All posts by Mike

3 Across Installations: Which Car Seats Fit in a Toyota Sienna?

August 3, 2014 Mike

The Toyota Sienna is one of the most popular minivans sold in the United States, competing directly with the Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Pacifica, and Kia Sedona among families interested in safe and reliable transportation for several little ones. These minivans are as good as it gets, and a significant level in quality and car-seat friendliness above the Nissan Quest, Grand Caravan and Town & Country, which is reflected in their increased prices. I borrowed a few Siennas to see how they did when it came to car seat installations and puzzling configurations. The good news is that you can do a lot with a Sienna. The bad news is that the new generation was a step backwards in flexibility compared to the prior generation, and it took Toyota several years to address this.

Before discussing which seats did and didn’t work, it’s always worth reviewing which car seats should be used in which configurations and for how long. For me, everything starts with rear-facing; I recommend rear-facing infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in infant and convertible seats as long as possible (ideally until 4!), and then forward-facing elementary-aged children in combination or forward-facing harnessed seats (at least until 4), and then using booster seats until a regular seat belt fits the child (which typically happens between 10 and 12). The goal here is to keep children as safely restrained as possible for as long as possible.

However, for this information to be helpful, you need to know if a particular car seat will fit in your particular vehicle. Here are my experiences fitting a range of seats inside various years of the Toyota Sienna. I’ll periodically update each page as I try more seats in more positions.

You can access the complete 3 across guide for every vehicle here and the complete list of recommended seats here. Canadian recommended car seats are here. 3 across car seat images are courtesy of Wikipedia.

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Toyota Sienna (XL30)

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

2nd row – Clek Foonf (x3).

2nd row – Diono Radian R120 / RXT, Diono Rainier, Diono Radian R120 / RXT.

2nd row – Diono Radian R120 / RXT, Diono Pacifica, Diono Radian R120 / RXT.

2nd row – Diono Radian R120 / RXT, Diono Olympia, Diono Radian R120 / RXT.

2nd row – Diono Monterey, Combi Coccoro, Diono Radian R120 / RXT.

2nd row – Diono Monterey, Graco MySize 65, Diono Radian R120 / RXT.

3rd row – Diono Radian R120 / RXT (x3).

3rd row – Graco Contender (x3).

3rd row – Diono Radian R120 / RXT, Graco MyRide 65, Diono Radian R120 / RXT.

3rd row – Britax Parkway SGL, Britax Frontier 90, Diono Radian R120 / RXT.

3rd row – Diono Radian R120 / RXT, Britax Frontier 90, Graco Size4Me 65.

3rd row – Diono Radian R120 / RXT, Britax Frontier 90, Graco TurboBooster.

3rd row – Evenflo Amp, Graco MyRide 65, Graco Affix.

3rd row – Harmony Youth Booster, Graco MyRide 65, Graco Affix.

Tips and Tricks:

The current generation of Sienna is 200 inches long and 78 inches wide, which means it is the same length as the prior generation and ever so slightly wider (by 1 inch). This is a generous amount of space for most installations. However, there are fewer top tethers available for secure forward-facing installations compared to the previous generation, which is a significant drawback.

2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Toyota Sienna (XL20)

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian R120 / RXT, Diono Rainier, Diono Radian R120 / RXT.

Diono Radian R120 / RXT, Diono Pacifica, Diono Radian R120 / RXT.

Diono Radian R120 / RXT, Diono Olympia, Diono Radian R120 / RXT.

Graco Snugride 35 (x3).

Britax Boulevard / Marathon, Britax Pioneer 70, Graco Snugride 35.

Britax Boulevard / Marathon, Britax Frontier 90, Graco Snugride 35.

Diono Radian R120 / RXT (x3).

Tips and Tricks:

This generation of Sienna is 200 inches long and 77 inches wide, which means there is a generous amount of space for most installations. It’s also my favorite generation given the large number of tethers for forward-facing scattered throughout the van (remember, it’s important to tether your forward-facing seats).

When installing a Pioneer or Frontier in a center position, it is important to route the tether between the posts of the headrest. If not, the tether will slide left or right off the seat’s sides.

1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Toyota Sienna (XL10)

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Graco Size4Me 65 (x3).

Graco Snugride 35 (x3).

Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).

Diono Radian R120 / RXT (x3).

