Cars...

[crazycatlady82]

Hi,

I should start by saying my husband and I are in the position of trying to conceive. However, we are also considering a new car.

I have a soft spot for convertibles (although I currently have a fiat 500).

Am I mad assuming that I could get a pushchair in the boot of a BMW 3 series convertible? Or the other thought was a BMW x3/x5 (4x4).

What is the best option with a screaming small child?

Any thoughts are very much appreciated

Xxx

Not sure if the 3 series convertible comes in a 5 door option, but please trust me you will HATE any 3 door car. Lugging a 10Lb+ baby inside car seat in and out of a 3 door car is awful and if youve had a section I'd imagine it'll be next to impossible.
DH had a 3 door and insisted it would be fine. took 2 years for him to admit it was a silly choice.

An average weekend away with a baby will entail you taking:
small bag for you and DP
Buggy (which would take up most of the boot in a 3 series I would think)
Travel cot
Large bag/suitcase filled with about 10 changes of clothes, pack of nappies, sleeping bags, muslins, etc
Monitor
usual change bag
steriliser and bottles or breast pump if using

At the bare minimum.

My advice on choosing a car suitable for a baby/child would be:
5 doors
Boot you can easily get all the above in
Enough space in the back that you can put baby behind the passenger seat and your DP can still sit comfortably (difficult to keep an eye on baby even with mirror, if he's behind your seat)
If you want to stay rear facing til later (and i believe law will soon change to 15m) then factor this into space need in the back (rear facing seats need lots of room <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.securatot.co.uk/images/articles/large/Izi_Combi-0032_500.jpg&imgrefurl=www.securatot.co.uk/article.php?category_id%3D5%26article_id%3D29&h=500&w=333&sz=35&tbnid=FbiFozOTTW3v5M:&tbnh=98&tbnw=65&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dbesafe%2Bizi%2Bpicture%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=besafe+izi+picture&usg=__anuq3ir7PCKB9dF4A1bWAoJEYps=&docid=LTav-Ke4bjxKSM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PzwjUZKxEOqO0AXug4CABg&ved=0CC8Q9QEwAA&dur=1216" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see here)
Make sure there is a power point in the back for the later essential dvd player, if you want a peaceful journey with a 2 year old.
Get leather/wipeclean seats.

We have a hyundai santa fe 7 seater, which seemed excessive for 1 child but now no2 is on the way it's a relief to know we wont need to change. The boot without the other seats up is enormous! Great car, but maybe not what you're looking for. It's hard to make that leap from couple car to family car at first.

I had a Peugeot 307cc which is a hard top convertible but with two proper back seats before I had DS. It had a great big boot, but massive really heavy doors and was very awkward getting the baby seat in and out (as it's only a 2 door car obviously). I kept it until I was 8 months pregnant and then we sold it and now I have a 5 door aygo, which is weeny but very practical. Our pushchair fits in the boot etc. Until recently our other car was a 4 x 4 which we've just sold for a ford focus (soooo practical and I certainly don't love it, but needs must!). I would say that much as I LOVED my 2 litre petrol convertible it would have been a bloody nightmare with getting all the baby stuff in and out. I reckon they are probably fine when children are a bit bigger and can get in and out of the car themselves. Those stage 1 car seats are light as a feather with a new born, but 11kg of baby is really awkward to carry!

I don't agree that you need a huge car when you have kids. When we were kids massive people carriers didnt exist! Maybe people with 4 kids had a Volvo estate but other than that it was just normal hatchbacks and saloons! I think a convertible is ok, esp if you are only planning one child so can pack stuff on back seat. My tip is ( from my cousin who has an Audi) buy a buggy and car seat first and take them on test drives. Then you know if they'll fit. If you have smaller space you will be limited in buggy size so no bugaboo chameleons or donkeys! We have a bee which fits our small family car perfectly.