2 dogs and a baby - what car would you get?!

[BananaHammock23]

We've got two smallish dogs - a toy poodle and a Bedlington terrier, and a baby on the way in August. Does such a car exist that would fit the dogs, the baby, a pram and potentially some luggage in?!

At the mo we have a Mercedes A Class which I absolutely love. The dogs get put in the boot with a barrier thing to stop them hopping over to the backseat. Plan is obvs for baby to go in the back, but that leaves nowhere for the pram if we were to go for a day out, and definitely no room if we were to travel.

My parents live 4 hours away so we do a lot of driving and comfort for all is key!

Any recommendations?

Do you lift the dogs in and out of the boot or do you need something low that they can easily jump in and out of? (Sorry not a dog owner and have no idea)

If it would work for the dogs I'd suggest a Skoda Octavia estate as the boot is absolutely massive and you could fit a dog crate on one side and still have plenty of space for a pushchair and luggage on the other.

Thanks @AnotherEmma - will check that out! Sounds like the sort of thing we need. The dogs are pretty bouncy and can jump in and out, but they're small enough to lift if we needed to in the future.

@BananaHammock23 we have a Honda CR-V. 2 dogs (Doberman and medium sized rescue) have the boot, baby the back seat and us in the front. I also have a 17 year old so have bought a second hand quinny zapp buggy so that we can all fit in for a day out (we couldn't with our normal pram). Think it will mean a roof box if he wants to come on holiday with us

👍
This is the boot!
And a review:
www.whatcar.com/skoda/octavia/estate/used-review/n854

Range Rover?

I've got 2 spaniels and have a VW T Roc. It's got a huge boot without being too massive a car.

My area of expertise! I’ve just got an Audi q8 which is huge and fits everything! But before that I had a VW Polo and managed to get the travel system, carry cot, both dogs, baby in the car seat and myself in there! Have you looked at the dog booster seats? They’re basically a basket with a strap that hangs from the headrest and one that goes around the seat. Stops dog hair getting on the seats and there’s a strap to secure them inside so they can’t jump out. Or a seat cover to protect the seats and a specific car harness - RAC do one which is crash tested and accepted by car and pet insurance. Again dog is secure so can’t get out/lick baby! I used to have my little dog in the front seat in the booster seat/basket, car seat in the back seat, carry cot sideways in the middle seat, big dog in the car harness on the other back seat and the pushchair frame in the boot! Not ideal but I managed, could be easier than buying a new car if you’re only looking for that reason. The Q8 is amazing though - big enough boot that I fan stack the carrycot on top of the frame and both dogs fit comfortably next to it.

Same scenario! 2 spaniels and a baby. Looking at Volvo XC60. You can get a split guard for the boot. Dogs one side and luggage/ pram the other leaving the backseat free. I found I could even put the bugaboo bassinet lengthways in the boot, ontop of my suitcase which seems to be rare.

We have a toyota corolla fits 3 teens and 2 Labrador sized dogs. It's a squash with luggage so have a roof box.