Are you sure you need the booster still?

Also, do your seats have the LATCH system, and do you use it? That system eliminates the need to use the vehicles seat belts, and can save a little space.

Yes booster is still needed and will be for a while- my 7 year old daughter weighs 52lbs, my 5 year old daughter weighs 38lbs. Take after my 105lb wife haha. With my daughters so small I dont feel comfortable even going to a backless booster without side impact protection in the Jeep- just too close to the door etc…

 

[aj8544]

Here is an update and I think the best that can be done with a JT or JL and 3 car seats in multiple age ranges. For infant carrier use the Graco Snugride 35 in center position fastened with seat belt, Diono Radian 3rxt at passenger side as harnessed booster fastened with seat belt, and high back belt positioning booster at the driver side (for this I really like the peg perego viagio flex 120 since it is very slim, no armrests to complicate buckling and uses latch system to hold in place when not occupied). Ends up looking like this:

As you can see there is ample room to buckle the seat belt for the booster:

For a rear facing convertible replace the Graco with another Diono Radian 3rxt and it ends up looking like this:

Again there is enough room to buckler the booster:

Now the obvious: this is certainly not ideal. Certainly not something to take on a roadtrip etc…. but might get me through making the daily school and daycare drops considering we have the large Expedition for longer trips etc…. The rear facing diono does not fit easily, it took alot of tinkering to get it to sit at the proper angle, and then it does contact and limit the range of both front seats. Also, in working to get it secured I managed to put a hole in the bottom of my seat from the rear facing diono base .

Still deciding but a Powerwagon isnt off the table just yet.

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