Moms with 2 children- What do you drive? [Archive]

suzubeane

07-03-2005, 11:35 AM

Mazda Protégé 5 – I am a hatchback woman; always have been. The kids are 9 years old and 16 years old. Seats in back fold down 60/40, and it holds a ton even when they're not folded down.

I did the mini-van thing a few years ago, but didn't like it. When my kids were babies, I had a hatchback and always made sure I chose a stroller I could close with one hand.

The protégé is roomy in the back seat, too. Now that my son is taller than I am, I have to sit in back when the four of us travel together. ;).

harness2be

07-03-2005, 03:28 PM

I have 2 kids and a niece that i have often ages 9, 5 and 15 months and I drive an 05 pontiac G6. and I love it I think it has plenty of room.
no stroller though sorry

kakirk

07-03-2005, 03:29 PM

I have an '05 Honda Odyssey and I *LOVE* it.

Both infant seats fit really well (although you'd likely have one infant & one convertible or something, right?).

I have both a DuoGlider stroller which fits awesome, and a Maclaren Twin Traveller which fits really well too. Duh, it's a minivan! :D

It drives really nicely, and if you can get past the fact that it's a minivan, it's totally awesome.

Katie

MrsTazlvr

07-03-2005, 05:44 PM

Thanks for the ideas, ladies. Please keep 'em coming. :)

Phen

07-03-2005, 07:02 PM

What car do you have?
2004 Mazda Tribute (small-size SUV)

How old are your kids?
A year in a week and a half!

Do you have a double stroller? Does if fit well in your car?
We have two double strollers (Graco DuoGlider and the TwinSavvy). Both of them fit in the rear of the Tribute. One time, we even fit both strollers in the back at the same time (couldn't decide which one we needed).

Are you happy with your car?
Very much so. However, I don't think we could have a third baby with this car. Not enough room for three carseats in the backseat.

~ phen

MrsTazlvr

07-03-2005, 07:17 PM

Phenny~ I can't believe the boys are going to be a year already! You were just pregnant with them. ;)

dzmattie

07-05-2005, 07:03 PM

Nissan Quest - 2004

Van is ok - has had a recall and some annoying issues but I like the space - probably will stick with the mini van for awhile. I have heard better things about the Honda Odessey and the Toyota Sienna.

G is almost 18 months.

Still have the Graco single stroller - only one baby so far.

Hedwig

07-07-2005, 05:12 PM

Honda CR-V (2 kids) and I need way more room! Looking for mini-vans soon! :)

linda_loo

07-08-2005, 12:00 PM

What car do you have?
2002 Toyota Sienna (not the current look)
Saturn SL something (??? it's dh's)

How old are your kids?
3 years
19 months

Do you have a double stroller? Does if fit well in your car?
Mine, yes, but it's a minivan.
dh's? I haven't tried. It would, though. We have a Maclaren Twin Traveller. We also have a Peg Perego SBS, I don't think it would fit.

Are you happy with your car?
Yes, but I'm getting a little sick of a van. I LONG for an SUV or a car.

snowzilla

07-08-2005, 01:47 PM

I have an '04 Honda Odyssey and I LOVE IT. Never thought I'd enjoy driving a mini-van (as I was desperate to hold on to my "youth" ;) ) but the benefits of the extra space and the convenient features have made it my dream car. (OK, so not really my dream car, but you know what I mean.) :)

I have two kids and a dog - the kids are 7 and 9, so obviously no double stroller, or stroller at all. But with a third baby due to arrive in the next month, there will be a stroller and a permanent carseat, and I'm very happy to know that we'll all have plenty of room.

I have to add that this is the first foreign model vehicle that we've purchased, and I won't go back to domestic. The service plan and the dealership have been top notch in comparison to all of our combined experiences with our previous domestic vehicles. I'm totally impressed with how Honda has treated us in the past year alone.

Natrat80

04-25-2007, 11:27 AM

bump!

