HELP... Three kids under four... do I really need a minivan???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Embrace the minivan. It will make things so much easier. My girlfriend just traded in her Audi q7 for a sienna and loves it. Her kids are 5, 3, and 1

Unless you live in the city and parallel park a lot. Then, a minivan or a big SUV is your worst nightmare. You can fit three across in a Volvo station wagon and they are easy to parallel park. The station wagon does give you a little bit of storage/luggage room.

Volvo wagons are no smaller than a lot of SUVs. And three across is really not practical.

[Anonymous]

What about affordability? Aren't there some third row SUVs that cost less than a minivan? I just have sticker shock when I look at siennas, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your 3.5 year old will want to bring friends home or to carpool to events within the next 1-2 yrs. Get the minivan.

This makes no logic to me to spend extra money to transport other people's kids. Just transport your own kids and let the parents drop off/pick up if necessary. I wouldn't expect anyone to buy a larger car to drive my extra child in.

Save the money and get new seats if you need them.

[Anonymous]

Same boat, OP with the affordability. If you really look, you can find some decent used ones Sienna's and Odysseys. You may end up going to Fredericksburg or upper MD but they are out there. Plus you don't really need the automatic trunk and other features that to make the price go up if you don't want them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about the Mazda 5, which is sort of a cross between a mini-van and a station wagon? Smaller and better gas mileage, but still has the sliding doors and third row seats. You can keep one of the backseats folded for more trunk space. Here is the review that got me interested in this car:

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/04/mazda-5-the-mini-minivan/

I was planning on getting a Mazda 5 when I was about to have my third but you really can't put a car seat in the back row. It doesn't have latches and the space is very narrow. I actually called the manufacturer and they said it was not approved for car seats. I am sure people do it but that isn't what it is meant for. I think the Mazda 5 is great if you have 2 kids and an occasional guest or even three kids if children are older and don't need car seats.

The people over at car-seat.org seem to have no problem putting carseats in the 3rd row--tons of posts and photos if you search. They don't seem the type to go against a manufacturer's recommendations, either. The third row in the 2012 also apparently has tethers--but no latch--so that would be odd if Mazda didn't anticipate carseats back there.

[Anonymous]

I got 3 radian carseats across my civic.

[Anonymous]

OP, it will be fine until one of them gets into a booster seat. When you cram a booster seat in there, it will be difficult to buckle because the other seats are in the way.

I fit three-across in my Audi A-3. I had two Sunshine Kid Radians FF (one middle; one driver's side) and the Combi Coccoro RF (passenger side).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Embrace the minivan. It will make things so much easier. My girlfriend just traded in her Audi q7 for a sienna and loves it. Her kids are 5, 3, and 1

Unless you live in the city and parallel park a lot. Then, a minivan or a big SUV is your worst nightmare. You can fit three across in a Volvo station wagon and they are easy to parallel park. The station wagon does give you a little bit of storage/luggage room.

Volvo wagons are no smaller than a lot of SUVs. And three across is really not practical.

I have tried to parallel park my sister's minivan in our neighborhood and it was hard. I didn't like being so high off the ground. Hers did not have a rear view camera, so maybe that helps. If you live in the city and are thinking about a minivan or SUV, make sure that part of your test drive is to parallel park in a tight space between two cars over and over again. I know that for me, it was a much bigger challenge than doing so in something built on a lower car frame. I'm sure I could learn to do it, but I drive in the city every day and only take long car trips a few times a year. For one big trip, we rented an SUV and returned it when we got to our destination. For $50 in rental fees, you can have the big car you need for a long drive and a smaller car that works better for city living the rest of the time.

[Anonymous]

We just bought a minivan last weekend. #3 is 11 weeks old and I couldn't take it anymore. I was hurting my back putting him in his seat in the middle OVER the booster seats, my girls couldn't buckle their seatbelts, it didn't seem safe for them to be on top of each other like that. In fact, when LO has to get out of the carrier/base, I have no idea how three seats would have fit in the back of our SUV.

