To ask about cars for first time parents?

[tobspurpleskies24]

DW and I (both turning 30 this year, married, own a house together, postgrad educated professionals) are planning to TTC within the next year and want to buy our first real "family" car this summer. Don't want anything massive like a people carrier but would need to be five door. Just want some advice really - for instance do any MNers own small hatchbacks and still manage to fit prams etc? Any help much appreciated :)

I had a small Peugeot 106 when the kids were small and never had a problem. Baby seat and toddler seat fitted. Could get push chair in the boot. The key thing was to have two toddler seats - 1 in each car - as swapping over every time one or other of us wanted to drive with DC was a pain.

We have a Focus too. It didn't come with the isofix attachments but the garage we bought it from fitted it very cheaply.

My dad worked for Ford for many years, and my parents, sister and I all have a Focus, they are so safe, reliable and hard wearing.

We had a Focus, worked really well for us.

Have since got a BMW 1 series - in comparison the boot space is tiny and the internal storage in the cabin is also pants (but it is more fun to drive).

I would have liked a Qashqai too, and they have very good rear legroom and space for ERF carseats.

I've got a Golf. It doesn't feel as roomy as my old Focus. The boot is definitely smaller.

another vote for the ford focus - great family car I had 2 - now with 3 kids I have a bus

I'm a fan of 3 doors though - I found the much easier to use than 5 - I found putting baby in the car seat while I was facing them much less strain on my back than leaning over trying to do it

I've got a Fabia (not the estate version), which is my little car for me and my three (8, 2 and 6 months). Admittedly the eight year old sits in the front, but can manage to squeeze in a phil and teds double and a bit of shopping in the boot.

If we're all going out as a family or I fancy nicking off with something faster or doing a big distance with all the kids, we fit three across the back of dh's Octavia estate.

We have a juke but wish we'd gone for the Qashqai - do not underestimate the amount of Space you will need for bags etc as well as car seat.

Isofix base is a must in my opinion.

We have iCandy peach & need to take a wheel off to get fitted in boot. Usually take the 2 wheels so it lies flatter. Not a massive disturbance but in rain , wind etc it's a pain!

I spent the first five years of parenthood with a 10-15 year old three door fiesta and it really wasn't much of a problem, although we were slightly restricted on buggies that would fit in the boot. Strapping the car seat in the back was the biggest pain.

We have a focus now though and it feels like an obscene amount of space! Handy to be able to fit three kids in the back to ferry friends around now they are a bit older.

Another Skoda Fabia driver, brilliant car. It's my second one and we have 2 dc. I have a baby jogger city mini which lives in the boot.

We bought a BMW 5series estate when I was pregnant with dc1. I kept it until pregnant with dc3 7yrs later. It was superb, the boot easily took a pram and overnight bags for when we went away . And as the bigger 2 got older, we could leave wellies in there too.