Child seats and rear seat swapping
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Dannyboltz
New member
Dont waste your money get these Diono Mighty Tite Car seat Belt Tightner - Diono - Babies "R" Us
They make your seat belt into a ratchet strap and get way tighter then that latch system will ever be and at $20 a pop you will be doing yourself a big favor. I went out and got 4 of them for the wifes car and mine. Your little ones will be in there so tight you will want to them wheeling with you!
They make your seat belt into a ratchet strap and get way tighter then that latch system will ever be and at $20 a pop you will be doing yourself a big favor. I went out and got 4 of them for the wifes car and mine. Your little ones will be in there so tight you will want to them wheeling with you!
Oh Nice! I never knew those existed. My 4runner is the first car I've had without LATCH (well, since I've had kids at least) The larger seat goes in OK with just the belt, but one of those would definitely be handy getting the infant seat more secure. thanks for the tip!
Do they cause damage to the belt over time?
Do they cause damage to the belt over time?
Thanks for the info, I will look into those. However, the reason I want to use the anchors is because the seats will sit in closer to the center of the vehicle. My wife and i feel that this is safer because it is further from the door. Right now she drives the Xterra with the kids because it has the anchors and the seats sit about 6 inches farther from the doors, which is quite a big difference in the case of a side impact. I'd be fine keeping the 4runner as my primary vehicle, but I really want her to have the multi-mode t-case for the winter.
Dannyboltz
New member
I do belive the anchors are not part of the seats but part of the body so I would think you would have to weld them in.
T4RunnerSteve
Member
I have an '02 sport edition and it does NOT have the LATCH anchors. I have two car seats back there and they are in with the shoulder belts. Apparently LATCH was mandatory in this particular year but since the 4Runner is a truck it was exempt (that is my understanding). Camrys and other cars from 2002 have it.
oly4runner
New member
OP, the only child latch anchors I see are on my '02 (sr5), but they are located at the center of each backside seat (see pic) and I'm pretty sure you can swap the seats. Unfortunately there isn't one for center placement since it's a 50/50 split if you were planing on setting the seat in the center. My '00 (limited) doesn't have back child latch anchors so I just use the normal cargo anchors located at the lower corners of the cargo area.
In regards to strapping the child seats down in this setup, I use the back child anchors in combination with the shoulder straps since there are NO child anchors near the lower front area (as t4rsteve mentioned) near the bottom passenger seats where the seat belts latch to. These type of anchors are usually on newer vehicles, welded to the metal body, not the seats, and I don't see them on either my '00 or '02.
I used to own an Xterra and know exactly what you mean. I also feel the child is safer with the chair mounted in the center. I also miss the stadium seating on my old Xterra but I have no regrets. I completely understand the safety issue you are talking about.
In regards to strapping the child seats down in this setup, I use the back child anchors in combination with the shoulder straps since there are NO child anchors near the lower front area (as t4rsteve mentioned) near the bottom passenger seats where the seat belts latch to. These type of anchors are usually on newer vehicles, welded to the metal body, not the seats, and I don't see them on either my '00 or '02.
I used to own an Xterra and know exactly what you mean. I also feel the child is safer with the chair mounted in the center. I also miss the stadium seating on my old Xterra but I have no regrets. I completely understand the safety issue you are talking about.
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theizzardking
New member
how would you guys rate these things for child safety and ease for which your wife can handle getting teh car seats in and out? we're planning for a baby in the next year or so and i'm out shopping for a mommy car...been looking at subie outbacks but what the woman really wants is another 4runner in the family....i don't know jack about dealing with kiddos....what's your thoughts? what do you guys send the lady and the kids out in most of the time?
i like the subies because of the allwheel drive child seat safety airbags in the rear and seems like a good grocery getter, we live in a really hilly area with snow and ice for a good section of the year so AWD or 4x4 options are a must....any input would be great as i don;t want to buy a family car then find out in about 6 months to a year it's no good and have to spend even more money on something that is good.....sorry if this is a stupid question, i just don;t know what i'm dealing with here!
i like the subies because of the allwheel drive child seat safety airbags in the rear and seems like a good grocery getter, we live in a really hilly area with snow and ice for a good section of the year so AWD or 4x4 options are a must....any input would be great as i don;t want to buy a family car then find out in about 6 months to a year it's no good and have to spend even more money on something that is good.....sorry if this is a stupid question, i just don;t know what i'm dealing with here!
My wife doesn't drive, but one of the reasons for me getting a runner in the first place was more room for kids. Is there a reason you'd need to take the seats in and out? It's much easier (with any car) to just leave them in.
As far as safety goes, that depends more on the driver than the car
Edit: just noticed who I'm replying to. Don't leave the kids in the back if you're parking in the woods!
As far as safety goes, that depends more on the driver than the car
Edit: just noticed who I'm replying to. Don't leave the kids in the back if you're parking in the woods!
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theizzardking
New member
My wife doesn't drive, but one of the reasons for me getting a runner in the first place was more room for kids. Is there a reason you'd need to take the seats in and out? It's much easier (with any car) to just leave them in.