I currently have a 2001 Tahoe (no third row seat) and I just looked inside a friend's minivan and now I'm checking out other options. I already have to strain to get DD up into her carseat, I can only imagine doing it 9 months pregnant! My max price range is $10,000 and we only buy used. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! We hope to have 3 kids, so it would be great to get a car/van/suv now that could hold 3 kids in a few years.

mmm0708

04-25-2007, 11:39 AM

What car do you have? Dodge Neon
How old are your kids? 2 years and 4 weeks
Do you have a double stroller? No. Does if fit well in your car? Can't say for sure, but my guess it that it would fit. My trunk is huge. I currently have a travel system stroller, an umbrella stroller, a booster chair, and a microwave in my trunk.
Are you happy with your car? Yes, becasue it is paid off. :lol

Sage

04-25-2007, 11:46 AM

I have a 2006 Dodge Caravan and am not ashamed to admit that I love it!! (well, okay, maybe a little ashamed ;) ) . We bought it used for about $11,000, which I thought was a pretty nice deal since it was a 2006 and still under warranty. I use it to haul around my 20 month old DD and 3 month old twin DS's. We have a double snap n go stroller for the twins and an umbrella stroller for DD and they all fit in the back just fine. It also came with the built-in DVD player which has been very nice since DD hates long car trips and we live out in the boonies.

Natrat80

04-25-2007, 11:48 AM

Are you happy with your car? Yes, becasue it is paid off. :lol

Ours is too. The only way I'll get another car is with an even trade for the Tahoe. I love not having a car payment! :)

blondegirl

04-25-2007, 11:56 AM

We have a 2002 GMC Envoy. No complaints. We have 3 kids (7,2 and 1), double stroller in the back, and everyone fits great!

karlatta

04-25-2007, 11:58 AM

I drive a Saturn VUE.

My kids are 9 years old and 1 year old.

No double stroller. There's no way I'd let a 9 year old ride in one! But my giant jogging stroller fits in the back of my car.

I love my VUE. My next vehicle will likely be a minivan of some sort - the VUE is great for two kids, but I don't think it will work well for three.

Ericka_Jarett

04-25-2007, 12:00 PM

Sage - my friend has a Dodge Caravan and loves her, she is currently pregnant with #3. She talked another one of our friends into getting on as they only had 2 smaller cars and she was pregnant with her 3rd. We currently have a 97 Neon sedan and '99 Grand Am Coupe. It's fine for 1 child, but we will be looking at vans shortly, since I am pregnant with twins now. Thinking of the Caravan since so many love it.

Kanga

04-25-2007, 12:18 PM

04 Oldsmobile Alero
6weeks and 18mo.

We currently have a pnp and a duoglider in the trunk. It's not near big enough so we're looking for a mini van...SUV's with a third row are too big and too much of a gas guzzler for my taste. I have to take the stroller out if I need more than a few bags of groceries and overnight trips are a pain.

Mrs. M.

04-25-2007, 11:29 PM

1. No car.
2. 3.5 years and 8 months
3. No double stroller
4. We are very happy not having a car. We live in the city and use the subway, buses, trams and taxis. We wouldn't take a car if we got one for free.

Sorry this will not help anybody pick out a car, just wanted to offer a different perspective :)

Natrat80

04-26-2007, 06:27 AM

Mrs.M thanks for your perspective. Sadly, Dallas is a little behind in the area of public transportation, and there is certainly not much out in the burbs. I'd love to not have a car, but it isn't that easy here!

hmbay

04-26-2007, 08:00 AM

we have two now but are expecting #3 and will be buying either a minivan or a 3rd row SUV. currently though we're using a 99 Dodge Ram Quad Cab (toss the duoglider in the back), a 91 Honda Accord (stroller fits in trunk) and just sold a 04 Honda Civic (again stroller fit nicely in the trunk). The civic was a bit cramped with two in carseats for longer trips that involved luggage so we decided to ditch that (even though it was the newer car) for the newer vehicle (the 91 is paid for so we figured why not keep it at this point even though it won't fit 3 carseats).

snowzilla

04-26-2007, 09:45 AM

The last time I posted in this thread, I had a third child on the way, and a 7 and 9 year old. They're now 9 and 11, with a 20-month old sister, and I still love, love, love my Honda Odyssey. :)

daphne

04-26-2007, 11:06 AM

I'm due w/Baby #2 next month & DH wants me to trade in my Honda Pilot for a Honday Odyssey, which I hear is an amazing family-friendly car. I just can't do it. :o I *love* my Pilot. If we ever have baby #3, though, I'll probably reconsider....

Ole Miss Bride

04-26-2007, 11:40 AM

Our #2 is coming in November, and Scott will be 22 months at that time. I'll be driving a Saturn L200 (4-door sedan). I'm a little worried about everyone fitting, but a new car is not in the budget, so it's going to have to do!

-Betsy

LexyLou

04-26-2007, 11:49 AM

#2 is coming in August and my DD1 will be 23 months at the time. We also have a large dog.

