Veteran Moms - Car Question

jpearl2307 · December 2016

I have a coupe right now and looking for a different vehicle. I am wondering, who has sedans and who have cross overs? I am trying to decide what to buy/lease. I am on the shorter side (62in) so big SUVs aren't something that I am looking at. Most of the moms I know (and of course random googling) either have SUVs or cross overs, what makes moms gravitate towards a bigger vehicle? (I am assuming it's because those cars fit 4+ families) I was thinking a sedan would do for now, I would have enough room for a stroller, carseat and diaper bag. Sorry if this seems like a silly question, but I would appreciate feedback from personal experences from veterans mommas or those that are first time moms! Thank you

lyse01 · December 2016

FTM here, but I love my Subaru Impreza hatchback. Tons of space in the back seat and trunk, and I'm confident I can easily pack it for a weekend at my parents with SO & baby, even if I pack myself in LLBean non-zip totes (as I am wont to do), SO packs excessive amounts (as he does), and we both pack as if there's absolutely nothing available at grandma's.

TRA0816 · December 2016

For me, It was getting the carseat to fit right in the back that made my decision. We ended up with a Durango which is bigger than I initially wanted but all the smaller cars had little leg room once I installed the car seat. Having said this, My husband and I are both tall.

laryk123 · December 2016

Definitely take into consideration having a stage two car seat rear facing. They take up some room!
A sedan is definitely do-able. I drive a Dodge Journey as I have a large dog that comes everywhere too... and we do a lot of long car trips. It's almost too small.
AND I live in Alberta so need something AWD/4WD.

Mango517 · December 2016

My sister had a Honda Accord with her first and it was perfect as their family hauler for a long time.

I'm thinking I might need to get rid of my Mini Cooper and take over my husband's sedan for safety reasons. Maybe I'm naive FTM (likely) but I feel like a regular mid sized sedan should have enough room for our stuff for most trips. We've gotten good at paring down while traveling after years of carry on only flights and road tripping in a small convertible with a tiny trunk.

tripledaggerWed95976 · December 2016

I recently had to get a SUV because we're about to have 2 under 2 haha. But, with my son I had a 2014 VW Passat and I loved it!! Even though it's a sedan, it has a HUGE trunk. It's a 4 door and is really long for a sedan. It was very comfortable

maebee87 · December 2016

I'm only 5"3 but just upgraded to a dodge caravan from a tiny Honda Fit. I wanted the sliding door so I can climb in to get DS in his car seat easier. We plan on having at least one more baby after this one so we wanted more room as they grow. In my tiny Fit the rear facing car seat made the front passenger seat unuseable as the seat had to be pushed all the way forward and folded down. The stroller didn't fit in the trunk. So I went from one extreme to the other and I am so in love with my van.

bumpybump · December 2016

We have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and have DD still RFing (at 2.5) in the back middle. I'm 5'7" and DH is 6'1" and we are scrunched in the front seats (I'm fine when driving, DH is not comfortable and the passenger seat is moved up more than either of us like). We will turn DD to FF once LO comes along due to space. I'm hoping LO will fit in the middle back with DD behind the passenger so we don't lose more space. I never would have realized how "small" The Jeep GC could feel with car seats in it. The rear is plenty big for stroller, groceries, etc and we take this vehicle on our long winter trips.

We also have a 2014 Impala and it's interior is very spacious and perfect for fitting the car seat RFing in any seat and have us be comfortable up front (we can leave the front seats back fully). This is not true of the previous Impala body styles. The trunk is huge too. We take this car on any summer trips (or when there's no snow forecasted). So I do recommend the newer Impalas for families, especially taller ones.

Be aware that baby stores will typically allow you to take car seats out to your car to try them out. I know our Buy Buy Baby does this. Or, if you are set on a car seat, take it with you when car shopping. You'll be glad you did.

MissAnne84 · December 2016

We have a Volvo XC90. We needed the large space for our stroller. If you use an umbrella stroller, it is no big deal, but I prefer my Bob and it takes up a lot of room.

Also, the second stage car seats are HUGE!!! Even with our large car, the front seat is a little squished for my husband and dad, who are 5'10.

Finally, we have a dog and wanted space for him too. I think sedans are just too small.

dmbfan46835 · December 2016

Def take car seats when car shopping. And keep in mind future toddler seats and multiple kiddos. I have a Ford Escape and DH has a Ford Fusion. I have a Chico nextfit zip in my car and a Britax Boulevard in DHs car and I swear he has more leg room in the Fusion. I am hella cramped if I'm in the passenger seat of my escape at 5'11". The back does has great space and I love how compact it is. It's an SUV but much shorter than DHs car in the garage so it's way easy to walk around. But I bet once we add another baby seat I'm gonna be sitting on the steering wheel

id get a Subaru if I could redo it I think. For double the price. Lol

chaser61 · December 2016

I went from a mustang to a Honda CRV with my first and I am happy with that decision. It isn't very big but gives enough room for the car seat and trunk space for a stroller.

SouthernMama15 · December 2016

I have a Toyota Rav-4 and I love it. My mom and sister have one each, too. Two convertible seats fit in nicely. Lots of space in the back for storage and changing diapers. It's on the same frame as a Camry and drives just like a car. I like being a little higher up, but I don't feel like it's too big. We got a roof rack for vacations and are about to install a trailer hitch. I drove a Nissan Rouge as a rental a couple years ago and while the size was the same, I didn't like it because it didn't accelerate quickly enough when pulling out into the road.

