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2nd Trimester
DH wants to keep 2-door car.
We have one car and one parking spot. DH had this car when I met him and it is a 2-door 10 year old VW Beetle. I want to get a new car, not necessarily a large one, but at least 4-doors. DH does not want to get a new car. His reasons; we own it outright (valid point, no payments), still has low-mileage for a 10 year old car (~95k), and lastly he thinks the baby won?t be in it much (we live in the city). Should I push more for a new car before baby is born, should I have him find out the hard way after she comes that the 2-door Beetle won?t cut it, or, will a 2-door car in the city be sufficient? Anyone used a 2-door car with an infant? Keep in mind that there is not a middle seat in the back.
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Re: DH wants to keep 2-door car.
Will a rear facing infant bucket car seat w/base even fit in the back of a beetle? I had a Chrysler Lebaron Convertible when I gave birth to DD and in order to drive with her in the car the front seat had to be pushed all the way up and folded forward.
I now have a very inexpensive 2004 Hyundai Sonata. I think getting a new(to you) car is a good idea.
uuuhh I'd get a new car. I can't imagine the safety of a newborn in an old, 2-door car is good at all- and that'd be my first priority. I understand not wanting a car payment, but I'd put safety first. Also, I'd want to trade in the older car BEFORE it started having expensive problems/repairs.
I'll plug the Elantra though- we have 1 car, a 2009 Elantra and LOVE it. And the 2011 ones are REALLY nice looking!!
www.cozylittlecave.com
I wish. We are the first ones having a kid.
Well have him practice with a car seat. Make him take it in and out a couple of times. haha!
I couldn't agree more
This, have him take it GROCERY SHOPPING. lol. It is not easy in a 2 door car.
We have the car seat, just got it last week. He hasn't tried it in the car yet (he thinks it is too early to bother with it). I think he has to learn the hard way, just wish it was now.
Oh man, I hear ya. DH has a c70 2 door volvo that is his "other woman" and we stilllll have it. I have a very distinct memory of standing in my pajamas and slippers one night outside SOBBING at 9 months pregnant trying to install DD's infant carseat. I was so emotional about the whole thing... well, that and pretty much everything around 9 months
We ended up just saving up and purchasing a 4 door Honda outright in addition to the volvo a few months after DD was born. We didn't drive around with her that much anyway until she was a few months old so it worked out OK. I do still take pleasure in making DH put DD and the carseat in whenever we use that car
Good luck!!!
DD #2 2 years old (08/17/11)
DD #3 born 08/29/13
This is my first baby but I would definitely get a new car. DH also had his car when I met him and I hate to ask him to trade it (it's an 09 challenger and he loves it) but 2-door is going to be a pain. Literally. But he is a guy so he may have to wait til baby arrives to figure it out.
my dh has a saturn ion with the two back suicide doors. so it has the body of a 2-door car but with tiny little back doors. there is no middle seat.
we did find that there was very little room for a rear-facing seat, but we made it work. i'm sure that having the little back doors has given us much easier access to dd than with a conventional 2-door. i think that if you won't be driving the car much, you should just stick with it. better to have a paid-off car than be in debt.
So how often will your LO be in the vehicle? Once a week? maybe twice? Or two or three times a day?
Less than 2 or 3 times a week, I say keep it as long as the LO fits in the carseat in the back.
Otherwise, find a nice 4 door honda civic that will run for 300,000 miles for $3k. Good luck!
We have a car seat and a stroller already... but went ahead and tested them because both of our cars are two doors only (mustang, and eclipse convertible)...while we can fit the car seat and stroller, there is no room for anything else except the tiny little trunk...soooo...we're either going to be driving two cars everywhere or traveling really light
if you have the money to get a new car (which we don't) then I would highly suggest getting a new car
We tested out a short 1 hour trip with "baby bear" to the store...it was manageable, but difficult...we only survived because we could put the top down on my eclipse...
