Ever tried to figure out a 3-across scenario by going to Target or Babies R Us and bringing out a dozen car seats and after several hours ending up sweaty and frustrated, but still unsure of how to fit 3-across. We knew there had to be a better way… so we created our “3-across recipes”. Like a recipe, it will tell you exactly what you need to do to fit 3-across. No guessing which seats may work – we’ll tell you which ones will definitely work and even whether to use the seat belt or lower anchors (because often times only one way will work in a 3-across).
This page shows how to do 3-across in the 2018 Honda Odyssey (note the Odyssey from 2011-2017 is NOT the same as the 2018). We also show you which seats to use in the 2nd row to preserve 3rd row access.
Abbreviations in this article: RF = rear-facing, FF = forward-facing, 2D = 2nd row driver’s side, 2C = 2nd row center, 2P = 2nd row passenger side
With 2C occupied with any of the following REAR-facing seats, 2D and 2P are able to slide or tip for 3rd row access (note, you’ll need to remove the carrier from the base to allow 2D/2P to move:
We tried other narrow rear-facing convertible seats – like the Clek Foonf and Clek Fllo. While they installed securely in 2C, they would not allow 2D or 2P to move at all.
We tried to find a forward-facing car seat or booster that would fit in 2C AND allow 2D & 2P to slide or tip for 3rd row access. We couldn’t find one. We tried all of the narrowest forward-facing car seats & boosters – the IMMI Go, Diono Radian RXT, Clek Foonf, Clek Fllo, and Maxi Cosi RodiFix – and all got caught on the inner arm rests for 2D and 2P and prevented 2D & 2P from either tilting (“walk-in mode”) or sliding for 3rd row access. We reached out to Honda with these findings about the arm rest interference as we noticed that if the inner arm rests for 2D & 2P could be removed, then there would be forward-facing car seats & boosters that could be placed in 2C and still allow 2D & 2P to move for 3rd row access. Honda got back to us nearly immediately to show us that the inner arm rests are removable… but leave a metal bolt sticking out which is obviously a safety hazard (so please do NOT remove the arm rest yourself) – but have told us they are working on a solution that will allow capping of this bolt so it is not a safety hazard. UPDATE October 2019: While Honda has not provided any further information, a grandparent with a 2018 Honda Odyssey wrote us to say that she took her Odyssey to the Honda dealership and they removed the inner arm rest AND the bolt – and she sent us the following picture as proof!
We didn’t try out a lot of seats in 2D or 2P as the vast majority of car seats will install securely in these seats with LATCH. However, we do anticipate encountering trouble getting a secure installation with the seat belt with some forward-facing car seats in 2D & 2P because of where the seat belt is anchored to the vehicle seat – specifically that the seat belt and buckle are forward of the bight (seat crease). Therefore, if choosing a forward-facing car seat to install with the seat belt, you’d be best to go with the ones we tried and know work – like the Clek Foonf (which uses rigid LATCH + seat belt + tether), Britax Frontier/Pinnacle CT, and Chicco MyFit. If you’re looking for a rear-facing seat with a high LATCH capacity to install in 2D or 2P, the Graco Extend2Fit is a great option (we like the 3-in-1 version best, and do NOT recommend the 4Ever Extend2Fit as it has a lower LATCH capacity due to it being a heavier seat).
When installing a Diono Radian/Olympia/Pacifica/Rainier FF in 2D or 2P you must use LATCH, as it does not install securely with the seat belt using the switchable retractor.
When installing a Diono Radian/Olympia/Pacifica/Rainier FF in 2C, you can install with LATCH or the seat belt using the switchable retractor.
A Britax Frontier or Pinnacle CT in 2C will block some visibility for the driver out the rear view mirror, but will likely be tolerable, except for very big kids. The tether slides off sides of the sides of the vehicle seat – we recommend calling Britax to get their tether extender strap which will turn the V-shaped tether into a Y-shaped tether that won’t fall off the sides, and therefore will be more effective in a crash.
A Clek Foonf FF in 2C with the Foonf’s head rest all the way up blocks all visibility out the rear view mirror.
A Clek Fllo FF in 2C installed securely with the seat belt, but with the Clek head rest all the way up it blocks more visibility out the rear view mirror than most drivers will tolerate.