Tips and Tricks:

The initial generation of the Sienna is 191-194 inches long, depending on whether you have a pre-2001 or 2001 or later model and 73 inches wide, which means you’re going to have to think a bit more about 3 across installations than you would with any other version of the Sienna. That said, it’s about the width and length of a mid-sized car, which means it’s definitely possible to stuff a range of car seats inside it. All of these installations apply only to the 3rd row, since only captain’s chairs were available for the 2nd row of the Sienna in this generation. Use your seat belts and take your time and you’ll be fine.

If you find my information on best practices in car and car seat safety helpful, you can do your shopping through this Amazon link. Canadians can shop here for Canadian purchases. Have a question or want to discuss best practices? Join us in the forums!

3 Across Installations: Which Car Seats Fit in a Honda Accord?

August 2, 2014 Mike

The Honda Accord is one of the most popular sedans in the United States, and has been so for decades. Competing with mid-sized sedans like the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Volkwagen Passat, Volkswagen Jetta, Subaru Legacy, and Subaru Outback, the Accord is regularly used by all kinds of people from all walks of life, and for parents, it is a frequent choice for a family vehicle. Here are a number of seats I have had the opportunity to test in the various model years of the Honda Accord in order to determine which ones puzzle well for 3 across installations in the Accord.

You know the basics of best practices in car seat safety: rear-face as long as possible (ideally until 4!), and then forward-face as long as possible (ideally until 8!), and then booster until a regular belt fits your child (which typically happens between 10 and 12). Keeping your kids rear-facing longer, forward-facing longer, and boostered longer keeps them safer longer.

However, for this information to be helpful, you need to know if a particular car seat will fit in your particular vehicle. Over the years, I’ve had the chance to try out a number of car seats in a number of vehicles. Here are my experiences fitting a range of seats inside various years of the Honda Accord. I’ll periodically update each page as I try more seats in more positions; it’s my goal to make this list the most detailed on the Internet.

You can access the complete 3 across guide for every vehicle here and the complete list of recommended seats here. The Canadian recommended car seat list is here. 3 across car seat images are courtesy of Wikipedia.

2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Honda Accord

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).

Diono Radian RXT (x3).

Diono Radian R120 (x3).

Diono Radian R100 (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Rainier, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Pacifica, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Olympia, Diono Radian / RXT.

Graco TurboBooster, Britax Boulevard / Marathon, Graco Snugride 35.

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro.

Diono Radian / RXT, Graco My Ride 65, Graco TurboBooster.

Diono Radian / RXT, Graco My Ride 65, Harmony Dreamtime.

Britax Marathon / Boulevard, Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30.

Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Britax Parkway SGL.

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Nautilus.

Tips and Tricks:

At 191 inches long and 73 inches wide, the current generation Accord is 3 inches shorter but the same width as the prior generation. This essentially means it’s not going to be any easier to make 3 across installations in this generation than in the last, and that it’ll likely be slightly more difficult to have front-to-back space. As usual, the seat belts will give you more room for tighter installations than the LATCH system.

2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Honda Accord

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Rainier, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Pacifica, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Olympia, Diono Radian / RXT.

Graco TurboBooster, Britax Boulevard / Marathon, Graco Snugride 35.

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro.

Diono Radian / RXT, Graco My Ride 65, Graco TurboBooster.

Diono Radian / RXT, Graco My Ride 65, Harmony Dreamtime.

Britax Marathon / Boulevard, Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30.

Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Britax Parkway SGL.

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Nautilus.

Tips and Tricks:

At 194 inches long and 73 inches wide, this generation is 4 inches longer and 1 inch wider than the previous generation, which means 3 across installations should be slightly easier and that there should be a significant boost in front-to-back space compared to that of the prior generation.

The Dionos will fit with or without the angle adjuster. To puzzle with an outboard infant seat, the infant seat will almost certainly need a seat belt installation. 3 across can work with an outboard forward-facing Radian, center forward-facing Radian, and a Graco TurboBooster in the outboard position. If the Radian is puzzled with a Graco Nautilus, there may not be room for a third seat for 3 across.

2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Honda Accord

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro.

Diono Radian / RXT, Graco My Ride 65, Graco TurboBooster.

Diono Radian / RXT, Graco My Ride 65, Harmony Dreamtime.

Britax Marathon / Boulevard, Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30.

Britax Parkway SGL, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Nautilus.

Tips and Tricks:

At 190 inches long and 72 inches wide, this generation is 1 inch longer and 2 inches wider than the previous generation, which means 3 across installations should be slightly easier and that there should be a slight boost in front-to-back space compared to that of the prior generation.

