Is your Car Baby Friendly?

johnsonia · November 2010

What car do you drive? Will you upgrade for the baby? Can your current car fit your plus one?

( i know this has been dicussed b4, but was curious about all the newbies)

lolliM · November 2010

I drive a 2006 Toyota Rav 4 that we just paid off! I love it and intend on running it into the ground. I have plenty of room in it...its just a great car!

johnsonia · November 2010

I already have an SUV and love it. My lease is up in like 2 yrs, so I'll likely get an SUV with a 3rd row by then. I already have a booster in my car for BF's DD. He has a 2-door car. His lease ends oct 2011, I hope he gets something more kid-friendly next!

ashleyrsotomayor · November 2010

We are almost finished paying of DH's used 2002 Nissan Altima. FINALLY. We plan on driving that one until it quits. It has over 100,000 miles now but is still a good car. I drive a 2009 Nissan Sentra which will fit a car seat perfectly. It is a great car. We purchased my car in anticipation of a little one. We are trying to eliminate as much debt as possible prior to the arrival of the LO, and we want our monthly bills to be as low as possible so there is a chance I can stay home. Baby doesn't need a fancy car or SUV in my opinion, as long as the car is safe, unless of course this is your third or fourth child, then you would obviously need more space.

mainemommy · November 2010

Right now Im driving a 99 Cadillac Deville. It fits both of my kids amazingly well, not sure about a 3rd one rearfacing, I've gotten a 3rd one front facing & its been tight but doable. I think we're going to sell it & get something more accessible, I really dont want to get a van though!

katie4253 · November 2010

We are trying to get all of our debt paid off before the baby comes (which we will do).

We will probably buy something bigger after the baby is here. We don't want to get anything until the baby is here because we want to try it our with Cindy and Debbie (who both weight 70lbs) and a car seat. We travel quite a bit with our dogs, so we either have to buy something bigger or rent when we travel.

Right now we drive a Dodge Neon and Hyundai Elantra. Both very small.

x0stephanie · November 2010

We have a bmw 3 series as our main car (its awd which is kind of a must in canada), and an older 1996 malibu as our 2nd car. Both are 4 door so they'll both work fine.

ashleyrsotomayor:
Baby doesn't need a fancy car or SUV in my opinion, as long as the car is safe, unless of course this is your third or fourth child, then you would obviously need more space.

I agree. Definitely don't need to upgrade until we're on #3

katie4253 · November 2010

ashleyrsotomayor:
We are almost finished paying of DH's used 2002 Nissan Altima. FINALLY. We plan on driving that one until it quits. It has over 100,000 miles now but is still a good car. I drive a 2009 Nissan Sentra which will fit a car seat perfectly. It is a great car. We purchased my car in anticipation of a little one. We are trying to eliminate as much debt as possible prior to the arrival of the LO, and we want our monthly bills to be as low as possible so there is a chance I can stay home. Baby doesn't need a fancy car or SUV in my opinion, as long as the car is safe, unless of course this is your third or fourth child, then you would obviously need more space.

Yeah, in our case renting (which is about 250 for a week) isn't really cheaper than buying something though... and since we travel with the beasts, something bigger or renting has to happen.

momtojake · November 2010

I have a trailblazer with just the 2nd row, not the third row. I love having the larger rear end for storage. It will be tight with two kids but we will manager. It will only be tight because there isn't alot of space between the driver/passengers seats and the 2nd row. I don't plan on buying another car until we have cash to buy it so it will be awhile down the road.

KKintheBean · November 2010

We have an Audi A6 and also just got a brand new fully loaded Honda CR-V... so, I think we are good for now

krissymac · November 2010

We have an '03 and an '08 Saturn Vue (SUV) - love them!! They will definitely accommodate a car seat and the rear is great for our springer spaniel. When it's time to trade in the older SUV, we will be considering a Ford Edge or possibly a bigger SUV like a GMC Acadia.

And in WI, AWD is definitely a must as well!!

smalerie · November 2010

I drive a new Toyota Matrix, and I love it. No offense to anyone, but I've never been a fan of SUVs they are just too big for me. I've liked all of the ones I've ridden in, but driving one is not for me. I really love my Matrix, and it will accommodate a LO and all their gear just fine.

DH drives a Toyota Tacoma, and refuses to give it up. I think the man might die in that truck he loves it so much. And since we can't fit a LO in the truck, he will occasionally be driving my car. It surprisingly fits my 5'5 frame, and his 6'3 frame equal as well.

katie4253 · November 2010

smalerie:
I drive a new Toyota Matrix, and I love it. No offense to anyone, but I've never been a fan of SUVs they are just too big for me. I've liked all of the ones I've ridden in, but driving one is not for me. I really love my Matrix, and it will accommodate a LO and all their gear just fine.
DH drives a Toyota Tacoma, and refuses to give it up. I think the man might die in that truck he loves it so much. And since we can't fit a LO in the truck, he will occasionally be driving my car. It surprisingly fits my 5'5 frame, and his 6'3 frame equal as well.