I drive a 2004 Toyota 4Runner and I love it. If/When we have a third I will definitely need a car with a third row seat. I'm already thinking of the Sequoia but that won't be for another 3 years or so...hopefully.

kindermom

04-26-2007, 11:54 AM

What car do you have?: We have a Honda Civic 4 door and a Saturn Ion 4 door
How old are your kids?: I have a 20 month old and a 7 week old
Do you have a double stroller? Does if fit well in your car?: We have a Phil and Ted's with toddler attachment. I fit the stroller in the trunk along with 10 paper bags of grocereis the other day. Size is not a particular issue. If we are travelling, we will just have to use duffel bags to pack.
Are you happy with your car?: The Civic is a little too small in the back seat for my taste. Our oldest had to be turned FF when her brother came because there was not enough room to RF behind the driver for either seat. The Saturn is just fine. I like both cars enough to keep them for a while.

KiKi'sMommy

04-26-2007, 08:13 PM

Winter Biscuit

04-27-2007, 07:57 AM

I am going to admit out loud that my Honda Odyssey is my dream car!! There I said it! I have wanted a mini van since before I had kids and I was soooo excited when my husband finally broke down and let me buy one! We currently have a convertible forward facing seat and an infant seat. I love all the room, the way it drives and I would not trade it for anything.

Me too :D NEVER thought I'd want a mini-van but I LOVE my Odyssey. It was one of the best purchases we've made since expanding our family.

I have a 3 month old, and a 3 year old, so one RF seat and one FF seat. Since we have a van, there's plenty of room. What I especially love about my Odyssey is the "plus one" seat in the 2nd row. (Our van sits 8; many mini-vans only sit 7.) I can easily step over to the 2nd row while DH is driving and sit on the extra seat between my two girls as needed. It's helpful if/when I need to pop the baby's paci back in her mouth, or if my 3yo wants me to sit next to her and read her stories or play a game with her.

No double stroller (my 3yo doesn't need/use a stroller anymore, and hasn't for quite some time - she prefers to walk) but there's plenty of room for my regular stroller.

For the record, we also have a Chevy Trailblazer. While I like it, it wouldn't work for us if we had more than 2 kids. DD#1's convertible seat fits fine in the 2nd row, as does DD#2's infant seat/base, but there is no room for a 3rd car seat. (We don't have the 3rd row seats.) There was a thread somewhere on CC a while ago where someone said that they DID manage to get 3 car seats intalled in the 2nd row of a Trailblazer, but IIRC I believe she said it was very tight. Given how wide our convertible seat is, there is just no way we could fit a 3rd car seat back there. So our Trailblazer works fine for our family of 4. (Although I prefer my van ;)) But if we ever decided to have a 3rd child, or if one of my nieces wanted to ride with us, there just wouldn't be room.

rancherswife

04-29-2007, 01:10 PM

What car do you have?: 2003 Tahoe
How old are your kids?: almost 23 mos. and almost 9 weeks
Do you have a double stroller? Yes, I have the peg perego duette and it fits nicely into the rear, even with the third row (folded up of course).
Are you happy with your car?: Yes

kimthebride

04-29-2007, 06:10 PM

What car do you have?
2005 Denali with the 3rd row (but we took those seats out).

How old are your kids?
Almost 2 years & 2 weeks

Do you have a double stroller? Does if fit well in your car?
You can fit a ridiculous amount in the back, particularly without that 3rd row of seats. Today we had my Peg P3, Chicco umbrella stroller, 6 huge lawn bags full of donation clothes & toys and a bunch of other crap in there...with room to spare!

Are you happy with your car?
Yes.
Plenty of room to comfortably seat 3 adults & the 2 carseats plus all that space in back. You can still fit the strollers/double in there with the 3rd row installed.
Has a built in DVD player which is a Godsend with my toddler.
And I am a HUGE gan of the fact that it came with OnStar.

micd

06-03-2007, 08:28 AM

solongtogo

06-03-2007, 03:27 PM

I don't have a #2 but just bought a car with #2 in mind...a subaru outback

DianeCourt

06-03-2007, 04:03 PM

Bumping this up to see any other thoughts!

Number one is on the way and we would like to get a new car, but are trying to think long term for 2 -3 kids. I know a minivan would be practical and convenient, but I just can't picture myself driving a minivan around with just one baby right now :) Would really love an SUV.

Definitely check out the Saturn Outlook or GMC Acadia. They're larger crossovers with third row seating, class leading fuel economy, & 5 star/5 star crash ratings. I'm counting the days until my lease ends so I can get an Outlook. :)

missy329

06-03-2007, 06:59 PM

What car do you have?
We have two-
For long trips or when taking my MIL with us:
2005 Chrysler Town & Country
For everything else- all our local driving:
2007 Toyota Prius

How old are your kids?
Three and one

Do you have a double stroller? Does if fit well in your car?
Yes, Eddie Bauer Tandem stroller. Fits in both vehicles.

Are you happy with your car?
Yes, enjoy the van for long trips (dvd player, luggage room, navigation system...)
Enjoy the Prius for local driving (gets 50 miles per gallon- Hybrid vehicle, also suprisingly roomy inside and good trunk space)

ladybug

06-04-2007, 06:28 AM

#2 is coming in late August and they will be roughly 18 months apart. We just bought a 2007 Honda Pilot and I love it for it's room, comfiness, and safety ratings. The third seat comes out and would fit any stroller nicely.

njnewyearsbride

06-05-2007, 12:08 PM

* What car do you have?
we have a 2001 nissan xterra

* How old are your kids?
DD is 24 months, DS is 3smonths

* Do you have a double stroller? Does if fit well in your car?
we have 2 and they both fit (not together though :) )

* Are you happy with your car?
love my xterra although i wish it had more power - the newer ones 2005+ have more power but they're also ALOT bigger.

Pink_Converse

09-27-2007, 11:47 AM

bump

Ericka_Jarett

09-27-2007, 12:00 PM

We bought our van on Saturday. We got a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT. We got it with 0% financing. I can't say it's my dream car (had that when I owned a 1992 Pontiac Firebird that I had gotten brand new) I do like the van though and it has so much space in it. Loving the Stow and Go seating though.

We have a 12 month old and will have newborn twins in a few weeks.

kat

09-27-2007, 07:25 PM

We have a Subaru Outback wagon. Our kids are 19 months old (twins). Double stroller fits very well in the (large) trunk, and there's still room for lots of other stuff.

I'm VERY happy with the Outback. I can't think of anything I'd change, frankly. It was a little bit tight when they were both rear-facing (had to put one behind each front seat), but not so terrible that I regretted buying the car or anything (plus, I think that issue is really limited to twinmoms, who have two rear-facing infants at the same time).

mamax2

09-27-2007, 08:59 PM

I broke down and got a mini-van a few months ago. We bought a used 2005 Chrysler T&C. I was sooooo resistant to getting a van but it's been awesome. I drove a Chevy Trailblazer until my girls were 3.5 and 16 months. That was tight. I'll be vanning it for a while now.

We keep 2 of the 3rd row seats in position and one folded down for easy access in/out of the vehicle. It's super roomy - easily fits the double stroller or two single strollers, groceries, etc.

anemone

09-28-2007, 12:43 AM

We have a Subaru Outback wagon. Our kids are 19 months old (twins). Double stroller fits very well in the (large) trunk, and there's still room for lots of other stuff.

I'm VERY happy with the Outback. I can't think of anything I'd change, frankly.

We're thinking of getting an Outback, and I have a couple of questions for you:)
How many harness points in the car does it have? A friend of mine told me it had only two (and we're not sure if we'll stop at 2 children or have three).

Did you look at the Forrester or the Liberty wagon models? If so, what did you prefer about the Outback?

I'm fairly certain that we'll end up with it over another model of car, but it's always good to get some more feedback from someone that has one:)

EJH

09-28-2007, 07:35 AM

I don't have an Outback but our friends do and we looked into the Subaru line when we were car shopping. The Forrester felt SO small, definitely smaller than the Outback. My thought is if you are thinking about #3 you might be better off doing a minivan because I think the Outback would be a tight squeeze to get 3 carseats in. That said, they are really great cars, just didn't work for us (at the time we had a huge dog, who has since passed, but we bought the car with him in mind and planning for a kid). We ended up with the Chyrsler Pacifica which we love. It's not quite a minivan ;).

Our friends that have the Outback also have a Nissan Quest and rave about it. I totally have minivan envy.

jenjen0713

09-28-2007, 08:41 AM

What car do you have? Me - Chrysler Sebring convertible DH - Dodge Ram pickup

How old are your kids? Also 2 years old and 7 months

Do you have a double stroller? Does if fit well in your car? We don't have a double stroller.