DH and I share a two-door car. It's practical for us to be driving it now, since we don't have car payments and the mileage isn't too high, but we may have to go car shopping once we graduate from the infant seat to the convertible seat. We don't have a middle seat in the back either.
I'm fine driving a 2-door with an infant because there's a sort of 3rd door that opens to allow people in and out of the back seat (a suicide door). But I'd love, love, love to get a 4-door soon.
BFP #1 9/7/10, EDD 5/14/11, Violet born 5/27/11.
BFP #2 4/9/12, EDD 12/16/12, M/C Rory 4/24/12.
BFP #3 10/6/12, EDD 6/16/12., Matilda born 6/17/13.
Totally disagree with this. As long as the seat fits properly in the car, your newborn will not be unsafe riding in a 10 year old, 2 door car. Definitely install the seat and make sure you can get it in properly.
That being said, having a rear facing carseat in a car with 2 doors sounds like a huge inconvenience. Getting the child out in an infant seat seems doable, but if you plan to do extended rear facing, a rear facing convertible seat sounds like a nightmare.
A 4 door car won't necessarily give you more space. One of our cars is an 11 year old Civic, and the passenger seat still has to be pushed all the way forward with the infant seat installed. I rode in the back seat until DS got a smaller seat. If your child will only be in the car a few times a month, I'd probably agree with your DH and keep the paid off car.
Tell him to keep his car, but you DEF NEED A NEW ONE!!!
My mom has a two door car and it was such a pain getting the DS in and out of the carseat! You get to where you just don't wanna go anywhere! Luckily I switched to an SUV. Best things ever!!
I would consider how often you will all be in the car at the same time. As long as it is rare and the seat fits safely then no new car. Start a savings account and put money down for your next car.
I will say that my DH had a 2006 Honda Accord 2 door. After just one week of putting the infant carrier in and out he decided to get a new car. We could have made it work but I wasn't up for listening to him gripe every time we used his car. I didn't like that he got the 2door when he bought it but at the time we were engaged and he wasn't really thinking about kids.
We are a one car family and had a 2-door. DH thought we could make it work. We really liked the fact that it was paid off and the infant carrier fit really well. However, I almost peed my pants watching him try to get the infant carrier in and out....The seat ended upside and side ways at points...I said that will not work so much with a baby in the seat and I am not crawling in the back seat everytime we go somewhere. I would sit down and look at how often the carrier would go in the car as well as what other items you need. (stroller, diaper bag, etc) If the baby would be in the car very seldom and the other items would fit, I might be more inclined to make it work.
They baby will be in the car a minimum of 2 times a day. (To and from daycare, to and from church, and visiting with grandparents). That estimate is based on the bare minimums and will probably be in and out more frequently than that. With that said, evaluate how often you use your vehicle now and how that might change with baby. If there car is used on a daily basis, then I would get a 4-door vehicle
Most men have to learn the hard way. Will you bring the baby home from the hospital in that car? I would have him try putting the car seat in as a "dry run" for the big day.
Oh and tell him if he still resists the new car that you reserve the right to say "I told you so" when he goes to buy a new car.
I wish I could. We only have one spot. We live in a condo building with assigned parking, no street parking. The baby will probably only be in the car once a week at most depending on what we decide on day care, but the frustrations alone seem like a lot. Definitely need to practice with the car seat, stroller, etc and see how it does.
I have a paid-for New Beetle. It fits an infant carrier just fine, but pushes the passenger seat forward a bit. Getting the carrier in and out isn't terrible since the seats pop forward. I had just purchased the car when my long-time friend had a baby. I ended up watching the baby 2-3 days a week during her first year of life an never found it to be too terrible.
That said, I plan on keeping my car. I went stroller shopping and found that the two that will easily fit into the trunk are the BJ City Mini and the Bugaboo Bee. We are planning on eventually having two strollers - a BJ City Mini that fits into my car and the BJ Summit for around our neighborhood (unpaved walking trails).