We are considering a outback. We aren't going HUGE, just bigger than a sedan.

Is the Matrix convertible? The seats flatten easily and such? We like the AWD the outback offers.

x0stephanie · November 2010

smalerie:
No offense to anyone, but I've never been a fan of SUVs they are just too big for me. I've liked all of the ones I've ridden in, but driving one is not for me.

I only like sedans.. I drove my mil's jeep liberty once and I thought it was going to tip over the whole time. I dont think I could handle a suv, terrifying.. haha

maiken1027 · November 2010

I have an '05 Saturn Vue that will be paid off about a month before LO arrives!! My car will be perfectly fine for LO and our two dogs. I may get the gate that goes between the trunk/back area and the back seat so the dogs don't have as much free range as they do now. DH has a Mazda Speed 6. His car would be fine for us and LO, w/out dogs, but we've had issues with his car and are kind-of fed up so we may trade it in for something else.

GracieLou Freebush · November 2010

We have a 2011 4-door Toyota Tacoma and a 2005 Mercury Sable. We're set for now but we'll trade in the Sable for a 4WD/AWD before #2.

luvchaitea · November 2010

I drive a 2009 Chrysler Town and Country Touring Edition loaded mini-van. I.LOVE.IT. I swore I would never drive a mini-van, but once I drove it and saw all of the awesome things available for my children, I fell in love with it! After this baby is born, there is still one seat available....if the whole family is in the car. My husband drives an SUV.

HelloAnnie! · November 2010

I have on 05 Nissan Sentra that will be fine for a little one, though I do wish the back seat wasn't microscopic (I think they redesigned that the next year.)

DH's 2000 2-door mercury cougar is gonna have to be upgraded, though. It doesn't run well and I don't even know if baby seats work with bucket seats! His car will need to be a bit bigger than mine for family trips, etc., but we'll still prob. go with a sedan.

Edited for grammar

chocoholicchick · November 2010

I have an '07 BMW 530i and we bought it knowing that we would drive this car into the ground. The back has plenty of room for multiple car seats. DH has an '02 Jeep Grand Cherokee that will need to be replaced eventually. We hope it will last for another year and a half or so, maybe even longer. He's an SUV guy and is going to get a Range Rover Sport once his current Jeep stops working.

DRN8302 · November 2010

We had a Ford Focus sedan when DD was born and it was teeny tiny! We weren't a big fan, but we weren't ready to upgrade quite yet and it worked for the first few months. When she was about 9 months old, we found out we were pg with #2 and we upgraded to a *gulp* mini-van. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, by DH thought it was the best for price, safety ratings, gas, etc. And we absolutely love it! Unfortunately, that ended in a m/c, but we knew we would have more than one, so I'm glad we got the mini-van. And it really isn't too big with just one child- she takes up a lot of room!

FyshWyfe · November 2010

We have a '04 Subaru Outback. Love it! It's great for babies and the dog in the back. I too plan on running this one into the ground.

goteamgo · November 2010

I have an 01 Ford Focus hatchback, 2 door. And while I love my car (it is zippy and handles better than any other car I've driven), I'll need to change over to four doors to accommodate two carseats. As it is, getting in and out of the car with James is a balancing act- one that will become ridiculous when I have a big belly again. We're looking at making a switch as early as January.

We're seriously looking at the Forester and Outback, leaning toward the Forester.

My husband has an 01 Camry that is still running great, so we won't be changing that one out anytime soon.

MCH77 · November 2010

I think that we are going to try to sell my car in the spring. Right now I have a VW Cabrio, which is paid off for years and I LOVE. But it is 2 doors and small trunk. I think that it will be easier to sell in the spring, b/c it is fun spring/summer car.

Tikat · November 2010

We upgraded from a Saturn Ion to a Jeep Patriot which I really loved- when DD was born in 2008...unfortunately they don't build Jeeps the way they once did...I had to trade it in at 50k miles (I do 2000 miles/ month) because it was breaking at every turn and ended up costing me tons of money because our "extended warranty" never seemed to cover anything...

I agree that you don't necessarily need to upgrade your car when you have a baby- however the leather seats in the Jeep have come in handy more that once for spilled milk, puking incidences and whatever other grime baby brings. The other thing about upgrading to an SUV is keeping in mind that it is hard to go back to regular car once you get used to sitting that much higher up...

Since you travel with the "Beasts" though you should probably consider a Ford Explorer XL or the likes to accommodate them in the cargo area and still have room for Luggage- and trust me- Baby comes with Accessories!

Epiphany27 · November 2010

I drive a Chrysler Cirrus that will work just fine for baby. On the other hand, the BF drives a Ford Mustang that we're going to have a difficult time figuring out a car seat for.?

The funny thing is he bought it to have a "fun" car before we settled down and started having kids. Surprise honey? Stick out tongue

Want a personalized experience?

Is your Car Baby Friendly?

Re: Is your Car Baby Friendly?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards