If you have an SUV do you have the bench seat or captains chairs? We are trying to decide on a bigger SUV and I just cannot for the life of me decide on the configuration! If you have 3 kids do you find that the one in the third row is happy about being alone? I'm afraid my 4.5yo will be upset to sit by himself but DH doesn't think so. Lastly, if you have an SUV with an easily accessible third row that you love, please share what it is! Thanks!
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We have a bench seat because my oldest had just turned 4 when #3 was born and needs help with buckling and unbuckling and I just thought it would be such a pain to have him in the way back. He is in the middle and it can be annoying when he and LO2 pinch each other but it's also a huge help when the baby is crying and he can hand him toys and talk to him, etc. I think if we had gotten Captain chairs I would've put both LO1&2 in the back to keep each other company and had the baby alone in the second row.
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@bushelandapeck: we're having the same dilemma! (I started a thread about it, too...ha) I'm currently lusting over a 2018 Ford Expedition EL because you can move the middle bench seat forward to access the third row EVEN IF THERE'S A CARSEAT in it (on the bench seat)
Unfortunately, a brand new Expedition is going to be out of our price range! We're looking towards a used Suburban/Yukon XL/Expedition. I think we've decided on captains seats... prob put two (one RF, one FF) in the back row. Or, depending on how much room we have, both RF seats in captains chairs and FF in the back. It just seems sooooo far away from the driver to have a RF seat in the third row 
I found this a super helpful reference, too!
http://thecarseatlady.com/latch3rowvehicle/Oh, and here's my previous thread
http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/family-suv-captains-chairs-vs-middle-bench-seat -
We have a Chevy Traverse with captains chairs.. the 2 car seats are in the middle and my 14 yr old step daughter sits in row 3.
If we had 3 in car seats, I would put 2 car seats in the back and remove one of the captains chairs. -
We have an odyssey so lots of options. At one point we took one of the middle seats out and tried to put the two babies in the middle row and my oldest 5 at the time in the back. She was not happy being back there alone.
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#teamminivan but if I had to choose a larger SUV with third row, I would probably pick a Chevy Traverse.
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@josina: the only issue I have is that we have a large dog who needs to go in the back. I'm leaning towards a bench so we can still have a lot of cargo space.
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We are also team minivan but in your shoes I would do captains chairs but pull one chair out. Baby is in a captains chair and the older two are in the back.
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@bushelandapeck: I would do the bench seat and put them all in the middle. We're always toting around a stroller or groceries or something that we still need decent cargo space. When we have company I sometimes move my 4.5 year old's car seat to the back row and she complains about being back there alone, but if you move a rear facing kid to the 3rd row to sit with your FF kid, I think it will be a real pain in the butt to get them strapped in. Also, we have a Honda Pilot with middle bench and we have comfortable fit 8 adults on multiple occasions so it is nice to have that one extra seat of capacity when we're doing a group outing.
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@Truth Bombs: that's what I'm thinking. I don't think my son would want to be back there by himself. We are considering the Pilot so it's nice to hear you like it!
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@bushelandapeck: I'm legit in love with my Pilot. My local mom friend group includes 6 women and we all drive Pilots
my husband so did not want to get the same car as all our friends but it's so awesome I broke him down.
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@Truth Bombs: haha! A lot of my mom friends have them so I figure it's probably the way to go! I want to look at a couple large SUVs though, just to make sure I don't feel like we need more space than the Pilot.
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We have a Honda Pilot with the bench seat. I have all three kids (ages 1, 3, and almost 5) in the middle bench seat. I wanted them closer to me and have all of the cargo room available.
We have had teenagers and adults ride with us and sit in the 3rd row. They've climbed in through the back. Not ideal but it doesn't happen all the time.
We had an Acadia before that had the bucket seats too. I just preferred to have the kids all together since they are still all young.
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We have captains chairs. We did not really care one way or the other and got a good deal on our Ford Flex.
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@bushelandapeck: we keep one side of the 3rd row folded down (so 1 seat down, 2 up or vice versa) so we still have cargo room for the stroller/groceries/etc.
Unfortunately, a brand new Expedition is going to be out of our price range! We're looking towards a used Suburban/Yukon XL/Expedition. I think we've decided on captains seats... prob put two (one RF, one FF) in the back row. Or, depending on how much room we have, both RF seats in captains chairs and FF in the back. It just seems sooooo far away from the driver to have a RF seat in the third row 
my husband so did not want to get the same car as all our friends but it's so awesome I broke him down.
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