# How to arrange three seats in the Mazda5?



## Quaniliaz (Oct 11, 2002)

I wonder what the best arrangement would be for my three kids in my mazda5? Baby (due in March) will be in a bucket seat for a few months until it warms up, and then ?? Dd2 is 2.5 and rear facing in a britax boulevard. Dd1 is 8 and is Ina hbb - she loves to ride in the third row because it feels like an airplane









Ideally the two little ones are in the middle row, rear-facing, but then I can't see how dd1 can get to the third row w/o crawling through the hatch back...which I'd rather not do.

Or I could turn dd2 around and probably put her in our spare regent in the second row, dd1 could then walk down the middle to get to the back. Then I'd have the blvd for baby and not have to buy a new seat, which would be awesome, since I don't have *any* money right now.

I guess I could go with scenario 1 until baby outgrows the bucket, then switch to scenario 2, which would keep dd2 rear-facing until she was closer to 3, and I still wouldn't need to buy a new seat.

Anyone have any thoughts/experience w/ 3 in a mazda5?


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

What about putting the 2.5yo in the 3rd row, in her RF Blvd, and having either the 8yo help her buckle (when she is with you) and when she's not with you, you could reach through the trunk area to buckle.


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## madcap150 (Jan 11, 2008)

Why not put the baby in the back and load her through the hatchback? I find it super easy to reach the 3rd row through the hatchback in my Mazda 5. If you don't want her alone back there, put your DD1 in the 3rd row with her. Only problem with that is you're short on cargo space, but I'm guessing you can fit a lot on the second row floor in that case (I know I do).


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

I also hatch loaded my son in my Mazda5...worked great and I totally preferred it!


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## Quaniliaz (Oct 11, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *an_aurora*
> 
> What about putting the 2.5yo in the 3rd row, in her RF Blvd, and having either the 8yo help her buckle (when she is with you) and when she's not with you, you could reach through the trunk area to buckle.


Hmm - that's a thought. Except I do have to wrestle with her some days - I think doing that over the back of a seat would really suck. But something to consider as she gets more cooperative!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *madcap150*
> 
> Why not put the baby in the back and load her through the hatchback? I find it super easy to reach the 3rd row through the hatchback in my Mazda 5. If you don't want her alone back there, put your DD1 in the 3rd row with her. Only problem with that is you're short on cargo space, but I'm guessing you can fit a lot on the second row floor in that case (I know I do).


Do you think I'd be able to load the baby's bucket seat over the back of the seat? I'd like to be able to carry it in/out of the house until it warms up. (It should be significantly warmer in a month (hopefully) but today it is a whopping 0 degrees (windchill = -20) and I just don't feel comfortable taking a newborn in and out of a seat in that, kwim? Cargo space isn't too much of a concern most of the time - I go grocery shopping with out them, and when we go out of town it will be a huge problem regardless of carseat configuration! (Hoping to get a rack, soon!)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BathrobeGoddess*
> 
> I also hatch loaded my son in my Mazda5...worked great and I totally preferred it!


Your littlest one? Were you able to load a bucket seat over the back row, or did you buckle him into the seat already in the car?

Thanks for the ideas, everyone!! It will take some getting used to having dd1 all the way in the back, as she has been the person I can hand stuff to, etc!


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Quaniliaz*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> ...


Oh I didn't have a bucket for him...he started out in a true fit...I think loading a bucket would be much harder...can you put your oldest in the back and let her get in before you put the baby in? You would have to take the baby out for her to get out though...hummmmm


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## kofduke (Dec 24, 2002)

I don't have the middle section between the two buckets out on mine, but my son just slides past the seat and walks in the middle to the rear seat...


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## lac_2233 (Sep 6, 2010)

First I want to say - please keep the middle child rear facing as long as possible as it is safest 

I have a Mazda5 and had my 4 year rear facing in a britax marathon. I had the stuff out in the middle of those seats so when I started nannying for 6 year olds in boosters I wasn't sure it would work, but we hatch load and they love it. I got some interesting looks at car pool, but now everyone is used to it and the kids actually fight over who gets to sit there just to hatch load. Your 8 year old can easily climb in and out, but then again you cant really have anything in the back that you can't easily move when she gets in and out.


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## ~Amy~ (Jun 7, 2009)

I have a 5 as well. I'd do the 2 RFer's in the captain's chairs and the booster in the third row with one seat folded & let the booster rider in & out through the hatch. Or keep one captain's chair empty and do the older RFer and the booster rider in the third row and the baby in the other captain's chair.


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