Twins coming and 25-lb dog - car options/advice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you looked at the Mazda 5? It has two seats in the second row--the minivan-style ones, not a bench seat--plus a bench seat that folds down in the 3rd row. It's not that much longer than my current Prius; I parked next to one at Target a few weeks back specifically to make the comparison because we also live in the city and only have street parking. We have a 50lb dog and baby #2 on the way and it's what we're considering if we decide we can't make do with our current car (the Prius is our only one). I have not driven it or checked out the storage space in person, but it looks like a good city option. And I've been seeing tons of them on the road lately, so it looks like lots of others agree.

I walked by a new Prius wagon this morning and it look surprisingly roomy, but that was just eye-balling it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I too am expecting twins and have a dog. Are there scenarios where you experienced parents can foresee where you would need to put (or commonly be putting) the stroller and dog in the car at the same time? Maybe for a week/weekend away or long walk at a park, but how often does a twins stroller come into play for a twins mom? Is it a "need it most everywhere" item?

OP here, good point! I better get clear on what it is that is going to be going in the car most frequently and what is a once a year occurrence. Experiences/opinions on this would be great. What can I expect to be hauling besides the twins themselves. Groceries. Backpacks of their things. The dog (we will visit my parents a half hour away alot and I will bring the dog). A stroller (also not sure how often this comes along). What else?

Thanks for all the good suggestions everyone, I will look at them all.

[Anonymous]

We have a 4-year-old and are expecting baby #2 this summer, and we have a 45-pound dog. Like a pp, we have only a Prius now, which is fine except on road trips. The things we've needed to take for DD through babyhood until now (pack & play, stroller, etc.) don't leave much space for everything else you have to take on a road trip. And the Prius is surprisingly roomy.

So now we are considering the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Ford Flex, and a couple of others. All have 3rd row seats, but their actual size varies. We need the 3rd row for frequent grandparent visits. (with 2 car seats, they can't fit in our Prius)

FWIW, when DD was a baby we took a stroller nearly everywhere, although it was sometimes an umbrella stroller. But having twins complicates that!

[Anonymous]

We're in a slightly different situation (kids will be 2 years apart and our dog is an 80 pound lab), but we also take frequent weekend trips and have grandparents/family around a lot. We're going to be replacing our mid-size SUV before #2, since we can fill that thing in no time already! We're trying to decide whether to just get something huge (like a mini-van or Tahoe), or try to make a slightly smaller SUV (like a Traverse or Pilot) work. If you like to keep your cars for a while and think there is a chance you'll have another, I would get something bigger. We got my SUV (which I love) when I was pregnant with #1. Now that we are replacing a 2 1/2 year old car, we're trying to think ahead and get something big enough to continue to work if we go for a 3rd!

[Anonymous]

Acadia twin mom here to answer your question. Honestly, it depends a lot on you. I keep my stroller in the car at all times. To start I had the double snap n go in there, then when they outgrew that, I switched to my double Maclaren. It never leaves the car (almost never). Especially before they were walking, I never wanted to be caught somewhere and not be able to get out of the car because I didn't have a way to get both kids around. We also take our dog when we go most (long distance) places, so for us, having the kids, the stroller and the dog was/is a regular occurrence. Aside from that, I'm a pretty like traveler for day trips, so it's just my rather large purse. But we go to my parents house a fair amount and that's a semi long drive, so we do that a bunch too and between pack n plays and clothes we manage to fill the trunk pretty well.

[Anonymous]

We just got a Highlander to accommodate our second. It has the third row seat when you need it- car pool, visitors- but otherwise plenty of space for what you describe as well as a dog in the back. You can just use one of the third row seats too if you just need an extra one and still need some storage place. We find it has plenty of room and we do a lot of road trips with luggage, buy pieces of furniture we are able to fit in the back. The middle row can work as a bench seat to seat three or you can take out the middle portion to allow more room between the carseats. I fit it easy to get the kids in and out of- certainly as easy as a minivan- without having to go that route (which as superficial as it may be, I could never, ever do). We also looked at the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX which all have a 3rd row option and I think would suit your needs without going TOO big.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Acadia twin mom here to answer your question. Honestly, it depends a lot on you. I keep my stroller in the car at all times. To start I had the double snap n go in there, then when they outgrew that, I switched to my double Maclaren. It never leaves the car (almost never). Especially before they were walking, I never wanted to be caught somewhere and not be able to get out of the car because I didn't have a way to get both kids around. We also take our dog when we go most (long distance) places, so for us, having the kids, the stroller and the dog was/is a regular occurrence. Aside from that, I'm a pretty like traveler for day trips, so it's just my rather large purse. But we go to my parents house a fair amount and that's a semi long drive, so we do that a bunch too and between pack n plays and clothes we manage to fill the trunk pretty well.

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+1

Another twin mom here. I usually had the stroller in the car before they could walk, especially if I was alone with them. I also kept 2 ergos in the car. Sometimes I would choose the one-in-the-ergo, other on my hip or in a single stroller option.

We had 2 sedans for the first 14 months and we joked that we could either have a trip to costco OR the double stroller but not both. We got a minivan at 14 months and life got a whole lot easier.

[Anonymous]

Okay, not a parent of twins, but we have a VW Passat wagon, and it easily fits two kids + 40 lb dog. And it's not even that roomy! I have a MacLaren double stroller and it fits in the back, though I can't be positive if one of the behemoth double strollers would work. OP - I really don't think you HAVE to get a minivan...

[Anonymous]

Another twin mom here. Stroller lived in the back permanently because, as you will soon find out, it's all about containment. You'll want to be able to strap them into something wherever you go. We had a big dog and traded in our Outback for a minivan when we found out we were expecting twins. We needed room for the double stroller, 2 packnplays (when traveling overnight), etc. And never underestimate the beauty of sliding doors when wrangling kids in tight parking lots.

[Anonymous]

We have twins and rarely use our car, but when we do we take the stroller unless we are going to a friends or a playground. We typically drive places like the zoo where we need to be able to contain them and go for more than a block without stopping constantly. we used to take two carriers, but now that our twins are 25-30 pounds and it is warmer out, that is more than we can take for a long period of time. We have the mazda 3 and it's really not big enough -mazda 5 would be much better.

[Anonymous]

Expectant twin mom here - I'm not a fan of SUVs or Minivans, so we just bought a VW Jetta Sportwagen and love it. Friends of ours who have 3 kids (twins and an older child) love their sportwagen, so we checked it out. It has a huge storage area in the back. Car shopping is so personal. I hope you find something great to fit your needs. Good luck!