All installations in the 3rd row used the vehicle’s seat belt (not the lower anchors). While there are lower anchors in 3D & 3P, the lower anchors force the car seat a little closer to the center than if that same car seat was installed with the seat belt. As such, we found that any car seat installed in 3D or 3P with the lower anchors prevented the use of 3C for a car seat or booster (no matter how narrow of a seat we tried).
All installations used the seat back recline trick. 3-across in the 3rd row of this minivan is literally impossible without using this trick.
All forward-facing car seats also use the tether strap (in addition to the seat belt).
The Odyssey’s head restraints were removed for all installations EXCEPT they were left in with the no-back boosters.
The seat belt buckle in 3D is quite long – and we needed to twist the seat belt buckle 3 revolutions to shorten it to allow for a secure installation in 3D of the majority of the forward-facing car seats we tried (see picture with Clek Fllo as an example).
3D: Clek Foonf rear-facing (seat belt)
3C: Clek Fllo rear-facing (seat belt)
3P: Clek Foonf rear-facing (seat belt)
You need to use a Fllo in 3C, not a Foonf, as Foonf sits too tall in 3C and will block all visibility out the rear view mirror – but Fllo does not block the visibility as it sits lower from the roof.
3D: Clek Fllo forward-facing (seat belt – with buckle stalk twisted x3 + tether)
3C: Diono Radian RXT forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3P: Clek Fllo forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
Did not need to twist the buckle stalk in 3C or 3P. You will need to install in the following order:
Recline all the seats back in the 3rd row
Install both Fllo’s (in 3D & 3P) using the seat belt and tether strap – the tethers should be connected, but left loose until a later step
Sit 3P upright
Wedge Radian into 3C, install using seat belt + tether (keep tether connected, but loose for now)
Sit 3D/3C upright
Tighten all 3 tethers
3D: Clek Fllo forward-facing (seat belt with buckle stalk twisted x3 + tether)
3C: Clek Fllo forward-facing (seat belt with buckle stalk twisted x3 + tether)
3P: Diono Radian RXT forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
Fllo FF in 3D & 3C required twisting the buckle stalk 3 times.
With the 2 Fllo’s (3D & 3C) I tried to fit a forward-facing Clek Foonf in 3P but it didn’t fit, and neither did a Maxi Cosi RodiFix fit in 3P.
3D: Harmony Defender forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3C: Diono Radian RXT forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3P: Chicco MyFit forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
With this arrangement the visibility out the rear view mirror was good as the Radian sits low and does not block any visibility. With the Harmony & Chicco head rests in their tallest settings, they block the same amount of visibility as the Honda’s head restraints for 3D & 3P do when they are raised up.
With a Defender in 3D and a MyFit in 3P, we were just barely able to fit the Cosco Rise and Harmony no-back boosters – but they were such a tight fit that the child would definitely need to climb in and out of a buckled booster.
With a Defender in 3D and a MyFit in 3P, we tried to fit the following in 3C but failed as 3C was just too narrow:
Cosco Finale (FF)
Maxi Cosi RodiFix
Clek Fllo (RF or FF)
Chicco Fit2 (RF)
Diono Radian RXT (RF)
Clek Foonf (RF or FF)
3D: Clek Foonf rear-facing (seat belt)
3C: Diono Radian RXT forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3P: Clek Fllo rear-facing (seat belt)
Will need to install the Diono first then Cleks (wait to sit the vehicle seat back upright until after the Cleks are installed).
3D: Clek Foonf rear-facing (seat belt)
3C: Clek Fllo rear-facing (seat belt)
3P: Chicco MyFit forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3D: Chicco MyFit forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3C: Clek Fllo rear-facing (seat belt)
3P: Clek Foonf rear-facing (seat belt)
With a Clek Fllo in 3C, you can put a Chicco MyFit FF in 3D and/or 3P.
With a Clek Fllo in 3C, you can put a Clek Foonf RF in 3D and/or 3P.
When installing the Clek Foonf, keep it in recline position 2 (not 3) – and the 2nd row seat will go all the way back.
