Do I need a bigger car?

[MyPinkViper]

First time mum, due in January 2025. I currently have a 3 door mini cooper. Is this completely impractical for a newborn?

The boot is obviously small so any pram would need to be compact, and how impossible is it to get a car seat in the back of a 3 door?

I love my car, so I'd very sad to give it up

The size is not irrelevant, it does matter if you use it to go everywhere, long journeys etc. Initially we went on lots of long drives/uk hols and filled a car double that size...prams can small - I have a babyzen yoyo as a travel one and it's very small, but if that's not a thing you do then for day to day or the odd occasion it would be fine. But the 3 door would have been an issue for me. You're leaning in to do straps up for an awful long time and having to get in to do it would have really done me in over the years. Mine is now at an age where they can do the seat belt up as no longer using a 5 point harness, and I'm not affected by it - but it took 5 years to get there.

I guess it depends as well on how easy / how small the car seat is and what one you go for. Can you get it off an isofix and out easily with a sleeping baby that you don't want to wake to carry them in / attach to the pram? If you have the luxury of being able swap cars, then I personally would.

That being said plenty of people manage it, just look for equipment that fits what you have

I have a friend who managed to make it work with a 3 door- I think they had a Citroen c1. Although they said once they conceive a second she will get a bigger car. She only used her car if it was just her and her baby going out, if her husband was around they used his bigger car.

I have a five door car,
refused a three door car due to taking my nieces around when they were young. I still find my car a faff because it’s a clio so small boot. However I have a 360 twisting seat, so you could have an isofix base with a removable car seat for baby, then 360 could solve some of the faff of going in from the front and still have them rear face. You can get 360 from birth too as an option.

I have a three door small car and I have managed. It isn't forever that you will need to transport a pram etc, for example. I would wait and see how you go. Make sure that you check what can fit before you buy things - our pram shop checked by putting the pram we liked in the boot for example.

I am sure many people wouldn't be comfortable with this/ may criticise me, but I had my baby car seat on the front passenger seat (you need to check this is permitted with the model you choose) with the air bag disabled. I then moved her into the back around the time she was the right weight to forward face/ outgrew the first carseat. If you want them rearward facing until they're much older, then something to consider as it is a pain when you only have 3 doors and they can't get themselves in. Putting her in forward facing is no problem.

I also had mine in the front with the correct protocols followed. She screamed till she was sick when she was tiny - you do what's right for you at the time. Then eventually moved her round to the back when she was about 4 months as she didn't look comfortable in the carry car seat and similarly to a 360

I had 3 door for about 8 months when I had my first. I'm not going to say it was great, because I DEFINATELY was a lot happier when I got a 5 door, but it was totally doable.

As a newborn, I climbed in and out the back carrying him in the carseat. I felt safe doing it. As he got bigger I moved to climbing with him in both my arms securely, and I didn't take a step until my foot was firm on the ground/floor. Later I got a spinning carseat, which was lifechanging as I didn't have to climb to get him in and out.

I'd say doable but not ideal.

I've always had a small car (an Aygo) which limited our choice of pram due to the boot size, but was otherwise fine. But I wouldn't have chosen to have a baby with a 3 door car.
I'm also not sure our larger extended rear facing car seat would fit in a smaller car. It only just about fits in an Aygo. But that's an issue for when they're a bit older.

It's going to be difficult to get the car seat in and out of a 3 door. It'll hurt your back doing it often.
It's not a about the size really- I had a 5 door corsa when I had my first baby and it was fine- but a 3 door is impractical

I'm exactly the same as you OP. I'm due Feb 25 and until last week had a three door mini. I thought it would be far too difficult with a car seat in the back and leaning in and out, plus at the moment when DH and i go away we're already filling the back seat as well as the boot. We decided very quickly that the mini wouldn't be practical and we would get a bigger 5 door car. We ended up going for a Dacia as we could afford a brand new one, which makes me feel a little better about giving up my mini.

I get what you say about being sad to give the mini up, they are not just cars! I loved my mini and was i don't think it's too strong to say i was devastated to give mine up. Sometime in the future i will have a mini again!

People do manage with small cars, and you could do it, but the 3 doors and the size of the mini would make it more difficult.

