The Lexus ES (e.g., the ES 300, ES 350, ES 300h, etc) is the most popular Lexus sedan sold in the United States. It competes in the luxury mid-sized market with sedans like the Volvo S60 and S80, BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class among drivers interested in style and an enjoyable driving experience. However, being a luxury vehicle, it’s also equipped with an impressive array of safety features, which is perhaps why it’s also frequently chosen by families interested in safe transportation for their little ones.

Knowing that the current generation of the ES shared many features with the current generation Toyota Avalon (they’re made in the same factory in Georgetown, Kentucky), I made it my goal to find out if the ES was as car-seat friendly when it came to installing 3 car seats across the back row as the Avalon and other vehicles in its class (full-size, per the EPA). The good news is that the ES is a rather standard car as far as car seat installations go, and you aren’t likely to have any unusual issues with it. Before going into the details of car seats I was able to make work, though, I always like to review some elements of best practice, in terms of which kinds of seats to use and when.

First of all, I suggest keeping your youngest travelers, such as infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children in rear-facing infant or convertible car seats for as long as you can (ideally until 4!). Once you turn them forward-facing, you can keep them in harnessed convertible or combination seats through the early elementary years, or as long as you can (ideally until 8!). Once they outgrow their harnessed seats, I suggest keeping them in high-back boosters until they’re physically and psychologically ready to use adult seat belt systems (which typically happens between 10 and 12).  My goal with these suggestions is to keep your kids in the safest seats for as long as possible.

I was able to find a number of infant, convertible, combination, and booster seats that worked well in 3 across setups in the Lexus ES; I’ve arranged them below. If you find the list helpful when shopping for car seats, you can shop through my Amazon link below. I’ll add more seats as I test them over time.

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.

The Nissan Pathfinder is Nissan’s most popular SUV after the Rogue, and is their most popular competitor in the hotly-contested mid-sized crossover market. It most directly competes with a range of 3-row mid-sized SUVs like the Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, Dodge Journey, Dodge Durango, Hyundai Santa Fe, Ford Flex, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Highlander, and Mazda CX-9, and it holds its ground well.

After receiving a number of parent requests by email, I decided to look into how easy or difficult it was to fit 3 car seats across the 2nd row of various generations of the Pathfinder. Being a 3-row SUV, you can theoretically fit 3, 4, or even 5 car seats in it. However, I wanted to learn which seats would work and which ones wouldn’t. Before we go into the details, let’s look at best practices, in terms of using the right kinds of seats for the right amounts of time in our vehicles.

First of all, I like to begin with rear-facing, since it’s the safest position for young children. I suggest rear-facing from day one until you can’t anymore, even if that takes you through the preschool years (ideally until 4!), before forward-facing them in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 8!). Once they outgrow their harnessed seats, it’s best to keep them restrained in high-back boosters until they’re physically and psychologically ready to use adult seat belt systems (which typically happens between 10 and 12). These suggestions may take a bit of extra work, but they provide a lot of extra safety.

My results of car seat puzzling and juggling in the Nissan Pathfinder  are below. It’s not a complete list, but as with all of my 3 across guides, it’s my goal to make it the most complete on the Internet over time, especially as I get access to more seats. If you find the list helpful when shopping for car seats, you can shop through my Amazon link below. I’ll add more seats as I test them over time.

The Nissan Sentra (known as the Nissan Sylphy abroad) is one of the best-selling small cars in the United States, only outsold by the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, and Ford Focus. It competes with those cars and many more in the compact car market, including the Kia Soul, Kia Forte, Dodge Dart, Chevrolet Cruze, Mazda 3, Toyota Prius, Scion xB, and Subaru Crosstrek. The Sentra holds its own with good reliability and affordability, as well as a full range of up to date safety features, including good small overlap and moderate overlap front crash scores, good side impact and roof scores, and side airbags and ESC. In other words, it’s a great example of a safe small car on the market today.

With that in mind, I wanted to find out how good of a job the Sentra did when it came to installing 3 car seats across the back seat, whether with seat belts or with the LATCH system. The Sentra is a good family vehicle for families of 3, 4, or even 5 if you’re willing to sit a bit more closely together, so I was excited to look for 3 across combinations that would work. Before digging into what I found, however, let’s look at when it’s a good idea to use infant seats, convertibles, combination seats, and boosters, and why.

