Car seats and single sliding door? HELP!

[Taff44]

Hi everyone, very new here so sorry if this is the wrong thread but I need some advice.

I am looking to buy a van for my family. I have two young children who both are still in the bit Isofix swivel car seats.

My first impression is that I need a van with twin sliding doors, so I can get to both seats easily without blocking access to other seats.

However a twin sliding door is like a unicorn I cannot seem to find a decent van in my price range.

So I have been thinking of other options and would like to see if anyone has been in my position, tried any of these options and if they work or not.

Option 1: Just put them both on the back bench seats and deal with it. Has anyone tried this? Is it a massive issue?

Option 2: reverse captain chairs in the rear, and then another row of bench seats for extra seating/bed. (My thinking being that because the seats are reversed and captains chairs, It would be easier to get into the back and access both child seats, and allow others to access another row of seats)

Thanks for any help in advance!

 

[Chippie1]

Option 1 deal with it for me! Theres plenty of room to manoeuvre in the back

 

[Paynewright]

Welcome.

Also, if you have two captains chairs up front there is a large enough gap between the seats to get into the back to release a child, dish out sweets / discipline etc!

 

[soldas]

Small kids are only small for a limited time. A van is for life Get the right van amd make it work.

 

[T5_Kombi_Rob]

We have a toddler and a baby, and a single slider. We only have the 2 seater bench installed in the back, (removed the single as it doesn't fold) which means you can climb in to get them strapped in. Toddler goes furthest from the door as she can climb in to her seat without help

 

[Taff44]

Welcome.

Also, if you have two captains chairs up front there is a large enough gap between the seats to get into the back to release a child, dish out sweets / discipline etc!

I was thinking two captains chairs in the driving cab anyway but I meant for the rear seats, another two captains chairs, turned to face the back of the van, and then another row of seats. So it would be a 7 seater

 

[Taff44]

We have a toddler and a baby, and a single slider. We only have the 2 seater bench installed in the back, (removed the single as it doesn't fold) which means you can climb in to get them strapped in. Toddler goes furthest from the door as she can climb in to her seat without help

Having them that close sounds like a recipe for some in Seat fight club!

But there's enough room to get in and sort them out?

 

[Bigsidavies]

Sounds like you are describing a Caravellez

 

[Taff44]

Sounds like you are describing a Caravellez

I would love a Caravelle. My goal is to put Caravelle rails in the back and make it one. But finding a Caravelle I can afford is harder than finding a twin slider!

 

[david173]

Short answer:
from personal experience twin sliders would be nice but single is absolutely fine.


Long answer:
I have 2 kids in isofix seats in my SWB single slider kombi. The rear seat is the triple bench so the isofix are on the outsides.
Yes the twin sliders would be nice however its not the end of the world. I clip the nearest child up from the open sliding door then lean through from the front (I have captain seats) to strap up the other. Even when both kids were rear facing this was no issue. plenty of space to walk front to back between the captain seats.

If you have a double bench in the front it could be a pain. but even then I can still get pash the first child through the sliding door with the passenger seat forward a little.

I have also installed brackets into the third row. So we sometimes put the triple bench in the third row so there is a huge gap in the middle of the van and still leaves a boot bigger than most cars (even with SWB) we all just then get in the side door and plenty of room for doing up belts.

Depending on the age of your kids its also only a short term problem.

lastly I think in a way its kind of safter to get both kids in the one side door, as they both stay next to me getting in and out the van. If your in a busy car park you haven't got children walking round to the other side or waiting whilst you strap one in.

 

[Taff44]

Thank you so much for this. This was the kind of comprehensive answer I was looking for

 

[benp1]

Kids aren't small forever and you'll probably keep it longer than the kids are little.

But it's also a faff with single sliding door, once they're older they need to slide past each other, would you be happy with a car with only one rear door?

(twin slider with tailgate was a key requirement for me, took me a while to find the right one)

 

[T5_Kombi_Rob]

Having them that close sounds like a recipe for some in Seat fight club!

But there's enough room to get in and sort them out?

Yeah I'm sure a twin slider would make it easier, but its no big deal. No fight club yet, but youngest is only 6 months old at the moment!