Car Seats - 4Runner Question

q 4runner

q 4runner

New member
Hello everyone.

I haven't tried this yet, but can 3 car seats, (a booster, a regular convertible seat, and an infant seat) all fit in the second row of a 5th generation 4Runner? We have a 6 year old, 2 year old, and a new born arriving in May. Awesome news, but it's time for a new car most likely.

We are debating about trading in our 2016 highlander Platinum or my 2010 4Runner limited with the pull out rear cargo tray.

Side note, I would buy a Sequoia or Tundra in a heartbeat, however their archaic design should be up for a redesign in the next year or so.

Thanks, and any help would greatly be appreciated.
 
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The answer to your question is maybe, and completely dependent on the width of the seats and their bases. We have a two and six year old. One in a booster and the other in a Diono Radian seat. Both seats we have are known to be more naw than many alternatives. If we remove the cup holders then my wife can fit in the middle for short trips. She is really small. The issue you will likely find is that with the baby on one side and the booster on the other, your two year old will constantly have to climb into their seat which is literally lodged between the other two. As I said before, it may work, but it’s gonna suck.

Good luck my friend.
 
q 4runner said:
Hello everyone.

I haven't tried this yet, but can 3 car seats, (a booster, a regular convertible seat, and an infant seat) all fit in the second row of a 5th generation 4Runner? We have a 6 year old, 2 year old, and a new born arriving in May. Awesome news, but it's time for a new car most likely.

We are debating about trading in our 2016 highlander Platinum or my 2010 4Runner limited with the pull out rear cargo tray.

Side note, I would buy a Sequoia or Tundra in a heartbeat, however their archaic design should be up for a redesign in the next year or so.

Thanks, and any help would greatly be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Both the Highlander and 4Runner are offered with 3rd rows, and that's the solution you need even if it isn't the one you want.
 
First, congrats on the new kiddo on the way!


I know 3 boosters do not fit and if I remember correctly, the bassinets or infants seats are much wider.....so, I'm going to say nope!!

3 Row!!!!

That's actually why I bought my exact 4Runner. I weighed many pros/cons and settled on the SR5 with the 3rd so I could tote more kids.


The need for the off-roading capabilities fo the OR or Pro......almost never.

The need to shuttle 2-4 kids around....at least once a week!


BTW, doesn't the Highlander have the 3rd row??
 
I can't say for sure if they fit but based on my one daughter and her seat my guess would if it does it would be very tight. I think truthfully if you need a third row and are going to use it regularly than I would look at something other than a 4runner. I didn't buy a pro because no third row option and I figure it would be more useful to have the third row in a pinch and it has come in handy a couple of times but I wouldn't use it for other than if it was completely necessary. It is not a great third row and on top of that isn't a huge amount of cargo area when they are in use. Just my two cents.
 
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We also have the Diono Radian seats for our twin girls. They are pretty narrow and you might be able to fit a back facing infant seat in there as well. No way to know till you try.

I'd definitely keep the Highlander especially if it has captains seats for easy access to the 3rd row. That is unless your wife is open to a minivan. Nothing beats a minivan for multiple kids and the need to carry a lot of stuff. My wife has sold herself on one and that will be her next vehicle here shortly.

Of course you would still need something to cary the kids around as well. I think if you want to keep a 4runner in the family you'd need to trade for a 3rd row. Even with a third row you have the problem on how the kid gets back there because you can't fold the second row over with car seats in them and there are no captain's seats in the 4Runner. You'd have to put the booster in the middle row and I guess the convertible in the back.
 
mustangr2 said:
I can't say for sure if they fit but based on my one daughter and her seat my guess would if it does it would be very tight. I think truthfully if you need a third row and are going to use it regularly than I would look at something other than a 4runner. I didn't buy a pro because no third row option and I figure it would be more useful to have the third row in a pinch and it has come in handy a couple of times but I wouldn't use it for other than if it was completely necessary. It is not a great third row and on top of that if you are using it there isn't a huge amount of cargo area when they are in use. Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

Fair point, and maybe a good reason to buy two vehicles...

OP will get much better function out of an Odyssey or Sienna than a 3rd row 4Runner. Can't say about the 3rd row Highlander, but you might find that tight as well.

If you're only picking one third row vehicle I'm not sure I'd do Highlander or 4Runner, but the 3rd row 4Runner is great for your other 3rd row vehicle.
 
Minivan time Dude. :yield: Let the mods begin on a new Sienna, :lol:

This happened to a friend of mine with a Gen4, they had to trade it in for a Sienna. She cried the day they bought the van but still drive it today.
 

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This is a good guide, but I would stress that if you are placing a car seat in the center seat, do not use the latch system anchors. My wife and I made this mistake with our first, by stealing one of the latch anchors from each side seat. This is dangerous since the anchors per seat are connected, but not seat to seat.

It does seem waaaaaay too tight though and would make it difficult to load and unload.

When #3 comes our way I will be getting a bigger car. Wife might be able to keep going with her third row Highlander.
 
The third row is not great for regular use. Very little room behind it. Also the third seat does not have the latch on the back for forward facing car seats. I guess you could use the latch on the floor but not sure of the safety of that. I got the sr5p specifically for the third row, but just for occasional use if I have to be a people mover. No crawl control for this guy.
 
Kids only get bigger. Even if they fit today, they will not fit tomorrow. Kids have stuff. 3 row SUV are not great at holding stuff. Highlander is better than the 4runner. Minivan rules at carrying kids and stuff efficiently. Rent one for the weekend. Rent is cheaper than regret.
 
I've done it but it is tight and a pain, we had to shift the seats around to get the booster buckled. The newborn seat with detachable base was smaller than the rear facing infant seat. This scenario is why we ended up with a mini van for a second vehicle, it can be done though. We used the latch system too.

The silver paint on the plastic door trim is worn off on one side from where the car seat used to rub on it, it was tight fit...
 
Three across can be done. Really all depends on your seat/booster/carrier combination. Like others have said some are narrower than others and other nest into others better (like a tall base seat with a short base one next to it so the arm rests nest on top of each other). I spent many a trip to the baby store trying different combinations of 3 in both my 5th gen and my wife’s B6 Passat to find a set that would fit in both. Our local BuyBuyBaby luckily had two of almost all their infant carriers and convertible car seats to test fit.

Here is a recap convertible in the center with two Cybex Aton2 carriers for my newborn twins and 4yo at the time:
6685743d495da0fb6e764904373e2700.jpg


Here are 3 Diono Radian RXTs across (was painful buying 6 of these to outfit both automobiles!):
db7c8e36b9531070a40bfd8a96e3af54.jpg


A travel system carrier for the infant, a convertible for the middle child and a booster for your oldest can work. Now just need to find the narrowest booster without fixed cup holders protruding from the base on the sides and most likely a buckle extender to make it possible to reach the buckle for the boostered child.

Congrats to you and your growing family! Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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