Are you happy with your car? My car - I'm happy that it is paid off. :p It was never my plan to have a 2 door convertible with two kids. I had just bought the car when I found out I was pregnant the first time around. Yes, it is a pain to get DS #2 who is in a RF Britax into and out of his carseat, but really that is only about 5 minutes out of my day, so I can deal with it. I plan on keeping the car and driving it as long as I can. It has a good size trunk, so we can fit our bags, p-n-p and whatever else we need for any overnight trips.

gardenmommy

09-28-2007, 09:12 AM

We don't have 2 kiddos yet, but will in a few weeks and we are considering a new car...We currently have

What car do you have? Me - Toyota 4-Runner DH - Audi Allroad

How old are your kids? Also 2 years old and newborn

Do you have a double stroller? Nope...and we don't plan on getting one, but I'm sure one woud fit. We travel to visit family often and can pack almost everything but the kitchen sink in both cars.

Are you happy with your car? My car - I'm happy that it is paid off too.:D I loved that is was a high SUV until I had to lift DD in and out while I'm preggo..that seriously sucks! The backseat is also a little small and DD kicks me constantly from her Britax carseat.
Dh LOVES his Audi and has had it less than a year so there is no way he will let me drive it :rolleyes: It would be perfect for 2 kids.

We are looking at trading in the 4-runner for a Volvo XC90 or VW Toureg...anybody with one of those?
__________________

Sevilla

09-28-2007, 09:18 AM

Our next car purchase (whenever we have a second baby) will be the Mazda5 microvan. It seats 6, jas two rows of fold down seats in back, and is a hatchback. Plus it gets 25mpg ;).

shelbel

09-28-2007, 10:54 AM

* What car do you have?
2007 Honda Odyssey

* How old are your kids?
3 and 16 months

* Do you have a double stroller? Does if fit well in your car?
yes, I can get our double and 2 singles in the back! i can also put our single graco in the back unfolded when i'm really in a hurry

* Are you happy with your car?
yes, yes, yes!

I also fought DH for the leather interior and I'm so happy I won! It's so much easier to clean up spills than cloth.

kemorr

09-28-2007, 11:51 AM

I don't have 2 kids yet, but I bought my new car with our current TTC activities in mind.

* What car do you have?
2007 Mercedes GL450 - it seats 7 and has lots of cargo space with the 3rd row up or massive amounts of cargo space with the 3rd row down.

* How old are your kids?
11 months and not yet created!

* Do you have a double stroller? Does if fit well in your car?
No but I can fit both my huge BOB stroller and my Bugaboo in the back together, or the BOB plus my 60 pound dog (with the 3rd row down) or can fit the bugaboo in or the BOB in alone with the 3rd row up.

* Are you happy with your car?
So far!

Edited to add - Gardenmommy - my husband drives a Volvo XC90. I also love his car but when we were shopping for a new one for me (I used to drive a Volvo XC70) we decided it would be decidedly nerdy to have his and hers Volvo XC90s - hence the Mercedes purchase. The Volvo is roomy - DD's carseat (both infant and RF britax) have fit well in there when we have installed them and has good cargo space. DH has the optional 3rd row - when the 3rd row is up there is still enough cargo room for a dog or a stroller + groceries or other stuff (something that can't be said about a lot of 3rd row SUVs). We've had his car for 4 years and never had a minutes problem with it. I also owned my XC70 for 4 years and never had a problem. They're really nice cars.

gardenmommy

09-28-2007, 01:55 PM

Kemorr~Oh, so nice to hear from someone who actually has one. The carseat thing is the biggest for me. I'm just so stuck on the XC90...thinking of dragging DH to get one tomorrow:rolleyes:

gmooter

09-28-2007, 05:15 PM

I drive a Chrysler Town & Country Mini Van

Kiddos are 8 months and 2 years

I have a Maclaren Twin Techno Stroller

I love, love, love my van and the stow and go seating!!!

MizLarner

09-28-2007, 08:58 PM

* What car do you have? 00 Town & Country
* How old are your kids? 8 yr, 3yr, almost 2yr
* Do you have a double stroller? Does if fit well in your car? We have one, fits fine in the back... but I rarely take it anywhere
* Are you happy with your car? eh. I wish it was wider; sometimes I have to walk to the back and even with as small as I am, it's hard to squeeze past two carseats in the middle row captain's chairs. But it's not bad. Works better than having two carseats in the back of our 2 door Grand Am!

Lydia

09-29-2007, 04:25 AM

DH and I are trying to decide what type of car to buy now that #2 is on the way.

