Resisting the "Mom" car

hayleydeee · September 2011

We bought a new car right before finding out about having twins. It's just a regular 4 door sedan, and I don't know how in the world I'm going to get all three car seats in the back.

I've always been anti mini-van (even though all my friends who have them LOVE them). I'm not an SUV fan either. Smaller cars have always been my favorite. Has anyone made it work with three seats in a smaller car?

Which car seats do you have?

cocojack10 · September 2011

I've always said that I was no way going to drive a minivan... I'd get a Tahoe type car before a minivan. Well, last month, I traded in my FX35 for an Oddessy! Honestly, having the sliding doors is priceless. Many times, I'd have to park far away from my destination bc all spots were small and didn't allow me to open both back doors enough to get the infant seats out... not just one door, both doors have to open to get the babies out.

OrangeSmoke · September 2011

I'll put it this way... in all of the time I've spent on this board (so almost 2 years now), I've yet to see anyone regretting a minivan.

If that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is.

MrsLnt · September 2011

My Pilot works great for me because I just have the twins. My friends with 1+twins have vans. It's just easier with 2 in RF seats + one that can't buckle themselves.

UsedToBeGoldie · September 2011

honestly- what's so bad about the minivan? That you look like a mom? Cuz guess what - you ARE a mom, that's for sure with 3 kids

The ease of the auto-open doors alone is worth having one. Period. Plus all the space and other features (stow and go, etc).... I can't imagine ever NOT having a minivan as long as I have 3 boys who don't have their own car....

Being able to open the doors and easily get kids in (esp in their infant seats) in a parking lot when some a-hole parks too close to me is golden... with regular doors you often can't open them wide enough to get the seats through the door when in parking lots (at least here in NJ where space is tight!)

between the kids, their seat, their gear, etc.... we need all the space.

Sure- you can fit 3 car seats across the back of almost any car (if you get the right seats and install them witht he seatbelts and not latch).... but where will you put everything else? You can never use that car to drive on vacation- without a 2nd car full of your crap, or a trailer on the back (which you can't pull with most sedans)....

having a minivan is very important to me with my 1+twins. I would have gone insane wihtout one.

s270453 · September 2011

OK, this doesnt really answer your question, but I was very anti-minivan before I bought mine too. I am telling you, it is SO worth it, and I love mine now! I got a Toyota Sienna and it doesnt feel like im sitting really high up off the ground like other minivans! If u do get one DONT buy it without automatic doors! I figure, I only have to driv e it for 5 yrs or so, but till then I will admit that I love it and my life is much easier because of it!

missfire · September 2011

Growing up, my dad restored old cars and we were always at car shows, etc. I learned very early to value horsepower, paint finishes, nice curves, a great engine purr, etc. It was like losing myself to buy a minivan. But in the end, after the twins, I have completely lost "myself" anyway, minivan or not. I don't work, don't go out, don't do creative things, don't workout, don't sleep, etc. I wear a ponytail, hoodie, and sneakers everywhere I go. I could be driving around in my old car, but then I would just be more sweaty and haggard from climbing over seat bases and worrying about the child or two still out in the rain as I buckle in the first one. At least now I'm comfortable and my kids are safe (and with keyless entry I never have to dig keys out of my pocket while carrying all these kids!) I'll get a "cool" car again when I hit my midlife crisis and my kids are all out of booster seats!

CaliDutchGrl · September 2011

We had a Honda Civic and going home from the hospital in the snow was the most terrifying 20 minutes of my life! We had to sit very close to the dashboard so the seats would fit...it just didn't feel very safe! Two weeks later DH bought a Ford Explorer...I had no choice in picking it since I was at home with the boys! That was hard, letting go out that choice

To be honest, I would like a minivan...just seems like it would be easier!

kthappy76 · September 2011

I've never really understood people's hang ups on having cars appropriate to their needs, but then I've had an SUV for several years in preparation for having kids.

I'm sure you know you aren't fooling anyone by driving a small car, you are just all going to be cramped for space. I've heard Sunshine Radians are good if you have to fit three in a row. GL.

Kmarie823 · September 2011

I WISH I could get a mini-van! It's just not in the budget right now. That being said I have a 4 door sedan (a Passat) and we all fit in there, RF car seats and all. It would be so much easier to travel places and take trips with a van but we have managed 1 3 hour drive in the car.

Both the Snugride and Marathon seats fit in my car. You can't lean back and relax or anything but I'm not squished in the dash either.

kelliwill · September 2011

OrangeSmoke:
I'll put it this way... in all of the time I've spent on this board (so almost 2 years now), I've yet to see anyone regretting a minivan.
If that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is.

