What's a good car to get for city living with newborn twins?

[roamet]

My husband and I are expecting twins in October. We live, work and socialize in downtown DC. We both presently drive small cars (mini coopers). We also have two small dogs (under 15 pounds each) and will have a full-time nanny. Neither of us have ever owned large cars. We are stumped on what car to get. For me, even a Mini Countryman seems huge. We want to get something for just the first 2-3 years (will lease).

- Are there cars with large enough back seats for two car seats and a small adult to sit comfortably - Outback, Forrester, CRV, anything else? Do any of them work with that configuration?
- If so, what car seats should we get (my husband is 6' 4" so he will need to push his seat all the way back
- If we have to go to 3 row SUV, what do people like that is easily maneuverable in downtown DC?
- Can we get any with a two row car for the first two years?

Thank you all in advance for your input.

[Anonymous]

I have twins. Don’t worry so much about the car and get help lined up in advance. The first 6 months of twins is tough.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who had 2 rear facing car seats in a Honda Fit. They're both over 6 feet. I wouldn't get a new car until you know for sure you need one. FWIW, I've always been a small car person but I just bought a crosstrek and feel it's too big, an outback would feel enormous to me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have twins. Don’t worry so much about the car and get help lined up in advance. The first 6 months of twins is tough.

+1. I also was concerned about the car pre baby. Turns out I didn’t need to be. We don’t use our car that much.

Simply find a pediatrician close to where you live. I think loading and unloading two babies into a car would be a nightmare. I’d try and stick to walking with the stroller.

[roamet]

thank you all for your quick replies. And for putting my mind at ease. I also feel we should just focus on being with the twins and see where things take us. But everyone we meet has to have an opinion - my own family included - and insisting we get a big car. But those are people who don't live the way we do. They are either in the suburbs or even if in the city, drive everywhere. Thanks again. I am relieved.

[Anonymous]

roamet wrote:thank you all for your quick replies. And for putting my mind at ease. I also feel we should just focus on being with the twins and see where things take us. But everyone we meet has to have an opinion - my own family included - and insisting we get a big car. But those are people who don't live the way we do. They are either in the suburbs or even if in the city, drive everywhere. Thanks again. I am relieved.

Yeah they don’t get it. I also considered a new car before the baby and so glad I didn’t. We continued to walk most places and now we can use uber family. I find walking with a stroller MUCH easier than fastening a child into a car seat and lugging a heavy car seat in/out of places.

Also keep in mind they won’t stop selling cars. If you end up needing a new car you can easily do some research and then go and buy one

[Anonymous]

roamet wrote:My husband and I are expecting twins in October. We live, work and socialize in downtown DC. We both presently drive small cars (mini coopers). We also have two small dogs (under 15 pounds each) and will have a full-time nanny. Neither of us have ever owned large cars. We are stumped on what car to get. For me, even a Mini Countryman seems huge. We want to get something for just the first 2-3 years (will lease).

- Are there cars with large enough back seats for two car seats and a small adult to sit comfortably - Outback, Forrester, CRV, anything else? Do any of them work with that configuration?
- If so, what car seats should we get (my husband is 6' 4" so he will need to push his seat all the way back
- If we have to go to 3 row SUV, what do people like that is easily maneuverable in downtown DC?
- Can we get any with a two row car for the first two years?

Thank you all in advance for your input.

Check the carseatlady website , she compares various car models (safety/comfort spaciousness etc) / car seats. I got my car based on research from her website.

And I know you didn’t ask about this but I personally found it useful, https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/dc-car-seat-fitting-stations you can get your car seats fitted/checked. There was a specific gentleman who was very highly recommended but unfortunately I can’t remember his name.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you planning more children beyond these two? Because if not, you're fine sticking with a small car if that's what you prefer. I can't speak to the Mini Cooper, but you can do two in car seats in a Honda Fit, Subaru Impreza/Forester, etc.

You may want to consider what kind of stroller you'll have and whether it fits in the back, but certainly a CRV or an Outback is plenty big for two car seats and an adult. (We do two car seats and an adult in our Impreza, which is much smaller than the Outback, although I wouldn't call that "comfortable." It does fit a City Mini double in the back, though.)

