seating set up for 2 yr. old & 2 mo. old, pics/comment

[delicioso!]

HI fellow parents with l400s,

just wanted to share (and get some input/advice/comments) on my planned seating arrangements for our 2 1/2 year old and 2 month old. i read lots of threads on this with searches so i based my decisions on what's been done, just thought i'd show how i did mine on the l400 (as most threads were on l300s) and see if anyone can add anything. we bought the l400 for longer trips with the inlaws in mind (if it was just us 4 then the cruiser would do fine) and we needed a 2nd rig. the plan is to put the kids in the middle for ease of loading them in, our 2.5 year old will sit behind the driver while baby next to him on the sliding door side for ease of taking her in/out. to maximize room inside, i went with rear facing for my son for more leg room and so the inlaws can keep him company. i'm goin with rear facing is safer too (but thats been debated i think). i took the head rest off and slid it forward right against the drivers seat for max leg room in the back. i used the captain's chair lap belt and i used the belts that came with the car seat and anchored in to a strap attached (or slung around) to a round metal rod at the base of the drivers seat. the rear teather is also attached here separately. it's on there good and snug and the seat is reclined to where it should be. too bad i couldn't have it upright a tad more thus allowing me to slide it that much closer to the front and giving more leg room in the back. anway, pics explain hopefully.




this has to be level to the ground...


taking the head rest off (not needed) got it that much closer to the drivers seat (which can't go any further back for me, the wife will just move it up a couple notches) also some storage space in between the back to back seats...


the two hooks/strap that came with the seat is snuggly attached to the strap (the extra strap i just wrapped around the area a few times just to tidy things up and keep it from loosening up, i check these periodically)


teather hook is in the centre attached to that chain link


here's that bar on the bottom under the drivers seat, it's pretty dang solid


kinda redundant, i think the black strap is much more secure than the captains chair lapbelt which i can't get tight anyway...

with the assumption that forward momentum/front end collisions are more common (than getting rear ended), the teather strap is not as crucial as if it were a forward facing seat (plus there's the drivers seat right up against it that can help stop/prevent further movement or act as more cushion....?)

let me know what you think....

i can easily turn him arround, move the seat as far forward as i can and still allow movement infront when strapping him in (and just using a clip for the shoulder belts to hold the seat down) but then i'd have to jimmy up a teather anchor on the floor, or something under the rear seat mounts? but taht would crowd up leg room for the inlaws...

here's the set up for our 2 month old...


this captains seat is as far back as i can be... leaving ample leg room for whoever is behind


the main attachment is the shoulder belt, with a clip, it's on there good....and the redundant lap belt underneath...


took the head rest off too for more viewing pleasure for whoevers sitting behind.


and here's the slight issue with getting in/out of the van. a slight squeeze next to the baby seat installed, so really, the adults and 2 year old should hop in first, then snap in the baby...

really, this is the best place for our youngest, it's just too cumbersome and heavy to haul her in to the back (if it was my wife using this van more) or across to the other captains seat, that'll just wreck our backs, and then our son would eat up more room if he was next to the sliding door...

any comments on this? i thought about sliding it further forward but that eats up more space to try and get inside behind, plus it's harder to get the seat bolted on and off....
since the l400 seats have a lot of plastic underneath, i really didn't want to run any straps back on to itself (like some have in their l300s and allowing them to still slide/swivel the middle seats). i have no problem leaving the seats as they are. the rest of the time, the back seats will be folded up for more storage and i'll prolly jimmy up a strong cargo net to prevent things from flying forward in an accident.

orrrrr, at least for our florida trip, should i use the middle of the back seat for the baby (and the rear lap belt can be tightened nicely too), keep my 2 year old as above, and then facing the passsenger side captains seat backwards for more leg room for everyone? hauling baby will just be a two step process, put inside in the floor, hop in, then carry up and into back seat and snap in. OR have baby passenger side rear bench and 2 year old drivers side rear bench, inlaws facing backwards in the captains chairs leaving room between kids for mom to hang out if she's not up front...? the rest of the time, we'll be driving with this van as a family and will definitely need the room in the back (as it sits, our city select 2 kid stroller does NOT fit in the back! doh!) our regular peg perego single stroller does so we'll be taking that instead to florida with inlaws...