As far as safety goes, that depends more on the driver than the car
Edit: just noticed who I'm replying to. Don't leave the kids in the back if you're parking in the woods!
haha, nice one man, :bravo:
yeah, see that's on of those things, i don't have kids yet so i don;t know how it goes, what's common sense to you doesn't even register to me yet, lol, driving around with stuff in the back seat bugs me, but maybe not as bad with trying to take the seats in and out, that's a good point about just leaving them there , what about the height, does the wife have any issues with trying to lift the kids in and out of the truck? i can't decide if lower or higher is more ergonomic for such things, i might just end up with 2 4runners in the driveway as she likes the subies but she keeps on and on about what she really wants is MY 4runner.....so i may end up having to buy another for her and mocking it up to look like mine...haha...you guys have that issue as well? the wife trying to steal your truck any chance she gets, hahah
So Many Roads
New member
I don't think the 4runners are great for toting around kids, for a couple reasons: Kids have a hard time climbing in and out on their own, so they end up waiting by the door until you lift them in. The child seats sit right next to the door; not good for side impact & keeping little arms inside. A car or subie would be less likely to roll in an accident.
That being said my kids love to ride in daddy's car! And climb around in the back.
That being said my kids love to ride in daddy's car! And climb around in the back.
SCRunner12
New member
These 4runner are great for kids, but my Fiance has a little trouble putting my daughter in her carseat because of my lift. She's only 5'1" though so it makes sense. Other than that there is enough room for a carseat and two adults in the back. Smaller adults work better, but can be done with two guys. The belt and anchor system works fine for me and is very snug.
I would suggest a 4th gen though for your applications. The Limited with AWD would be ideal as it will have full time AWD and the back seat is larger/more comfortable than the 3rd gen. Eventually I'll get a 4th gen or 5th once we have more kids. Just nice to have the extra space. Also my daughter (almost 2) love my "truck" and always wants to ride in it, so it's kid approved.
Also congrats on having kids!
Once you get kids, you'll get used to stuff laying around! Personally I think it's easier to get them into the truck- picking up a kid and trying to guide them down and under the roof line is hard on the back. Don't forget that once they are about 1.5-2 they can get in the truck themselves! I actually have to lock the doors on mine in the garage just to keep my son out of there. Like I said, the wife doesn't drive so no worry about her stealing the truck, but I'm pretty sure if my son could reach the pedals he'd have taken it by now!
T4RunnerSteve
Member
We have an AWD 2005 Sienna for our family vehicle... about as kid friendly as it gets. That said, the 3rd Gen 4Runner isn't horrible... it is quite narrow so forget putting 3 car seats in there. I have 2 -- one on each side -- and the kids do enjoy it in the 4Runner because of the increased height (and visibility). I don't plan on taking off the running boards because that's how they get in... but to a point made earlier, until they are like 4 or 5 they will probably not be able to open the doors on their own.
It certainly beats a low coupe I'd say but the Outback would be a bit better (LATCH and lower). A 4th Gen 4Runner will have LATCH... so then you're just talking about the height difference.
My son is more than able to open the doors on his own at 2 3/4
I guess it depends how motivated they are to get in there!
farmerjon
Senior Member
theizzardking
New member
izzardking: leave the running boards on and don't lift it. All good!
itd have to at least have a 1.5~2 inch lift on it....buy 2 4runner might get very expensive very quickly...i see how you guys make excuses for buying parts for both!
curtperry
New member
My 4runner is lifted approximately 3" front and 4.5" in the rear and it is my wife's daily driver with 3 kids. I kept the running boards on to help them get in.
I have 2 older daughters who are out of boosters so sit normally, and a 2yo son in a forward facing seat. We keep the seat in the center without LATCH but VERY well tightened down with the center belt, the thing doesn't move at all.
Most child seats are quite wide and take up a ton of room in the back seat, so we looked for the thinnest child seat we could find that was also very safe. It ended up being a Diono Radian 80 - combo steel/plastic frame unit and very highly rated. This allows our daughters a bit more room and comfort sitting on each side.
The setup is perfect IMO. My daughters get in just fine. The only complaint from my wife is that it's hard to lift our son into the center child seat with the lift (shes 5'4") and a little difficult for her to get in the drivers seat.
I have 2 older daughters who are out of boosters so sit normally, and a 2yo son in a forward facing seat. We keep the seat in the center without LATCH but VERY well tightened down with the center belt, the thing doesn't move at all.
Most child seats are quite wide and take up a ton of room in the back seat, so we looked for the thinnest child seat we could find that was also very safe. It ended up being a Diono Radian 80 - combo steel/plastic frame unit and very highly rated. This allows our daughters a bit more room and comfort sitting on each side.
The setup is perfect IMO. My daughters get in just fine. The only complaint from my wife is that it's hard to lift our son into the center child seat with the lift (shes 5'4") and a little difficult for her to get in the drivers seat.
