wantingababymaas-Bleacher-Report: I did it!!!

I did it!!
I found the solution(s) to our carseat issues!
And I got such a great deal & have to share!!

Our 3 across in Jeff's car had to go. The carseats went to 40lbs, and Hayden IS 40lbs. Insane really that he is 40lbs at 3!! So many of the carseats, especially the narrow ones, only do a 5 point harness to 40lbs. And they won't be getting booster seats for several more years, so I had to find a solution. Originally I was just going to replace one of them. Let the other 2 keep theirs, save a few bucks. But I couldn't get a good fit 3 across with 2 of the old ones & the first new one I tried. Plus try telling one of them they can't sit in a certain seat or that they have to sit in a certain seat. Toddlers have such minds of their own! So I conceided to the idea of 3 new seats. I've seen this day coming & I've been on a quest for several months for the right carseat combination. I've spent many a late night online looking for answers.

The one most people come up with is the Radian. A carseat that is made for 3 across. Well I have one & I wasn't a big fan. I know its perfect for lots of people, but it wasn't for us.
There is another cheaper seat made to fit 3 across, but it isn't very tall & I think we'd be in this same situation in another year.

Then I stumbled upon a new seat. I bought a Harmony Defender 360 to try. Built almost exactly like a Radian (exept its only forward facing). It's a Walmart exclusive. Walmart- meaning I could return it if it didn't work, which you can't do at most stores. It has wider space between the shoulder straps than the Radian (Hayden's biggest problem with the Radian) & an easier pull harness (my biggest problem with it). Plus at just $100, I could almost buy 3 of them for the price of 1 new Radian! I was hoping if we liked it, we could just fit 3 of them across. But because of how narrow it is at the back, I could only get a good install using the seatbelt in one spot in Jeff's car.

I kept the one I bought but went back to the drawing board.

There is another carseat I have been wanting for months. And while these seats look awesome, they are nearly $200 each. So I've been waiting... and searching...& researching. Trying the kids in them at the store. I carry a tape measure to try configurations side-by-side in the store to see how wide they are puzzled together. Trying to figure out how to do this without spending a small fortune. I want each seat to have a cup holder. Because again... if one does & one doesn't it equals fights. So that limits options.

Well, Babies R Us was having their trade in sale. Trade in a old/used/expired large item & get a 25% coupon for another large item (has to be used that day.) So I traded in 2 of the carseats from Jeff's car & got 2 coupons. Best part of the trade in was the % that I got off the new seats with the coupon was a larger dollar value than what I paid for the Cosco Scenera seats 2.5 years ago! Score! I bought 2 of the same carseat, the Graco Size4Me70/MySize 70 (it has different names at different stores), & asked them if I could get the multiples discount too. Yes! Another 10% off. I was feeling pretty darn good about my deal. THEN the cashier asked if I wanted to sign up for a BRU card & save another 10%. I had signed up for a BRU card 3.5 years ago when I bought the kids Anglecare Monitors, to save the $ then. But I hadn't used the account probably since then, so it was closed. So I could sign up again. Saving me a total of 45% on my purchases. I got 2 $180 carseats for just $230!! I knew if they didn't fit in Jeff's car, that they are a seat I could use in my car & they would last us longer than the ones we currently have. And we could sell the ones we have in there now, & keep looking for something new for Jeffs. So I wasn't too concerned about not being able to return them if they didn't fit right.

But.... they fit!!
An I love me some Graco seats, such an easy install.

They all have 1 cupholder. They all have headwings. They all have no rethread harnesses (something everyseat should have & every seat I buy again will have!) And the best part is they will allow us to keep the kids in 5 point harnesses until 70lbs! And buy us some time with Jeff needing a new vehicle (although thats a topic for a whole blog post of its own!) Someday (but not now because I'm so tired of installing & uninstalling carseats after Jeff's car business & all this carseat shopping), but someday, I want to try those 3 seats in the 3rd row of the van to see if they fit there? They might? Just incase we ever do get to have another baby, a 3 across option in the 3rd row of the van is what I would love to be able to do.

Between my car, Jeff's car & my mom's car.... we've officially owned 20 carseats in 3 years. Oh the life with triplets.....

And just because its more fun than talking about carseats... We made Valentine's Day Cupcakes. They LOVE to bake! And wanted to wear their "bakery guy clothes" to make them!