Installing a rear infant carseat in the middle seat of a doublecab?

i have 2 kids, oldest is 1 year and 5 months (26lbs), youngest is 4 months old (16lbs)... I originally had the car-seat in the middle with no issues, and not need to adjust either passenger or driver seat up front. now with the two kiddos, its a bit tricky.. my oldest upgraded seat to a Graco, he is still rear facing (trying to do this as long as possible) and he seats now behind the passenger, and we had to move the passenger seat a bit forward and the back a bit more vertical... his lil brother now is on the middle with the infant car seat. then my wife rides behind me for easy access to the baby.

what I'm not 100% sure is once the lil one outgrows the infant seat... ( he is getting big faster than his big bro) and when we upgrade for a infant to toddler seat, i don't believe the same set up will work side by side... I think that I would have to put forward facing my oldest behind me, and then have the lil one back facing behind the passenger seat... hopefully when this is needed (in a few months) the lil one would be a bit more self sufficient..

 

As others have said - Middle seat is fine, however it is seat belt only -- which if you are rear facing is fine.

I got one kid rear facing in the middle seat then my older in a diono radian behind passenger and it all fits just fine. If you got a topper or tonneu you can carry all your baby gear (stroller etc) in the back.

Tacoma as a family truck works fine assuming your kids are spaced out in age and don't have 2 rear facing at once..... then it'll get pretty dang cramped

 

I've had 3 across car seats in my 2015 Tacoma. Also done it in 4Runner plus 2 boosters in 3rd row.

Only outside seats have the Latch anchors. For middle, use the truck's seatbelt. Pass it through the appropriate spot on carseat, click it in, pull it tight and hold, pull shoulder strap out all the way until it clicks then let it retract, you should hear clicks as it goes.

A lot of rear facing seats have a top tether that you hook onto truck's seat rail to keep the carseat from flipping up. I had an extra strap that would loop on rail, the strap from carseat hooked onto that.

 

Radians a nice seats. One of the few that is narrow enough to go 3 across in a Highlander, Tacoma, or 4Runner.

 

I have a middle rear facing bucket car seat in the back of my double cab. You need to use the seat belt to attach it.

I needed it in the middle because I had a Dino forward facing seat on the passenger side and a booster seat on the driver side. #fatherofthree

 

exactly - i did the measurements and it really was the only one that would work with the Nuna Rava seat i have in the middle seat.
I'd highly recommend to anyone who wants to put car seats in their tacoma

 

You're not suppose to use the anchors in the middle spot as others have noted. The geometry doesn't work properly. Tacoma only has 2 anchor sets, for outboard seats only.

 

To be clear, as OP stated, I used the seatbelt to secure the base, I said I was also able to get the latches to each anchor. As the manufacturer only requires the seatbelt, I don’t think connecting the latches in addition would cause an issue. I would not only use the anchors unless the car seat stated it can be used with a latch range of 11-16 inches. I felt the middle was the safest for an infant, so that’s where I put it.

 

This has more to do with the exact model of baby seat you are using rather than the tacoma. You don't have latch's you can use in the middle of the back you have to use the shoulder strap. I used it for our Chico 30 infant seat in the middle for my son.

 

Many car seats have options for using the seat belts or anchoring it. I put mine in my middle seat of my Tacoma no problem but there isn't an anchor I'm aware of. You'll have to use the seat belt according to the baby seat instructions.

 

When using the seatbelt, just make sure you lock it.

 

Safest unless you are hit by a meteor that hits the middle of your truck. It is really unnecessary to go to the extreme of the middle seat. It is a massive pain in the ass to try to get your kid in and out. Let's be realistic, if you are in an accident that is so bad that they wouldn't survive one side or the other, being in the middle really doesn't make much difference. I mean if you are really that worried, maybe you should also invest in some bubble wrap as well?

 

Wasn’t that difficult lifting an infant car seat out of the middle. Also, even if it makes .001% difference, most parents would say that’s worth it. But to each their own.

 

That’s how I ran the Keyfit with both my daughters. I could never get it to fit to a point I felt comfortable using the belt in the middle (personal preference) but I could easily get it secure with the LATCH setup.

It’s been said many times but I’ll reiterate there are warnings in car seat manuals not to do this.

If only there was a large area in the vehicle to carry strollers...

Is the Tacoma huge in the back, no, but it babies fine. I’ve got two seats in mine right now with zero issues. The Tacoma is hardly the worst vehicle to buy and the 4Runner hardly the best.

 

wait, so I've done the belt tight, pulled tight so it "locks"...but I am able to stretch my anchors that the two rear side passengers have. It was a little bit of a stretch but ... I was able to connect the anchor points from each of the rear seats for the middle one. Is... is that safe? Or am I over reaching? It feels super tight especially with the belt but is it not suppose to be done that way?

 

I think the car seat manufacturer would say the seatbelt is good

 

I would agree with @Iwilltaco that the seat belt would suffice. As long as you lock the belt and pull it tight.

 

As I stated earlier you don’t want to do that.

Here is an entire article about true proper use of the LATCH system.

https://carseatblog.com/31033/borrowing-latch-anchors/

 

Rear facing middle seat has been how we have had the seat from infant till 2.5 years old (now).

the base is secured with the supplied strap /clips at the rear pass (left) anchor hook, and the rear drivers (right) anchor point. The angles the strap makes to the base are well within range. Additionally, the middle seat belt is also fed through the base as a secondary backup strap. lastly a 800lb strap tie secures the front of the base from moving around like a diving board (secured through the base , and mounting to the floor, at the metal drivers and pass seat bolts/rails ).

Like many people said middle rear-facing seat is going to be safest. Way less chance of whiplash neck injury in a front crash and much more improved side impact.

 

Hardly that much of a PITA. Did it for both kids. Open the door, sit down on the seat with kiddo, close door, buckle kiddo in. Get out and move to driver seat.

Beats the hell out of standing in the rain or standing in the street with the door open trying to buckle an uncooperative toddler.