whew, sorry for the long post, i'm sure there are some parents out there that thought about this too...
would love some input.
cheers.
romey



here's mom's view when she sat in the back for the first time on our 1st family outting, she loved it! and she was able to keep junior occupied and her eye on little one. (bench next to her had to be folded up to allow room for bulky folded stroller...) she still also had lots of leg room.

hopefully, someone with kids in the same boat looking for a delica can find this usefull :)

[luckydad]

Hi Delisioso,

Check out this post: "Car seat tether anchor option for L400". (Sorry I do not know how to make it a link.) The hole in the plastic base really makes sense to me. The other thing I did was to use the ratcheting tie down to tie the car seat to the back of the captains chair and another one to tie the base of the front facing also to the back of the seat (the part that reclines) I find that the lap/shoulder belt is loose and cannot keep the car seats in place. This arrangement allows you to move the seats forward or back and facing front, center or back anytime you need to. Another plus is that I recline the back a little when the kid falls asleep. (I know, there is a level line but what the heck, I think its more comfortable for him).

I have the same arrangement as you do. Front facing inside and rear facing by the sliding door.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Phil

[delicioso!]

thanks Phil! here's that link: http://www.delica.ca/forum/car-seat-tet ... n+for+L400
(Just copy and paste).

i totally missed this post! lol! i like the hole in the back idea too, wow, i guess that plastic piece just snaps off. my only comment is that you are relying on the security of the seat on the rails, if for some reason (knock on wood, and prolly unlikely) that rail slips/or mechanism breaks then the whole seat will move...having the sliding door side captains chair bolted with the shoulder seat belt also keeps it from going anywhere (and same with the drivers side captains chair). but i do like the anchor option under the carpet plug! lol, i even saw it and didnt even peel it off to see! there must be another one on the front of the rail (so i can use that isntead of the bar under the drivers seat...)

cools, will poke around and see and try those other options! thanks!

romey

[lopar]

double check and be careful of safe logic vs policy (law).

While the tie downs that you have used at base of front seat to the bar would absolutely be safe, it may not be legal. You may be required to used certified tie down anchors and such; not an issue of what is safe enough or even safer.

Other than the possible legal issues, looks functional............ my kids are 3.5yrs and 20 months, both forward facing in middle seats. I used to just use the rear facing seats with delica seat forward.

just the 2 cents.

cheers

[delicioso!]

understood Lopar, i hear you for sure, it always crossed my mind. i've seen others use aircraft cable too, etc.. these baby seat things, or anything to do with kids, always has lots of legal things around them. i think the baby seat is "legal legit" since i followed the instructions...the anchor points on the bigger seat is not so, but i think is functional.

[solanoid]

Ok,

On your middle captains chairs, fully extend the LAP BELT and then slowly let it retract, you will hear a clicking sound, this is the child seat belt lock. There is a tag stitched to the end of the belt that explains this, and refers to the owners manual.

[CREGAN]

Ok,

On your middle captains chairs, fully extend the LAP BELT and then slowly let it retract, you will hear a clicking sound, this is the child seat belt lock. There is a tag stitched to the end of the belt that explains this, and refers to the owners manual.

Totally works I just used the Solanoid words of wisdom and it worked out well. I just need to get a caibeener to attach the tether strap to that bar that goes along the bottom of the driver seat.

Craig

[solanoid]

Ok,

On your middle captains chairs, fully extend the LAP BELT and then slowly let it retract, you will hear a clicking sound, this is the child seat belt lock. There is a tag stitched to the end of the belt that explains this, and refers to the owners manual.

Totally works I just used the Solanoid words of wisdom and it worked out well. I just need to get a caibeener to attach the tether strap to that bar that goes along the bottom of the driver seat.

Craig

LOL...Solanoid & words of wisdom, I believe they call that an oxymoron

[delicioso!]

crap, nice, good to know!

btw, a caribeener wont fit around that bottom steel pipe, it's quite close to the floor, unless you use a strap then caribeener around it.

[jessef]

For those that have a bench seat in the middle (low roof and Chamonix models), there are four metal loops on the four corners of the pod and is the place to put the anchors.

[solanoid]

Here is a pic of my teather connected to the drivers seat belt anchor. If a guy wanted to go all out, you could remove the bolt for the seatbelt, and replace it with a longer one allowing for an additional anchor point. But I think this is fine, those seatbelts are tough, for the rear ones you can do the same thing to its own seat belt anchor.