We are looking at a new Suburban or a Tahoe for our family car. So far, most of them have benches in the middle row. Is it a pain to not have captains chairs? I am worried about my 5 year old crawling back and forth, or is it not as bad as I am thinking it will be?
THANKS!
We are buying the Suburban with a bench in the middle seat. I didnt realize how far forward the middle seats go, making lots of room to get in the back seat, when needed. I am actually on my way to go buy our new vehicle. It will be fun to have the new Suburban, cant wait to get out this weekend and use it. Thanks for the advice Moms!
FYI- My children are in car seats. I wasnt asking about how to keep my children in their car seats, the question was if it it was going to be hard for my daughter to get in and out of the car, with having to move the seats back and forth. Thanks for the concern, but we are car seat fanatics in our family. I keep my children safe and sound in their Britax car seats.
I drive an Armada with two rows and even though the kids have to put the seat down to get in the back, it's not too bad - but all 3 of mine are in easy to move booster seats. My husband drives the Yukon XL Denail with the captain's chairs and they really are easier...but I like being to take that extra kid with me too :).
Mine is bench seats. I cannot give up a seating position in my vehicle (I have 9 kids, so the suburban isn't even big enough). I do have 5 carseats in mine. I have 3 Britax marathons, a high back booster, and a no back booster.
The middle row has one seat that folds forward for access to the 3rd row. I put the no back booster there, that can be easily moved. Sure kids climb over the seat sometimes ( they are young, limber, lol). We obviously make it work just fine. So, it will really come down to your needs, and personal preference.
We just bought a Dodge Journey with the third row and the try to make the crawling back and forth easy. The middle seat folds flat, or the seat flips down and the seat flips up and then the whole thing moves forward. So far we love it. There is even enough hip room in the middle seat for my almost 13 year old with the two carseats on either side - at least, he tolerates it for short trips. Good luck - car shopping can be so difficult.
No offense, but 5 yr olds need to be buckled into the seat with the car's seat belt or in a carseat/booster seat. You buckle and unbuckle them, those are the rules, captain's chairs or not. If they get out of their seats, you pull over and stop the car until they get back in and buckle up. Or you turn around and go back home. That they don't get to go anywhere until they learn that don't get up and out while the car is moving.
And no, a bench seat is not a bad thing. You learn to adapt. Many of the bench seats have a pull down that divides the seat into two seats. The biggest problem you might have, depending on how large your family is, is the kids wanting to have their own space, they go through stages of "he/she's touching me" and don't want to sit close to a sibling.
Happy car shopping!!!
i have a 2003 suburban, with captains chairs..and i love it, i have 3 kids 1 in a carseat and it is so much easier to get in and out of, and it is more roomy! you can find them with captains chairs, you just have to look a little harder and maybe a little longer, but it is worth the time and wait to get the one with captains chairs instead of the bench seat!
We have had two suburbans, our first one had captain's chairs and our current one has a bench seat. I MUCH prefer the captain's chairs! I would do anything to get my captain seats back. While they basically took one passenger seat away, I loved that I could even crawl into the back during a trip and entertain the kids. Our current suburban has shoe prints, dirt and tears starting on the seat from my kids constantly climbing over. Yes, I do have a fold down seat, however, I can't get four carseats in the car with that seat down. Three carseats don't fit in the very back and two carseats don't fit on the bench with the one seat down. Just my experience. I would DEFINITELY go with the captain seats!
If you put her in a car seat like you are supposed to it will be no problem.
i have 3 kids in a tahoe and i much prefer the captains chairs in the middle row. it feels more to me like a van and easier access to the kids when they need to get in and out. also it helps so that you can fit a full grown person in the 3rd row if needed because they can stretch their legs thru the middle.
We just bought a Suburban with benches. Traded the van that had captain chairs...I have a 7,5 and 3 year old and have not had any problems with crawling over the seats. I LOVE the suburban!!