What car do you have?
How old are your kids?
Do you have a double stroller? Does if fit well in your car?
Are you happy with your car?

Thanks!
~Cori :)

*2006 Mercury Mountaineer (aka "Big Pimpin")
*2.5 and almost 1
*Yes, just bought a Joovy Caboose, and yes
*LOOOOVE my car. Will be sad when the lease is up.

kat

09-30-2007, 10:02 PM

We're thinking of getting an Outback, and I have a couple of questions for you:)
How many harness points in the car does it have? A friend of mine told me it had only two (and we're not sure if we'll stop at 2 children or have three).

Did you look at the Forrester or the Liberty wagon models? If so, what did you prefer about the Outback?

I'm fairly certain that we'll end up with it over another model of car, but it's always good to get some more feedback from someone that has one:)

anemone: I wish I could be more help re: why we chose the Outback.....but we bought the car under duress and I'm afraid I don't remember much of the decision-making process. I went into preterm labor at 26 weeks and was in the hospital when we realized that we'd have to buy a new car before the twins could come home (we both had two-door hatchbacks that couldn't accomodate two infant seats). We'd been car shopping for wagons once before (when I was maybe 14 weeks pregnant) but we'd only briefly checked out the Outback and a Volvo. Then when I went on bedrest my DH went out and bought the Outback.

So it was a rush decision, though it didn't have to be because the little stinkers stayed put until I was almost 38 weeks :) .... but because it was a rush, I don't remember why we chose the Outback over the Forrester or Legacy....something tells me that the Outback was "higher" than the other cars (and therefore easier to get in to? I'm tall).....but I don't remember much. Sorry!!!

Oh, and re: the harnesses.....neither I nor DH remember how many there are. I could check for you, but it'd be a few days before I can get back on here to answer (we're in the process of moving and I'll be out of town, likely without internet access, for a couple of days). But I agree that it's probably not *wide* enough in back to fit three carseats -- I know that it's not wide enough to put one (convertible or infant) carseat in the middle and one in the outboard position, so I'd have a hard time seeing how three would work unless one is a barely-there booster or something.

Again, wish I could be more help!! I say go for the Outback and if you have a third kid, then you can think about switching to a minivan. :)

LeslieR

10-01-2007, 02:54 PM

What do you guys do when you need to travel with more passengers? This is my big dilemma in choosing the next car. I have a friend that drives a RangeRover with 2 kids and wishes she had 3rd row seating for the days she picks up friends' children from school along with her kids. Is a minivan the only option for something like this when you have two kids in carseats in the middle row?

PinkMartini

10-01-2007, 03:02 PM

Anyone have a car/truck/suv that fits 3 carseats?

I ask because I'm really, really not 'into' minivans and I'm pretty sure we'll be having our 3rd child before DS is out of a booster seat.

Ericka_Jarett

10-01-2007, 03:24 PM

Pink - we looked at other cars as well before choosing our Grand Caravan. None were really looking like it would be easy to have 3 carseats in one row and if you have to put one in the back in a 3rd row, they have to be old enough to climb back there and buckle themselves in or you have to do a lot of climbing. Plus having strollers for all the kids in they are close in age (I know your first 2 are going to be close, not sure how far out you are planning for #3) I honestly never thought I would own a mini-van, neither did my bff (she only has 2, although #3 is coming tonight and they are all 2 yrs apart) She said that even with her 2 kids going on trips and having to take all you do, she is glad she went with a mini-van. We love our van, we could have used DH's Neon as it had enough space for 3 carseats but it wouldn't be easy to put that middle child in. Just easier for us, since we can arrange our seats however we want. I am putting the twins in the 3rd row and Easton is in a captain seat in the 2nd row with the other captain's seat stowed away.

Just have to figure out how far out you want to be before adding a 3rd child to the mix. That will help in knowing how Jacob will do with getting himself into the carseat/booster himself.

My ex-boss had a Navigator, but the older boys were out of boosters so it was easy for them to get into the back without help.

Leslie - honestly, if you think you will be having passengers with you, to make it easier for them to get in the back I think a mini-van is the way to go, you wouldn't have to move the carseats to help the passengers get in and out of the back row.