3D: Clek Foonf rear-facing (seat belt)
3C: Clek Fllo (FF)
3P: Clek Fllo (FF)
With Fllo’s FF in 3C and 3P it was impossible to fit another Fllo in 3D and impossible to fit a FF Foonf in 3D.
3D: Chicco MyFit forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3C: Clek Fllo rear-facing (seat belt)
3P: Chicco MyFit forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3D: Chicco MyFit forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3C: Clek Fllo forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3P: Clek Foonf rear-facing (seat belt)
3D: Diono Radian RXT forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3C: Clek Fllo rear-facing (seat belt)
3P: Chicco MyFit forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
With the RF Fllo in 3C, it can accommodate a child until age 3-4 years rear-facing before it will become a visibility issue for the driver trying to see out the rear view mirror.
3D: Chicco MyFit forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3C: Clek Fllo forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3P: Maxi Cosi RodiFix (seat belt)
The child would need to climb in/out of a buckled RodiFix booster.
We also tried the Britax Frontier in 3P, and it did not fit – either in car seat mode or booster mode.
3D: Chicco MyFit forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3C: Clek Fllo forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3P: See List Below
The following no-back boosters fit in 3P: Chicco GoFit (which means the Chicco KidFit high-back may also work), Cosco Rise, Boostapak, Graco Connext, and Nania High Ride. With the Graco & Chicco boosters, the child would definitely have to climb in and out of a buckled booster.
We tried the Evenflo Right Fit & Evenflo Spectrum but neither fit in 3P.
3D: Clek Fllo forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3C: Diono Radian RXT forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3P: Maxi Cosi RodiFix
The RodiFix could not be latched in. The RodiFix did not fit well in its recline mode – but did fit well in its upright mode. The Odyssey’s flexible seat belt buckle will make it hard for the child to get buckled even though the child can easily reach the buckle – but the pool noodle trick worked well here (watch this video for more info). The pool noodle trick is where you cut a short piece of pool noodle – just a few inches high – and make a vertical slit in it and wrap it around the seat belt material of the buckle so that the buckle will now stand up and not flop down.
3D: Boostapak
3C: Clek Fllo rear-facing (seat belt)
3P: Britax Frontier CT forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3D was exceptionally narrow. A skinny adult can just squeeze in. We tried every backless booster we had and the only one that fit in 3D was the Boostapak (and the child would have to climb in/out of this keeping it buckled) – almost certainly because not only is it narrow, but the arm rests go straight up and don’t flare out like most others do. We tried a Diono Radian RXT and a Clek Fllo in 3D and there was not enough room.
3D: Clek Foonf rear-facing (seat belt)
3C: See list of boosters below
3P: Clek Fllo forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
We were able to fit the following boosters in 3C:
Maxi Cosi RodiFix (with the wings pushed all the way in… so the child needs to be skinny)
Boostapak
We were NOT able to fit the Chicco GoFit or the Graco Connext in 3C.
We did not have a Graco Turbo TakeAlong to try, but this may work in 3C.
3D: Maxi Cosi RodiFix (seat belt)
3C: Diono Radian RXT forward-facing (seat belt + tether)
3P: Maxi Cosi RodiFix (seat belt)
The RodiFix could not use latch. When the RodiFix was in 3D, the side wings were all the way pushed in… so the child riding in it would need to be skinny. The Boostapak also worked in 3D or 3P.
In 3D we were NOT able to fit the Chicco GoFit or the Graco Connext.
Clek Fllo RF in 3D takes up much more room into 3C than a Clek Foonf RF in 3D does (due to differences in where the anti-rebound bar for the two seats can/can’t make contact with the Odyssey’s seat back and specifically the hinges for the 3rd row seat back).
With a Chicco MyFit in 3C, the Harmony youth booster and the Cosco Rise (both very narrow) did not fit in 3D, but did fit in 3P.
With a Chicco MyFit in 3D and a Harmony Defender in 3P, the Cosco Finale did not fit in 3C.
A big thank you to Honda for loaning us a 2018 Honda Odyssey for a few days so we could complete this project! Honda did not reach out to us – rather, we reached out to Honda and asked them if we could borrow an Odyssey. Honda had no say in any part of this project. This project, like all that we do, is completely independent of manufacturer input. As always, our opinions are our own – based on our experience & expertise.
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