anyone with small kids?

[shiumai]

Originally Posted by Kids Heart

can someone post a picture of the Diono Radian in.

here ya go. it's sitting on a seat pad/protector over a sheet to make it easy to vacuum up crumbs and whatever falls out of a kid's hands/mouth.

[Oldfatguy]

Originally Posted by brzr

any tips on working the frs with two kids, and two car seats?
anything i should be aware of?

i have two boys, 4 and 6 years old, and i'll be driving them around in the frs, mainly short distances, and occasional long distance, once or twice a month

we have tested car seats at the dealership before buying the car, but everyone thinks i'm nuts for not getting getting a van

i'm 5'2'' and have no problem getting into the car, so i don't think i'll be too troubled with that......will probably prefer walking into the car, and bending so i can dump the kids into the seats, rather than trying to contour myself like i did before with the 4 door car (had a golf......still do, until the frs is ready, hopefully the end of this week)

hate how i have to twist my body while holding my kid to put them into the seats...i mostly make them go in themselves, but it's much quicker if i just dump them myself

anyways, any tips are much appreciated!

The hard part is going to be getting back in there to buckle them in. My boys are 6,9 and 10 and I can haul all three. The youngest is in a booster but he can get in and out and buckle by himself. Plus anything they drop will have to stay where it is until you can stop.

The odd thing is that my 10 year old is more comfortable in the backseat than my 6 year old. Problem with little ones is they can't bend their knees at the edge of the seat and put their legs where they belong. Buckled in their calves are at the forward edge of the seat and their feet stick out farther than would a person's knees if they were normal size. It's difficult to explain but I've noticed I can slide my seat back and recline further when my larger son is sitting behind me than I can with the little guy.

It works though. Much more fun than a minivan but definitely not as convenient. I've owned three minivans but I'm through with that phase of my life.

[pascalbrax]

Originally Posted by brzr

any tips on working the frs with two kids, and two car seats?
anything i should be aware of?

i have two boys, 4 and 6 years old, and i'll be driving them around in the frs, mainly short distances, and occasional long distance, once or twice a month

we have tested car seats at the dealership before buying the car, but everyone thinks i'm nuts for not getting getting a van

I've driven around the city last month with my nephews in back seats, 7 years old and 5 years old.

They loved the car, but told me at the end that their seats were "too narrow".

Of course, your mileage may vary.

[brzr]

thanks everyone for the response!
i have had the car for 2 months now, and we don't have any problems with fitting the kids in the back.....when i drive, the seat is pushed far enough for the kid behind me to be able to have the feet dangle free.....my husband sits a bit closer than me but still fits well

what can i say.....i love my car!

i'll try to get some photos of the seats tomorrow

[Ultra marine]

Picking up mine hopefully tomorrow. I have 2 little ones and traded in my toyota avalon for the frs. I am hopeful the kids will have plenty of room and it won't be too hard to get them in the back.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Ultra marine

Picking up mine hopefully tomorrow. I have 2 little ones and traded in my toyota avalon for the frs. I am hopeful the kids will have plenty of room and it won't be too hard to get them in the back.

Congratulations on your purchase .....

Oh, I do hope you have another vehicle .... because those little ones will grow ....

However, our granddaughters, with full sized child seats, do "fit". If the want to dangle their legs down the folks up front are gonna hafta move the seats up ah bit ....

humfrz

[@Art_Mighty]

From a related post...

Originally Posted by @Art_Mighty

I really like this article...

FR-S: Will it baby?

[JRTritsch]

I test fit the toddler seat before I even test drove the car. At 5'10" there is no way any person would fit behind me, but the passenger side works great. Its not as convenient as having a rear door, and there is no way I'd want it as an only transport for the family, but you can make it work.

Seats fitment varies, our Britax Marathon toddler seat fits like a glove. I bought a Recaro ProRide and absolutely does not fit properly.

[Kelbyat07]

Lol have any of you guys try drifting with the kids in the back?

[ZionsWrath]

With 2 kids you still would only need a sedan. As long as you aren't going across the country there should be plenty of room for you guys and luggage if you don't pack like Paris Hilton.

[brzr]

here's some photos
one seat, radian r100 in the back (we have two, both same)



my tired 6 year old in his seat



my legs in the passenger seat while my 6 year old is sitting behind me



his feet behind me



i'm 5'2'', and when i'm in the driver's seat, i'm sitting a tad bit closer to reach the pedals, so there's even more room behind my seat......enough for an adult (when i test drove the car, my husband sat behind me)

my husband is 5'7'', and he can fit into the passenger seat the way it is set up for me, but his knees will be a lot closer to the dashboard...still doable for him

i guess i wouldn't recommend the frs as an only car.....although we have taken some 2 hour trips with it.....we just like it too much

[Demandred7]

Originally Posted by Kelbyat07

Lol have any of you guys try drifting with the kids in the back?

I plead the 5th despite not living in the U.S. I am sure there has to be a good reason for why the kids request Daddy's car (although I am not sure what that could be).

[Andrew025]

For those with babies or younger kids, I bought this and it helps tons with sun that would otherwise be shining directly in my daughter's face through the rear window.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008VM0TLO/ref=ya_aw_oh_pit"]Shade Styx ERT-RW39 Black Universal Rear Window Sunshade Kit:Amazon:Automotive[/ame]


Pics aren't that great but you get the idea.

[RobAus]

I just partially installed the Shade-Styx ERT-RW39. I found the web straps useless (too short) and used tie wraps to connect shade base to reach child seat brackets. Still trying to figure out how to insert headliner clips. It looks like you have tie wrap loops to attach shade top to headliner clips. Is there a trick to placing the headliner clips?


Link to item on Amazon:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Shade-Styx-ERT-RW39-Universal-Sunshade/dp/B008VM0TLO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8"]Amazon.com: Shade Styx ERT-RW39 Black Universal Rear Window Sunshade Kit: Automotive[/ame]