I never thought I would be praising a mini-van so much, but now that we have one it makes life so much easier, with the Stow&Go seating in the Grand Caravan or the Odyssey has seats that slide together in the 2nd row. We leave one seat down and can put it up when we need to and still will have access to the back row to get the twins out without trouble. Since there is a big enough space between the 2 captains chairs in the 2nd row.

karlatta

10-01-2007, 03:33 PM

LeslieR - My mom has a Suzuki XL-7 with third row seating. If we put two carseats in the middle, nobody can get in the back without uninstalling one of the carseats. So we have to put one kid FF in the third row (won't fit RF) and one in the second row, and we have to do a lot of climbing around to get both kids in. If you think you're going to have passengers regularly at all, I would definitely go for a mini-van rather than an SUV with 3rd row seating.

PinkMartini - I know that there are vehicles out there that fit 3 carseats, but I really think a minivan really would be the best bet. That middle seat is hard to access, especially if any of the carseats are RF. I'm not really into minivans either, but we plan to get one for our next vehicle because I just don't see an easier way to deal with all the carseats.

firefly

10-01-2007, 03:49 PM

I drive a Grand Caravan. (with built in 5 point harnesses) It's wonderful. I'm one of those hardcore minivan hater converts. I actually got pissy with a salesman at the ford dealership, telling him he was a sexist pig for suggesting I drive one of *those things*.:o

um yeah.

I have my 2 girls (5 and 2 1/2 I also had my daycare kids that I schlepped around and my neices (another 5 year old and a 1 1/2 year old) there is room a plenty for stollers and diaper bags and 'walking' around to the back. We loved that we could drive our kids plus either of our neices and their parents all in one vehicle.

We're on our way to having twins right now and we're going to put the 'big kids' in the back row in their marathons, and the babies will go in the middle row in their 'bucket seats' . We still have room for one more booster seat if I need to pick up one of my neices from school or what not.

My only suggestion would be get it with all the bells and whistles (power doors, dvd players etc, we don't have the stow and go because of our awesome (limited ) built in car seat seats, but there are times (and will probably be more with the twins coming ) that I will really really regret not getting the power doors. :rolleyes: but it's not worth the upgrading to me,.

Ericka_Jarett

10-01-2007, 03:56 PM

firefly - that is one thing I was glad to see on the model we wanted, the power sliding doors. We didn't get the power lift gate, it wasn't on the one we looked at and I didn't want to spend anymore $$$ on getting one installed. We didn't get the installed DVD system (again wasn't on ours) but we plan to get a system one of these days, since Easton is only 1 and the twins will not know the difference for a while, plus they are all rear-facing right now (Easton because he is not even 20 lbs yet at 1 yr). Once they are all forward facing and when we go on trips we know we will need it.

We could also still fit one more seat in the back if we needed to. We are done at 3 kids though so we will have 2 extra seats for passengers now.

MizLarner

10-01-2007, 04:19 PM

I think a friend of our family has or had a Suburban, and I think I remember it seating 8 or 9 people..

MizLarner

10-01-2007, 04:23 PM

I think a friend of our family has or had a Suburban, and I think I remember it seating 8 or 9 people..

Found this and wanted to share: http://minivans.about.com/od/buyingaminivan/tp/suvorminivan.htm

LeslieR

10-02-2007, 08:24 AM

Thanks for the info, ladies!

Can someone explain to me what 50/50 and 60/40 split mean as far as seating goes? I can't wrap my brain around it.:o Is 50/50 captain's chairs and 60/40 a bench? How does that work?

Anyone know anything about the new Ford Taurus X (or the old Ford Freestyle)? Specfically, I'm wondering if it has the functionality of seating that a minivan has? It's hard to tell from pictures on Ford's web site, but it looks like you can get captain's chairs for the second row in the Taurux X, so I'm thinking a passenger could slip through the middle to get to the back row if car seats were installed (one rear facing and one forward facing) in the captain's chairs in the middle.

gardenmommy

10-02-2007, 08:36 AM

Leslie~ I think that 50-50 means you can fold down a bench seat in half, thus 50-50 split, and a 60-40 (or whatever number) means that there is one side that's smaller for folding down...

Our Audi has something like a 60-40 and if I needed to I could put 2 carseats on the 60 side and still fold down the 40 side without disturbing the carseats...does that make sense?

Sometimes I swear you need a degree is mechanics to keep all the differences in cars straight :rolleyes:

SiValleySteph

10-02-2007, 09:29 AM

We're going to have our second child in April. I drive a Nissan Sentra right now and DH drives a Huyandai Elantra GT. We don't really have any plans to get a new car.

I think it will be fine. DS can sit forward facing behind the driver and #2 will be rear facing behind the passenger. DS doesn't require any "gear" and we had no problem hauling around the stroller and what not when he was a baby. We'll probably get another umbrella fold stroller (we had an earlier version of the Peg Perego Pliko P3) so it doesn't take up that much of the trunk.