The Dionos will fit with or without the angle adjuster. When installed behind the passenger seat, you will likely need to move the passenger seat up significantly if used without the angle adjuster.

When trying 3 across with at least one infant seat, try the install both with and without a base; a number of seats will take up less space in baseless installations, even though these are less convenient.

1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Honda Accord

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT (x3).

Tips and Tricks:

The Dionos will fit rear-facing in the center seat with the angle adjuster in the 1996. They also will fit rear-facing center without the angle adjuster in the 2000 model year.

Graco Snugride – yes. The base of the Snugride 30 is narrower than that of the Snugride 35 or 22.

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If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.

Graco Highback TurboBooster Review: A Great Booster!

August 1, 2014 Mike

When it comes to choosing a good booster seat, it’s really, really hard to do better than the Britax Frontier 90 and the Britax Pinnacle 90. However, if you don’t have the budget for those seats, and still need a good booster, you’re going to want to learn more about the Graco Highback TurboBooster, which I spent the past weekend reviewing and testing in 3 across installations. Read on for details!

Graco Highback TurboBooster – What’s the big deal?

The Graco Turbobooster continues a tradition of versatile, high weight and height car seats by Graco that makes this one of the better booster seats on the market. It’s a dual mode booster car seat, which means it can be used in two configurations: as a high back booster and as a backless booster. The TurboBooster has been on the market in one form or another for more than 10 years and continues to keep children safe all over the country. For parents of booster-age children, the Graco TurboBooster is a booster worth considering. Here’s some more information on the latest iteration.

Graco TurboBooster Limits for Weight and Height

High back booster: 30-100 pounds, and between 38 and 57″ in height. The seated shoulder height of the child in terms of the belt guide can extend up to 19.5.” Your child should be at least 4 years old. Of course, research into car safety indicates children should remain rear-facing for as long as possible (the average is 4 years in Sweden, which posts the lowest child fatality rate on Earth), and after rear-facing, the child should remain forward-facing as long as possible before switching into a booster.

Backless booster: 40-100 pounds, and the height limits will vary between 40″ and 57″. Your child should be at least 4 years old. Remember that children should remain in booster seats until their seat belts fit them over the shoulder, across the chest, and flat on the upper thighs.

Buy the Graco TurboBooster on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon here.

Dimensions of the Graco Highback TurboBooster

The seat is 16.5″ wide and 15″ deep, and is up to 26.5 high.” The seat weighs 9 pounds in high back mode, making it the lightest and narrowest booster seat I’ve reviewed so far.

Why Buy the Graco Highback TurboBooster?

I’ve had the privilege of reviewing some pretty awesome car seats over the last few years, both as a parent and as a grizzly guy writing a car safety blog. I advocate rear-facing to the limits, forward-facing to the limits, and only then switching to boosters. I prefer convertible seats to infant seats and combination seats to boosters, simply for efficiency. Dedicated boosters, in the end, are designed to do the same thing as combination seats in booster mode: to properly position seat belts on children who are old enough to sit in them. So if there are combination seats that do as good of a job as dedicated boosters, why would I review and even suggest a dedicated booster?

First of all, I love how affordable it is. A common complaint about car seats is how much they cost, and I understand where parents are coming from. It would be nice if more cars came with integrated car seats, the way Volvo did with the XC90. However, until then, parents have to shell out money for seats, which can get in the way of paying for other essentials. This isn’t as much of an issue with the TurboBooser because it’s well under $100. We need more car seats like it.

Buy the Graco TurboBooster on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon here.

Second, I like how easy it is to adjust the height of the TurboBooster. You literally just pull the handle at the head rest by the top and pull the seat up or down. It’s also easy to turn it into a backlesss mode, although that can also be a con, as the brace holding the seat together could stand to be made firmer. Some parents have complained about the seat essentially coming loose and falling apart under its own weight while being carried. This doesn’t make it any less safe when it’s actually installed with a child in it, but it’s the kind of annoyance you just don’t see on higher quality boosters.

Keep in mind that to install the TurboBooster, you’ll need to put screws in the armrests. However, the installation besides that is rather easy. Additional things I like about the TurboBooster is that you don’t need a head rest behind it when using it in a backless mode, which isn’t that common in booster seats.