This. never thought I would buy one. I was more of an SUV type but I LOVE my odyssey! Dh does too. It's the best. The sliding doors make it the best ever with two infant car seats. And we only have twins, not 3. I don't even know what you would drive with three car seats that's not a minivan! GL! I suggest you test drive one and see how you feel.

violaplayer · September 2011

Add another one to the hated minivans before I got one but now I love them club. Power doors are my new best friend!

smeyer · September 2011

I'm not a fan of minivans and I still miss my old car. I'll never love my minivan, even though it's nicely loaded and brand new, and I plan to ditch it ASAP. All that said, we just couldn't easily function without it. It was priceless on vacation and the automatic doors and back are so, so convenient.

jxd215 · September 2011

Add me to the list of minivan converts. We never planned to buy a minivan until we had twins and faced the necessity of putting a rearfacing car seat behind the driver. We didn't have a lot of choices that would allow my tall husband to drive comfortably, so we ended up with a Toyota Sienna. While I still don't love driving it (it still just feels very big to me), the convenience of it is unbeatable, especially the sliding doors.

LakeGenevaBride · September 2011

After the twins were born we lasted one month before we bought a used Sienna. I had a jeep cherokee and I hated having to sit in the dash, I hated trying to get the infant seats in and out, and I hated trying to lift the stroller in and out of the back. Honestly, we fill the whole back of the mini van if we go anywhere for the day, I can't imagine trying to fit all that crap in the trunk of a car. Bite the bullet and get a minivan!

WhiteysWifey · September 2011

Just bought a Chrysler town and country... Love it! I've never been a mini van hater though. We had no choice with 4 2 andunder no other vehicle would fit us. That said, I loved my honda crv, and the size/drive between the two doesn't feel too different

LoveTravel · September 2011

We currently have a Toyota Camry and it's worked with 3 carseats in the back- my sister and I would go on mini road trips crossing to the US border, the boys were in peg-peregos and my neice had a graco carseat, while it worked I wouldn't say it would be pratical for everyday uses AND the kids were all in their infant carseats, with that said now that they have their Britax no carseat will now fit in the middle.

We're actually looking for a Toyota Sienna van now that we're expecting #3 as the Camry won't meet our needs anymore...my parents have a Sienna as well and we've been in the van with them and the boys and it's MUCH more pratical so needlesss to say I'm really excited about our next purchase!

AliciaC19 · September 2011

When I was a teenager, my first car broke down and I was stuck driving my mom's minivan to school and sports practices. It was embarrassing. I swore I would never own one when I was older. Then I ended up buying one when my oldest was 2, in anticipation of having more children. I drove it for over 6 years and loved it! Earlier this year, I sold it (it had a lot of miles and was not efficient on gas) and bought a little Ford Focus that gets 35mpg. It is great having fuel costs cut in half but I actually cried a little when the van pulled out of my driveway. Not two months later, we found out that we could, in fact, go forward with an IVF cycle and here we are expecting twins! Having two vehicles that only hold 5 passengers (and not very comfortably), hubby traded in his SUV for a used Freestar. Best move we made. Our payment dropped in half (more money to put towards diapers!) and I have a minivan again. I can't imagine not having the space or having to take two vehicles if we wanted to do anything.

regenab · September 2011

I have a Honda Pilot and let me tell you if we have another baby, no question we would be trading in the Pilot for a minivan (Odessey). With the twins the Pilot is not a problem, has plenty of room in the back when the third row is down to put their double stroller in and all the gear. But since I have the girls seats latched in with the tether system to have the third row up the passenger has to climb in from the back hatch area, not very easy. Right now this only happens the days I pick my niece up from Karate afterschool. So if I have another, I am not dealing with this full time, I am just moving to the minivan.

I was always so against the minivan, but now that I see my neighbor across the street with her minivan and her 3 kids climbing in and out of the dual sliding doors. I am sooo jealous. I will also tell you it was hard on me lifting the girls in their infant carriers into the Pilot because I am only 5'2".

Minivan all the way!!!!

hayleydeee · September 2011

Thank you for all of the feedback. My DH is going to love seeing this thread, he's always teasing me about how I'll end up having a minivan soon!

MaybeMore · September 2011

Again, not a MoM, but I haul 2-4 kids around all the time and wouldn't have any other car but my Toyota Sienna. Even my 2-y-o and my neighbor's disabled child can get in and out of the Sienna easily, and it's SO much easier for the big kids to get into the back than an SUV. It's also easy to lift little kids out and buckle them in.

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