We were looking at used Odysseys and Siennas but ended up getting a new Sienna because it was only $15 more a month than used (and new was under $30k with unbelievable list if standard items on the car like automatic doors, backup camera, hands free calling and satellite radio)

I have been in it for six days and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. It has made life so much easier, especially the automatic doors. And SO much storage space.

Get the minivan.

[Anonymous]

When we had two, we had a Subaru Forester. Once #3 came, we got the minivan. I love it, even 6 years later. My kids can fit in DH's backseat , (2 still in boosters, ages 5 and 7) and even though DS (10 ) does not use a seat in DH's car, it is very hard to get buckled with 3 across (he has a VW Passat). I am sure it can be done, but I do not know many who got a minivan , who regret it. Last year, DH used the van for a trip for a week, and I almost went insane with the kids being that close to each other, and me in the front seat. Not necessarily fighting, but the talking competition......We have a Honda Odyssey.

[Anonymous]

You've got a couple of options if you don't want a mini van but want more seating:

Under 20K:
Mazda 5;

Under 25 K:
Mitsubishi Outlander;

Under 30K[/u]
Kia Sorento;
Toyota Highlander;
Nissan Pathfinder;
Ford Explorer; Flex;
Hyundi Veracruz;
Honda Pilot;
Chevy Traverse:
Mazda CX-9;

Under 35K[u]
Subaru Tribeca;
GMC Acadia






Chevy Traverse; Tahoe; Suburban;
Dodge Journey; Durango;
Mazda CX-9;



Honda Pilot;
Sequoia
Ford Flex, Explorer, Expedition;
Subaru Tribeca;
GMC Acadia; Yukon;
Buick Enclave;
Volvo XC-90;
Infiniti JX-35; QX-56;
Acura MDX;
Lincoln MKT; Navigator;
Audi Q7;
Mercedes R-Class; E-Class; GL-Class;
Lexus GX 460;

[Anonymous]

OP - same boat as you. We had a 1999 Sub Outback (loved it!), but couldn't do the 3 kids in the back seat. I did it for as week and it killed my back trying to get the middle kid strapped in. Plus, it took us forever to get in/out of the car since the kids were tripping over each other, etc. I even climbed in through the hatchback in attempt to buckle everyone, but the buckles kept getting wedged between the seats.
The "skinny" car seats are expensive and heavy. Just something to think about.

We literally just got a minivan 2 weeks ago (Kia). I miss my outback, but the minivan is more functional for little kids who can't quite buckle themselves in. And everything is higher so I'm not contorting myself.
The one thing I don't like is that I can't reach back from the driver's seat to get a dropped sippy cup, etc.

Signed,
Mom of 3 under age 4 (4 week old, 2, and 4 year old)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about affordability? Aren't there some third row SUVs that cost less than a minivan? I just have sticker shock when I look at siennas, etc.

We just got a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan (base model) for $18,000. Even gussied up, the Dodge is WAY cheaper than the Toyota or Honda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your 3.5 year old will want to bring friends home or to carpool to events within the next 1-2 yrs. Get the minivan.

This makes no logic to me to spend extra money to transport other people's kids. Just transport your own kids and let the parents drop off/pick up if necessary. I wouldn't expect anyone to buy a larger car to drive my extra child in.

Save the money and get new seats if you need them.

Obviously you have no idea what you are talking about. Anyone who has three or more kids understands that dealing with multiple school schedules/schools, sports, after school activities and life in general makes it nearly impossible to get all of your kids where they need to be every single time. And, not shockingly, other parents are in the same boat, so you end up helping each other out to make the 'impossible, actually possible.' Thanks for being so judgemental though. It was really helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here.. thank you so much!

What are the "skinny" carseats and which is the "skinniest" car seat that is also an infant carrier???

THANK YOU!!!

Johanna

The skinniest carseat you can use for an infant is the Combi Coccoro, which goes down to 4 lbs. It is not an infant carrier, though. We were able to fit 3 across the back of our Mazda3 using 2 Combi Coccoros (new twins) and 1 Britax Marathon (toddler).

We ultimately opted to get a second car, though--a minivan. Glad we did, even though I really hate driving it. Trying to wrestle a baby or even a young toddler into a middle seat is hard!

Holy. You fit 3 carseats across in the Mazda 3??