The only downside of the Elantra GT is that it's a hatchback so the tether points are at the back of the trunk (where the hatchback opens), so when the carseats are tethered it really cuts down on trunk space. Before buying another hatchback, I would be sure the tethers were near the top of the car seats, not at the rear of the trunk. Of course, babies were not on the agenda when we were shopping for the car. :D

I am considering getting a new car just because DH's & my cars are about the same age and will need to be replaced around the same time, so if I went ahead and got one now it would spread out the expense. Maybe a Passatt wagon or something ... not sure.

LeslieR

10-02-2007, 10:23 AM

mimieliza

10-02-2007, 11:07 AM

I don't have two kids yet, but I am coveting a Subaru Outback for when we have our second! We have a Forester now. My mom has an Outback and I drove it around this weekend and I'm in love.

We're thinking of getting an Outback, and I have a couple of questions for you
How many harness points in the car does it have? A friend of mine told me it had only two (and we're not sure if we'll stop at 2 children or have three).

It has two positions with LATCH. Very few cars allow you to use LATCH in all three rear seats. There are top tethers for all three seats, so if you found carseats that were narrow enough, you could put three seats there. However, I think this would be a tight squeeze with three kids.

Did you look at the Forrester or the Liberty wagon models? If so, what did you prefer about the Outback?

Subaru's two most popular models are the Forester and Outback wagons. The Forester is a great car (I love mine, have had it for four years) but it's significantly smaller than the Outback. This really causes problems with RFing carseats. The backseat is just very small. My mom's Outback has plenty of space. I installed DD's RFing Britax Boulevard (a large seat) in about two seconds with LATCH behind the drivers seat. There was about four inches of room between DD's seat and the back of the drivers seat - no problem! The trunk of the Outback is larger, too, so it would accommodate the extra stuff that having a second child entails.

The best thing about Subarus, IMO, is the standard AWD. My car handles amazingly in all weather. I put studless snowtires on it in the winter and it drives beautifully, even up the mountain on packed snow. The new Subarus come with a ton of standard features (especially safety features) on the base model, so there's no need to spend a lot extra to get a very well-appointed, extremely safe car.

Can you tell I want a new Subaru? It's not in the cards, though - my Sub has 60,000 miles and I'm anticipating that I'll be driving it for at least another 100K miles. :)

anemone

10-02-2007, 09:44 PM

Thanks for your responses EJH, Kat and mimieliza. I think we'll probably go with Outback, and it's always good to have some feedback from others that have them. Since I wrote that, my m/s has kicked in, so I'm now thinking we'll stop at 2 children:cool:

The three carseat issue is vexing though, as we are being told here (in Australia) that they are now recommending booster seats until age 9 :eek: or a certain height, as adult seat belts cause massive internal injuries in even minor crashes if children are below the recommended height. It's not yet law, but there has been a lot in the media about it, and it could well be passed in the next year or so (we have very tight regulations country wide regarding car safety). Not sure what everyone is going to do if your car won't physically fit three seats, or have the points for them....

LeslieR

10-03-2007, 07:53 AM

Anemone, the law here in CT is 6 years and 60 pounds for booster seats, so that's something that's in the back of my mind, too. One of my friends told me it was 8 and 80 pounds, but I just googled and only came up with the 6 and 60 pounds info.

We haven't ruled out a 3rd child yet. I doubt we'll have a thrid, but if we do, we're going to have kids in carseats for a looooong time! They seem to change the law every couple years, so I could see it going well past 60 pounds here.

mimieliza

10-03-2007, 09:09 AM

anemone -

You can fit three carseats in an Outback (and I definitely agree with keeping kids in boosters for a loooooong time, for safety). There are three top tethers (they are in the ceiling of the cargo area). It only has two lower anchor points (those are in the seat). However, it is perfectly safe to install carseats with the seat belt rather than the lower anchors. You can still use the top tethers. For three-across installations, you'll most likely need to use the seat belt in all three seating locations. If you had a third child, you would probably have to fiddle around a bit to find three carseats that worked side-by-side, but new carseats are cheaper than a new car. :)

I am not sure if this is all different in Australia, but I know that any seat that can be installed with lower anchors can also be installed with seatbelt, and the Outback has seatbelts in all three seating positions.

But with the morning sickness and all, I'm sure two children seem like more than enough at this point. :)