We make a small car work with a pod to go on top when necessary, and on occasion we rent larger cars if we have family visiting, etc. It's more than worth it to have a small car to park in the city.

[Anonymous]

00:54 and I realized should add--my answer may be different if you plan to regularly take the dogs and a double stroller places in the car. In that case you maybe do want something bigger, or at least get a roof pod that will fit your stroller.

Some of this will depend on the particular car seats you choose, too--once you know the car, you can figure out the best seats to fit your needs.

[Anonymous]

My husband drives a Mini Cooper and we have made it work for two kids close in age (not twins). I have become very well acquainted with its limitations. First, you need small bucket seats for the infants— it is better to test them out at the store so you can see how it will feel to have the front car seats moved forward. The worst stage was the rear facing convertible car seat stage. Something about getting small but active wiggling kids into a backwards facing seat with the limitation of the two door Mini Cooper design... it was a back killer. Sometimes, I think we had to lean into the trunk to buckle them— so awkward. I can’t quite explain how tricky it is to get a child into a permanently installed backwards seat with a two door car, leaning from the front seat angle. I was absolutely incapable for a while due to csection. My husband was in charge of that stuff because I had the four door “family car” anyway. Plus the convertible rear facing seats took up the most space. That was the stage when our knees were quite close to the dashboard. The bucket seat (newborn to six months ish stage) was not great either, but we could wiggle the seat into place with the small baby already buckled in. We used a chicco keyfit. Several bucket seats did not fit at all. Once we were able to face the convertible seat forward, everything was better. We had space for our knees again and the twisting motion of getting a kid into the backseat through the two door design was no longer such a back killer. This transition doesn’t happen until 2 years in. Now that our kids can climb into their own seats at 3 and 5 years, I’m encouraging him to keep the car. It has been dependable.

[Anonymous]

Fwiw, I hated having a crv and found the interior cabin more cramped than my old sedan.

[Anonymous]

We live in the city and have 2 under 2 and they are in the car at most once a month. Someday I can see it being more when they are old enough to be interested in hiking / day trips etc but for now we walk / metro / bus everywhere. Most babies are totally happy on metro or bus and scream their heads off in the car

[Anonymous]

I love our Honda HR-V and have found it to be the perfect small SUV for city living.

The platform it's built on is no bigger than a regular sedan (in fact, I think it's the same as the Honda fit), so it's really easy to parallel park, but it has a lot of cabin space and a full-sized second-row that doesn't leave adults feeling cramped. I imagine 2 car seats plus a small adult would be an easy fit in the back seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband drives a Mini Cooper and we have made it work for two kids close in age (not twins). I have become very well acquainted with its limitations. First, you need small bucket seats for the infants— it is better to test them out at the store so you can see how it will feel to have the front car seats moved forward. The worst stage was the rear facing convertible car seat stage. Something about getting small but active wiggling kids into a backwards facing seat with the limitation of the two door Mini Cooper design... it was a back killer. Sometimes, I think we had to lean into the trunk to buckle them— so awkward. I can’t quite explain how tricky it is to get a child into a permanently installed backwards seat with a two door car, leaning from the front seat angle. I was absolutely incapable for a while due to csection. My husband was in charge of that stuff because I had the four door “family car” anyway. Plus the convertible rear facing seats took up the most space. That was the stage when our knees were quite close to the dashboard. The bucket seat (newborn to six months ish stage) was not great either, but we could wiggle the seat into place with the small baby already buckled in. We used a chicco keyfit. Several bucket seats did not fit at all. Once we were able to face the convertible seat forward, everything was better. We had space for our knees again and the twisting motion of getting a kid into the backseat through the two door design was no longer such a back killer. This transition doesn’t happen until 2 years in. Now that our kids can climb into their own seats at 3 and 5 years, I’m encouraging him to keep the car. It has been dependable.

I traded in my beloved Mini Cooper for a CRV because it was such a literal pain to get a child into the rear facing seat. Also no room for stroller in the trunk.

[Anonymous]

Nissan Murano. Not too big but enough comfort and space for two kids and dogs.