I had one child and then twins, so I felt like I was just dropped into this.
I was pretty shocked turning up with car seats at a Mercedes dealership to find we couldn't get three of them across an E class even without using ISOFIX. IIRC it was slightly exacerbated by two of them being seats for babies.
FWIW we went with a Volvo V70. We didn't want an MPV or SUV.
What blows my mind is how much depth is required in the back seat. In most compact, economy, or sporty cars, put an infant seat or other rear facing seat behind the driver, and the driver is just about stuffed into the steering column.
It's almost as they should make cars specific for having kids. I think there was one model that had seat that folds out into child seat, but never seen anything like that (I haven't searched).
Also maybe there's a triple seat models rather than getting 3 singles...?
It isn't just "cars" many SUVs still have issues with putting rear facing child seats. In the last few years they have increased the number of months you need rear facing seat making it very likely you will have more than one child rear facing. The car seats / regulations / cars are just not realistic, and are made by people that haven't even tried to follow them.
> I had one child and then twins, so I felt like I was just dropped into this.
Same.
> FWIW we went with a Volvo V70. We didn't want an MPV or SUV.
I've been happy with a "Compact MPV" (which I think is what the class is called). Currently Toyota Verso, previously VW Touran. Both fit 3 child seats in the rear. But it seems the compact MPV class is on its way out (e.g. Toyota doesn't produce the Verso anymore), everybody for some unexplainable reason wants a SUV nowadays.
I have three children, and our solution was the Honda Odyssey. It has a separate back middle seat with its own pair of car seat anchors. Yes, it's big on the inside. None of the other SUVs I saw had the middle seat anchors.
I've been driving very small cars since I started driving. SUVs were rare and large pickups were usually only seen in rural areas. Today it seems as if everyone on the road has gone bigger and I feel very small in that car.
Whenever I'm stuck between several SUVs, often with the added disadvantage that the one behind me has its low beams on the same level as my rear view mirror, I can't say I feel safe.
If I were starting a family, I would definitely want a bigger car, even though I don't have any data indicating that it would be safer.
I had the exact same problem! One child and then twins, we measured our old SUV wrong and realized the night before the twins were born that we couldn't fit all our kids in one car. I was shopping for a minivan from the hospital :)
Actually, when forward-facing the Diono is wider than many other car seats because the back is flush with the back of the seat. Others have a narrower wedge behind the seat so kids in adjacent seats get more elbow room.
I was pretty shocked turning up with car seats at a Mercedes dealership to find we couldn't get three of them across an E class even without using ISOFIX. IIRC it was slightly exacerbated by two of them being seats for babies.
FWIW we went with a Volvo V70. We didn't want an MPV or SUV.