I had to get rid of my mini when I had my first - it would have been an absolute nightmare getting a carseat in and out and no chance would you manage with a normal pram (sorry! It broke my heart too)

Due February 2025 here, and in the exact same predicament 😂 because my husband and I both have a 3 door car each. Mine is a 1999 VW Golf Cabrio (convertible) and I would be heartbroken to give it up, as my DH has done so much work to it and it's the car I've always wanted. I'm determined to make it work with baby!!

I had a 3 door Saxo with my first. I managed.

I had a Nissan Pixo (5 door) when baby arrived. Loved my little car, but knew it wasn’t going to do us forever especially as we had hoped for a second. I got a Kia Sportage when baby was ~ 8 months and honestly, I’m really happy with the bigger car. It’s now our “main” family car and no issues with space. Expecting second in a few weeks so glad I made the change

I swapped to a 5 door 1 series, whilst I have loved it I’m counting down the days for a 3 door 🤣

I had a Mini Cooper. Managed fine until I went back to work but clambering about in the back with ds to get him in the car seat in a work dress was just too much.

Changed to a 5 door golf. Probably saved my back but was sad to see it go. Not so much pram choice but I had a maxi cosi travel system which did fit in the boot

I had a 3 door corsa when DD was born - we made it work as there was no other choice. We didn't even have isofix so had to faff around with the seat belt every time too. It was actually fine once we got used to it.

Until I got my current car (need a big 4x4 now as DD rides horses) a few years ago I've always had small cars. Only one kid though so I guess it depends if you're planning more 🙂

I have a friend with 2 kids 2.5 years apart and has a ford ka. She makes it work!

I had a 3 door Clio which was fine with my first baby but being pregnant with my second made bending and twisting tough. I swapped it for a fiesta 5 door which is fab and fits a double buggy in the boot. I don't get the need for massive cars, particularly when roads are filling up and parking is tight.

You will manage, lots of people do, but in terms of comfort and carrying everything we need with ease (we have a very big Stokke pram) we upgraded from a 5 door Ford Fiesta to a Vauxhall Mokka a couple of weeks after we brought our baby home. Appreciate we were fortunate to be able to do that fairly casually.

We were having to juggle the carrycot on the back seat, wheels in the boot, nappy bag in the footwell, couldn't really fit any shopping in, couldn't take a passenger at all other than us two and the baby, if we also needed the pram.

Now everything has its own permanent place in the car and there's still space, life is easier!

There are definitely options - you just need to be creative! And find a good local baby store which will let you try things in the car before buying.

Belt fitted seats on the front passenger seat with airbag disabled is one option. You can get RF seats which go up to huge sizes so by the time they are in a high back booster they are in a better position for the airbag to be back on. Better for permanent seats, so you're not having to remember to switch back and forth for adult passengers.

Look at prams where they lie flat without the need for a carrycot - this saves a lot of space.

The infant seat is less of an issue because you don't strap them into it in the car, you do it in the house or if you've come out and put them into the buggy you can carry the seat around to the boot to do this so again, get them back into the seat in the boot then lift it into place. Worth getting a base which is released by a button on the car seat handle - Britax used to do this, not sure if any company still does.

Or 360 seats as someone else suggested for the toddler stage - just check the button to spin it is accessible from the back.

Or you collapse the middle + side back seat, and put baby's seat on the one which is still up, and lean in through the boot to get them strapped in - would make it hard to have an adult passenger in the back.

Or Joie make belt fitted rear facing seats, you can hold baby on your lap and sit into the back seat, then lift them into the seat, strap in and get into the front.

We had a 3dr Mini Cooper and the isofix base (Cybex T 360) would not fit in the back at all! We had to put the baby in the front and one adult in the back. Pram fitted fine with half the rear seat folded down.

3 doors and with the law being baby needs to rear face till 15 months would be an absolute nightmare. One of our cars was a 3 door when we had ds and it was awful. My brother had to get rid of their 3 door even the 360 didn’t help in manoeuvring baby in and out.
a small 5 door is fine, re boot space it’s not always the size of the boot that’s the issue but the shape and whether it’s boot opening or hatchback/estate style.

I had this same problem earlier this year, I ended up selling the Mini as I found it impossible to find a car seat that would fit in the back and didn’t want baby to sit in the front. I thought I would make it work but I’m glad I got a bigger car now as I always have a mountain of stuff to transport! If you want to keep the car you’ll be limited in choice of pram etc

I did it with my first.
Had a mini 3 door.

We got a 360 car seat and a ocarro pram. We had to detach the wheels to put it in the boot but was easy enough.

We managed for about 18 months that way.

Its doable.