I am the type of person to resist buying a new car just because you have kids. I mean, my mom lugged us around in her little sedan and didn't feel the need for a huge car. So, yes, I was judgmental at all those who went out and bought big cars when they started having kids.
And then today I put our carseat in the car and ... I want a new car! I just never realized how small the backseat of our car is. I installed it behind the passenger seat because there was no way my husband could drive the car with it behind the driver's seat. And even the front passenger will be squeezed with how far up the seat needs to be. I was young and broke and right out of college when I bought Simon (yes, I named my car), and things like power windows and locks seemed like luxuries back then. But dealing with locking the door while holding even the empty carrier was a big hassle. Now poor old Simon's 10th birthday is coming up, so we have already started saving for a replacement. But I think we may be moving up that timeline. One serving of crow coming up.
And an update to my previous post. I sent off an indignant email to the hotel. If I don't hear anything and am bored in our drive to the birth state next week, I may make a phone call.
Dancing in the Rain…
5 years ago
I used our Toyota Matrix with our twins for the first three months, and it wasn't easy, although I would have kept doing it. We had one seat in the middle and one on the passenger side, for the same reason as you, there was no way anyone could drive with a seat behind the driver. It was hard to get the baby in the middle in and out of the car. On the other hand, now I have a van, and getting a kid out of each side and a stroller out of the back is a huge production. And I can't park the thing either, because it's so big. So I don't know. I don't think there's a simple answer.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way before kids. We had to get a new car while I was expecting Ginny because our old car was bleeding us dry with constant repairs. Our new car (07 Prius) has been great with the car seat. The issue we are facing now is the fact that we'll need a double stroller. With two car seats and a double stroller, things as simple as grocery shopping will be a challenge (where the heck do we put the groceries?), not to mention trips to visit my parents. I don't want a van, but I would like to have something a little bigger (maybe a Rav 4 or something). If only it was in the budget...
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DeleteWe had two kids in carseats in an older toyota corrola, which is smaller than the prius, I typically did not leave my double stroller in the car for grocery shopping, and that's how I took care of that... You'll be surprised how much room you find too, the kids don't take up any leg room, so there's that, the middle seat, etc., it's definitely doable.
DeleteIf you put the carseat in the middle seat, it's safer and it also gives you a little extra room. Actually in our toyota, we could both have our seats back as far as we wanted, because the carseat fit in-between the two front seats.
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