Nxy · December 2016

I've got a Hyundai Sonata (sedan) and even with my 6ft 2 DH driving DD still has lots of legroom in the back. I love my car. My friend here has a nice equinox but the backseat is significantly smaller than the one in my sedan and my trunk is bigger. DH is a car guy and I'm pretty sure my next car is going to be a VW tiguan just because that's what he wants me to drive and if he's fixing it, I'll pretty much drive whatever.

bumpybump · December 2016

@MissAnne84 I was just leaving the grocery store and saw a Volvo XC90 and was thinking about how it looked like similar space to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Your explanation sounds similar to my JGC one too. I do love the look of Volvos!

@Nxy one nice thing about the Equinox, that I didn't realize until I rode in a friend's, is that the back seats can slide back. So they can actually have a lot more room than you think.

Nxy · December 2016

@bumpybump no I don't mean for leg room I mean across. Our toddlers carseats very nearly touch in her equinox and in mine you could sit a very skinny adult between them. I will say that for a family of 4 I lover her equinox. It's a nice height and the ride is great. I just expected it to be a little.. bigger? Inside because it looks huge on the outside.

Cryssteen · December 2016

I have a 2 yo in a rear facing convertible seat in a Toyota Matrix (corolla hatch back). It's been fine with one, but two won't work. I'm gonna have to upgrade to a big SUV. Thinking third row too because i have two dogs who won't be able to come anywhere without it. My h drives a Silverado with a full cab. The seats should fit fine in there. No pups though

taylormarie923 · December 2016

The biggest thing is to look at space between the front and back seats. Those rear facing car seats take up so much room. I also had a fit and had to trade it in because the passenger seat was useless. I ended up going all out with a pathfinder, but even still the passenger seat can't move back at all. My mom has a Camry and there is plenty of room for a rearfacing seat, and for the front seats to move back.

smallbutmighty77 · December 2016

My husband has a mini Cooper S, so that'll be interesting. He promises he looked at car seats b4 buying and has a list of the ones that work well. (he got the car before we were ttc, just knew we would still have it when a kid came into the picture) I have been looking at a Jeep Grand Cherokee but the comments here have me a bit concerned. This will be our first child and I'm only 5'2" so I don't think it'll be an issue. We also have a big dog so I need enough back space for her and all the stuff that comes with.

bumpybump · December 2016

@smallbutmighty77 there are definitely car seats that'll fit in a vehicle. The Car Seats for Littles group is great for recommendations. I have two friends with Mini Coopers and LOs so I know it works but not sure on how much space you'll have.

MrsD4911 · January 2017

STM here-- I gave into thr minivan earlier this year and never thought I would be so happy! Before that, when my son was born I had a Honda Pilot!

middy411 · January 2017

STM- I have an Infiniti FX35 (crossover). Personally, I have always hated sedan/coupe cars. My first car/SUV was a Ford Explorer and then I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee, then a BMW 325i sedan then a BMW X3, now my Infiniti FX35. The only car I disliked was my BMW 325i sedan. It's mostly about feeling sturdy, up off the ground for me. But I also like the height SUVs give you for changing LO in the backseat or trunk. My DH drives a Honda Accord and anytime we travel in his car the sun beams in her face through the back window. I also HATE having to change her in the backseat. It's definitely do-able if you prefer to drive a car. But I much prefer something bigger and taller. I'm hoping to get a bigger full size SUV one day.

Mango517 · January 2017

@smallbutmighty77 I have a Mini Cooper and freaking love it! I've been doing some research on driving a Mini while having a baby. It seems to be doable and there are car seats and strollers that will fit just fine. The biggest issue seems to be getting kids into the car seat and leg room for the passenger. If you search you'll find lots of blogs and discussions on how to make it work. I still might take over driving my husband's sedan for trips with the baby and keep my Mini for solo commuting, but it's nice to know there are options for the Mini!

Sail@way · January 2017

We drove a sedan for my son's first 7 months and it worked wonderfully. We just upgraded to a crossover just before we found out about the new baby and I am starting to see how cramped we will be with two carseats. My husband is tall and won't have a comfortable seat once the new one comes so I don't know how long this car will last for us.

jpearl2307 · January 2017

This is all good info from everyone! I will take a carseat with me when I do go car shopping and make sure I take FH w/me . I may have to deal with my coupe for now since I have too much negative equity (boooooo

), but I hope this thread helped someone and is def good to know once I am able to get a different car!

MatteaGabrielle · January 2017

I've had a 4 door VW golf since my daughter was born. Her seat have fit in perfectly. Plenty of room in the hatch back for the jogging stroller too. It would easily fit the 2nd car seat in but we're Van or Sunday shopping for my business.

SarahBethBR · January 2017

We need to rethink our car situation as well. I have a civic hybrid and my H has a toyota tundra. We are wanting to keep my car and replace his with an SUV or wagon that he can drive daily and we can use for longer trips.

We're expecting twins so any suggestions for vehicles that are not gigantic (we have street parking and live in a neighborhood where tons of parallel parking is required) but will fit two RF carseats without squishing my 6'2" husband? We like Hondas and Toyotas but are open to other suggestions as well. He does not want a van, lol.

Mango517 · January 2017

I would say maybe to consider a quad cab truck, but I doubt that would give you the interior storage space that you'd need with twins. I know our truck is seriously lacking in interior storage since it's designed to put everything in the bed.

My suggestions would be either a Toyota 4Runner or Suburu Outback. The 4Runner because it's one of the few remaining suvs built on a truck platform instead of a car one, and since your H already drives a truck he might prefer to have something that feels a bit more truck like in an suv. They are roomy without being huge, so I don't think you'd have problems with legroom even with two carseats.

Subaru Outback- closer to a wagon but should give you enough room for twins, great AWD, and a smaller footprint.

I love car chat

Hope this helps @SarahBethBR

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