Essentially, the TurboBooster is a seat that’s been around the block a few times. There are a few different versions of it now, including the Safety Surround and Affix. My favorite is the TurboBooster featuring Safety Surround, available in gray, green, and orange, as it offers deeper wings to surround the head and torso, which may significantly increase side impact protection. This is the version of the TurboBooster I would buy if on a budget, as side impact protection is worth its weight, particularly given the severity of side impacts compared to frontal impacts.

Finally, I like that the lifespan of the seat has been extended in post-mid 2011 seats from 6 years to 10 years; this makes the TurboBooster useful across multiple children.

The Graco TurboBooster is a solid car seat and, in my opinion, one of the better budget booster car seats currently available in the United States for children above the age of 4. There are certainly better booster seats on the market, such as the Clek Oobr or Britax Parkway SGL, but not everyone has the finances to buy high end car seats, which is why it’s important to know which budget-minded seats are well designed and trustworthy. The TurboBooster is likely to be the last seat your child needs before s/he is ready for a regular adult seat belt.

You can buy the Graco Turbobooster in a range of colors here. Canadians can buy the regular and Affix boosters here.

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How To and Why Tether When Rear Facing Car Seats?

August 1, 2014 Mike

The other day, I wrote about How To and Why Tether When Forward Facing Car Seats? However, there’s a bit more to learn about tethering, including the fact that certain convertible car seats can be tethered while rear-facing! Today, I’ll talk about how to do so and why you’d potentially want to consider it.

You Can Tether Rear-Facing?

Yes! While the majority of convertible car seats cannot currently be tethered rear-facing in the United States, four manufacturers are more forward-thinking and have made this possible. As of July 2014, those manufacturers are Britax, Diono, Combi, and Peg Perego. These are the only manufacturers of seats that can potentially be tethered rear-facing, and only a few of their seats can actually be tethered in this fashion. If your seat isn’t on this list, don’t do this, and simply focus on tethering when forward-facing when the time is right.

Which Current Car Seats Allow Tethering while Rear-Facing?

Britax – Advocate, Boulevard, Highway, Marathon, Pavilion, and Roundabout.
Combi – Coccoro.
Diono – Radian R100, Radian R120, Radian RXT, Rainier, Pacifica, and Olympia.
Peg Perego – Primo Viaggio Convertible.

What Options Exist for Rear-Facing Tethering?

There are two approaches to tethering while rear-facing: Swedish style and Australian style. The Swedish style is more commonly used in Sweden, the rest of Europe, Canada, and the United States, while the Australian method is favored in Australia. In the diagram to the left, the Swedish method is shown in image B, while the Australian method is shown in image A. In the Swedish method, the tether is attached to the car seat behind the top of the seat and attached to the vehicle at an anchor in the floor to the front of the seat, such as to the rail track for a front vehicle seat. In the Australian tethering approach, the tether is wound around both sides of the top of the back of the car seat and is attached to the vehicle at the tether anchor behind the vehicle seat, as would be done in forward-facing tethering.

Combi, Diono, and Peg Perego only permit Swedish tethering, while Britax permits either. There are advantages and disadvantages to either method. Let’s look at these below.

Swedish Rear-Facing Tethering Pros:

They reduce rebound (backward movement of the car seat after a frontal collision).
They provide some degree of rotational stability during side impacts.
The tether doesn’t interfere with loading a child in a car seat.
They limit head excursion during rear collisions.

Swedish Cons:

They don’t prevent downward forward rotation in forward crashes.

Australian Rear-Facing Tethering Pros:

They prevent downward forward rotation in forward crashes.
They provide some degree of rotational stability during side impacts.

Australian Cons:

The tether interferes with loading a child in a car seat.

They don’t reduce rebound (backward movement of the car seat after a frontal collision).
They don’t limit head excursion during rear collisions.

Why is Rear-Facing Tethering a Good Idea?

As you can see, there are potential advantages to either method. Both provide some degree of rotational stability during side impacts by adding an extra point at which the car seat is connected to the vehicle. However, Swedish tethering has more advantages than Australian tethering, especially in the areas of rebound reduction in frontal collisions and in the reduction of head excursion in rear collisions.

How Do I Swedish Tether or Rear-Face Tether, or What If I Can’t?

To Swedish tether, you’ll need to find an anchor point under one of the front seats. Challenges might include finding a spot that allows you to use your tether connector strap, which is also known as a D-ring. You then wrap the D-ring around the solid anchored point, such as a seat track or a seat leg that is bolted to the frame of the vehicle. The other end of the tether connects to the D-ring.

