Husband and I are looking to get pregnant and are saying goodbye to beloved Toyota Paseo.
We found a lot of advice on family cars, but little advice on cars for pregnant women/infants. (other than this link discussing Ford Edge) http://www…9727.shtml
Special needs I can think of- I get carsick easily, and need to be in front. With pregnancy, likely to get worse. Any cars that are less prone to making passengers motionsick?
Some articles talk about need for roomy backseats for the baby chairs, and need for lots of room in the trunk, as with babies come strollers, diapers, etc.
We had been recommended a minivan, but think it is more for 3-4 kids, and perhaps older kids. Current plan is one now, and maybe another one in 2-3 years.
We have a budget of 10-15K, and live in Southern California.
My personal advice is to keep what you have and save the money, you are going to need it. Kids are expensive. BTW you can have a kid with your current car.
Now if you can afford it, and if you want a new car, fine, I see no reason not to get one, but remember that it is not really necessary.
Motion sickness: I believe you will find that cars with soft suspensions are more of a problem for motion sickness than those that are a little stiffer. Also I believe you will find that good visibility will also help. That is why back seat passengers often have more problems than front seat passengers and reading a book makes it worse.
Good luck.
My advice on cars is to buy one for the longer haul. Keeping a car for a longer period(7-10 years) is financially wise vs replacing more frequently.
Hi,
When my wife had our first child, she was driving a Ford Taurus station wagon. The wagon was good for the storage room since as first time parents we tended to over pack for trips to Grandmom’s. The usual stuff, diaper bag, stroller, porta-crib, etc.
We moved up to a minivan when the kids were 1 and 4 years old. A minivan might be overkill for 2 children, but when they’re old enough to get on each other’s nerves, the third row can be a blessing. Eight years later, I tried to talk my wife into a sedan or wagon, but we ended up with another minivan (Toyota Sienna). At a minimum, I would recommend a car or wagon with 4 doors, accessing a baby seat in a 2 door car gets old quick.
Good luck,
Ed B.
You are not yet ready for a minivan. Any 4-door sedan will serve you well, and I espcially recommend a station wagon or hatchback (sometimes called a crossover) for extra cargo capacity. Keep the car healthy for as long as possible, say 7-10 years, and then consider your situation for your next purchase.
Your budget is limited but check out a new Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Matrix, or Ford Focus wagon. Buying used extends your spending power of course.
It will be hard to get the child in and out of the Paseo. You might want a sedan instead of the coupe. Another possibility is a small wagon/SUV. The Chevy Equinox has an interesting feature. The rear seat moves forward and back. You can adjust it back if you want to ride with your new child, and forward if there’s lots of cargo. You obviously keep your cars a long time if you still drive a Paseo.
Thank you for the replies!
The Paseo is not an option. The car is old, 15 years, two door, has a tiny back seat and no airbags. We do drive cars a long time, so we are looking for something that would last 5-8 years without a need for a change. We are looking into getting used/certified, with a warranty from a dealer. One of the considerations is that cars 2002-on had a special baby seat latch requirement that would make more of them safer and compatible with current child seats on the market.
Anonymous=me. Still working on figuring out board software. D’oh!
Yes, stick to a vehicle that is 2001 or newer to get the mandated LATCH system. It makes securing a car seat properly a snap. For our first pregnancy, my wife went from a Ford Mustang GT to an SUV. But that took in other considerations.
Keep in mind:
- Ease of getting in and out when you are 7+ months pregnant with a huge belly.
- Getting the carrier into the vehicle easily. The carriers can be heavy and the kid keeps growing.
- Getting the kid into a car seat easily once they get bigger like 11+ months. So good access is important.
I know one coworker that loves their Camry sedan. Large back seat that is easily accessible, has the LATCH system and gets good fuel mileage. That’s just one option.
List all your regular needs for the vehicle and then any special needs (like hauling dogs). You can use that to pare down the list.
Buy a Ford Crown Victoria. It has plenty of room for babies and car seats, easy access, tons of trunk room, and a huge backseat, so not only can you transport baby in the car, you can conceive baby in it too!
It probably won’t matter what you buy, you will fill it up when you travel with a baby. When my grand daughter, who is now 5, was an infant, my son had a 4 door Olds Cutlass Supreme. They had it filled with so much stuff I didn’t see how they even got into the car. On one 450 mile trip to visit us, the car wouldn’t start when he was ready to leave. His church let him borrow a 15 passenger van. They filled that up completely. He now has a minivan and really likes it. His wife brought a Ford Mustang to the marriage, but she prefers driving the minivan. It is certainly easier to put the infant seat and now the booster seat into the minivan. I also have a minivan and it is wonderful to ride in when we are all together. I bought my present minivan a year ago and it came with a rear DVD player that I had never used. My 5 year old grand daughter discovered it on our last visit a week ago. While I was trying to decipher the owners’ manual to see how to work it, she put in a DVD and had it playing. I have a minivan because I manage (and play in) a small chamber orchestra. I’ve had 3 tympani, one string bass, 2 French horns, music stands and a passsenger in the minivan at one time. There should be enough room for all of baby’s things in a minivan.
Regina, you might want to test derive a Crown Victoria or Marquis. You might like it. I doubt it, since you are in a small car now. But the choice is yours. I don’t like them myself, or their luxury cousin, the Lincon Town Car. I find them uncomfortable, they have poor gauges, and the handling is atrocious. To me. Lproctor and a few others around here like theirs, so somebody loves them.