For me, car seat safety starts with rear-facing your kids as long as you can (ideally until 4!). That’s the safest position and is worth doing as long as possible before forward-facing your little ones in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 8!). Once they outgrow their harnessed seats, I suggest keeping children in high-back boosters until they’re physically and psychologically ready to use adult seat belt systems (which typically happens between 10 and 12). The goal is to keep kids as safely restrained for as long as possible, as it’s far too late to do anything for your child’s safety in the moment before a collision.

Keeping these ideas in mind, I set to work to find which infant, convertible, combination, and booster seats would work best in 3 across combinations in the Nissan Sentra. I found several good options and a few great ones. If you find the list helpful when shopping for car seats, you can shop through my Amazon link below. I’ll add more seats as I test them over time.

The Dodge Durango is one of the more aggressive competitors in the mid-sized, 3-row SUV market in the United States. Parents interested in a vehicle with room for 7 passengers in the mid-sized crossover market frequently compare it with alternatives like the the Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, Hyundai Santa Fe, Mazda CX-9, Ford Flex, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Highlander, and its stablemate the Dodge Journey, even though it’s considerably larger than the Journey.

The Durango bears many similarities to the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and is essentially a 3rd-row version of the JGC. Given how well the JGC does with car seats, I wanted to figure out how good of a vehicle the Durango was when it came to fitting 3 car seats across the 2nd row seats (as well as a few more in the 3rd row). Before getting into what I found, however, here are some basics in car seat safety.

For me, car seat safety starts with rear-facing. From the day your baby leaves the hospital until at least the preschool years, rear-facing is the safest position we know of for car seat usage in a vehicle. I suggest rear-facing ideally until 4, before forward-facing your kids in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 8!). Once they outgrow their harnessed seats, it’s best to keep them restrained in high-back boosters until they’re physically and psychologically ready to use adult seat belt systems (which typically happens between 10 and 12). These suggestions may take a bit of extra work, but they provide a lot of extra safety.

My results of car seat puzzling in the Durango are below. It’s not a complete list, but as with all of my 3 across guides, it’s my goal to make it the most complete on the Internet over time, especially as I get access to more seats. If you find the list helpful when shopping for car seats, you can shop through my Amazon link below. I’ll add more seats as I test them over time.

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Dodge Durango

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Graco Size4Me 65 (x3).

Graco Contender (x3).

Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65, Diono Radian / RXT.

Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65 (x2).

Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT (x2).

Graco TurboBooster, Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT.

Graco TurboBooster, Diono Radian / RXT (x2).

The current generation of the Dodge Durango is 200 inches long and 76 inches wide, which means you’ll have a lot of flexibility when it comes to fitting seats across that 2nd row. The 3rd row will be a bit more tricky since Dodge still tried to leave room for some space behind the row while not compromising 2nd row space. However, you’ll have a much easier time overall in this vehicle than you will with most others on the road in terms of LATCH installations, although I still recommend using your seat belts for maximum space.

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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.

The Kia Forte (and its hatchback version, the Forte5) is one of a small but growing set of compact vehicles sold in the United States. It competes with sedans and wagons like the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Kia Soul, Chevrolet Cruze, Mazda 3, Dodge Dart, Toyota Prius, Scion xB, and Subaru Crosstrek.  How does the Forte compare to the aforementioned vehicles? For one thing, it’s cheaper than most of them, and for another, it holds its own with a range of safety features, including good moderate overlap, side, and roof scores. Its biggest flaw at the moment from a safety perspective is its marginal small overlap score, but Kia will doubtless address that in the future.

I borrowed a Forte this week to see how it would do when it came to installing 3 car seats together across the back row. Given that it’s a small car, I knew I had a challenge on my hands, but I seeing as I’ve fit 3 across even smaller vehicles (e.g., the Honda Fit and Hyundai Accent), I felt my odds were good. Before looking at the results, though, it’s always a good idea to review some basic principles of car seat safety.

First of all, try to rear-face your kids as long as you can (ideally until 4!), before forward-facing them in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 8!). Rear-facing offers the greatest protection for kids of all ages, and there are a number of seats (such as the Fllo / Foonf) that will let them rear-face through the preschool years. Once they outgrow their harnessed seats, I suggest keeping them in high-back boosters until they’re physically and psychologically ready to use adult seat belt systems (which typically happens between 10 and 12). What we want to do is keep our kids restrained in the safest positions for as long as possible to increase their odds of surviving crash forces.

Keeping these ideas in mind, I set to work to find which infant, convertible, combination, and booster seats would work best in 3 across combinations in the Kia Forte. I found several good options and a few great ones. If you find the list helpful when shopping for car seats, you can shop through my Amazon link below. I’ll add more seats as I test them over time.

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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.