If there isn’t a good location (one that’s solidly anchored and within 20 degrees of the car seat), then you might not be able to rear-face tether. Similarly, if you’ve got an older vehicle with lots of rust, you’ll want to make sure you check the anchor area thoroughly, as you don’t want a vehicle seat leg to go flying in a collision because a car seat with a child in it overstressed it.

Besides that, because of how uncommon rear-facing tethering is, you’re not likely to see it in most car manuals. Remember that if you can’t do it, it’s not such a big deal. You definitely should prioritize forward-facing tethering over rear-facing tethering, and you should never flip a rear-facing seat forward just so you’ll be able to tether it forward-facing if it would still fit a child rear-facing. Rear-facing is much, much safer, tethered or not, than forward-facing with a tether.

Remember…take the time to choose the right car seat, and if it’s forward-facing, get it tethered. If you can tether while rear-facing, do it! But if not, don’t lose sleep over it.

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Clek Fllo Preview: Pre-Order Available Here, Plus More Information on Colors, Price, and Features

July 31, 2014 Mike

Update: my full review of the Clek Fllo is available here!

The 2015 Clek Fllo is a seat I’ve been writing about and looking forward to for a while, and I’m excited to say that we now have an official release date and official prices! I’ve previously written about the importance of car safety, and how important it is to practice Extended Rear Facing, or ERF, in car seats. Of course, there are a few seats capable of RF until 50 pounds, including the Foonf by Canadian manufacturer Clek. However, Clek is adding another with the Fllo, which is poised to be a game-changer in the field. And here is some more information!

The Clek Fllo will start shipping as of August 29th, 2014! You can pre-order it now via the following links. It might be a good idea to pre-order, as if shipping and pricing is anything like it was for Diono with the Rainier, Pacifica, and Olympia, it might take a while for these to actually become available once the initial set of seats have been purchased, and the prices will spike significantly once the demand starts to outstrip the supply. Remember, the Rainier was originally priced at 315 while the Pacifica was priced at $280. Those prices went up once they started shipping and became backlogged.

Where Can I Preorder the 2015 Clek Fllo?

You can order the Fllo from Amazon via the following links. I tend to use Amazon for my car seat purchases because they have an excellent return policy and because the seats always arrive in excellent condition, which makes a big difference with something that really shouldn’t be dropped or manhandled when being shipped.

The Fllo will be available in four prints: Drift, Ink, Flamingo, and the psychedelic Tokidoki All-Over. I’ll likely pick up the Drift for my review.

2015 Clek Fllo in “Drift” from 349.99

2015 Clek Fllo in “Ink” from 379.99

2015 Clek Fllo in “Flamingo” from 379.99

2015 Clek Fllo in “Tokidoki All-Over” from 429.99

Clek Fllo Compared to Clek Foonf

What are the advantages of the Fllo compared to the Foonf? Well, for one, it’s going to be a bit cheaper. Second, since the Fllo will sit lower than the Foonf, it’ll save some room and will give you the ability to see behind you a bit better when driving, which is enough to make a number of parents consider it over the Foonf.

Personally, I think the Fllo is going to be a great seat, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one (it won’t be long!). The price point is lower and the aesthetic is a bit different, but the goal is still to provide unparalleled safety blended wonderfully with style. I’ll have a review as soon as I have one in my hands.

Here are the crucial stats:

2015 Clek Fllo Rear-Facing

Weight Limits: 14-50 lbs (same as Foonf).
Height Limits: 25-43 in (same as Foonf).
Seat Weight: 25 lbs (lower than the 38 lbs of the Foonf!)
Seat Width: 16.9 in (smaller than 17 in of the Foonf)
Front/Back: 29 in without anti-rebound bar, 32.5 in with (smaller than 33 in of Foonf)
Seat Height: 23.5 in (shorter than 25.75 in of Foonf)

2015 Clek Fllo Forward-Facing
Weight Limits: 22-65 lbs (same as Foonf).
Height Limits: 30-49 in (same as Foonf).
Seat Weight: 24 lbs (lower than the 33 lbs of the Foonf!)
Seat Width: 16.9 in (smaller than 17 in of the Foonf)
Seat Height: 26-30.5 in (shorter than 28.25-32.5 in Foonf)

Again, I’ll have a review up as soon as I get my hands on one. It shouldn’t be long!

Update: my full review of the Clek Fllo is here!

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