Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those that carpool - do you buy car seats for all the other kids? Or do you wait to carpool at the booster seat age and just buy extra boosters? I know those seem like rookie questions - my kid is 1 so I don't know much about those stages.

We have an extra carseat that is almost always in the back row. We take it out when we need the space. Sometimes when I am driving one child and her friend, my other child is elsewhere so we can use her seat. We carpool to preschool and friends come over after school for playdates, so it has been nice to have the extra seat.

The minivan is also great when relatives come to town, so you can go places in one car. Who wants to drive two cars to the zoo? (we don't live near a metro).

We can fit 7 in our SUV - great when relatives come to town or carpooling.

Anonymous wrote:For those that carpool - do you buy car seats for all the other kids? Or do you wait to carpool at the booster seat age and just buy extra boosters? I know those seem like rookie questions - my kid is 1 so I don't know much about those stages.

My DH and I each have two boosters for our cars - so we can move them around as needed if we have extra kids. Very easy to move!

When my children were in daycare, I didn't need a minivan. However, in elementary school, they have play dates, soccer practices, etc. so we got a minivan. It was also very convenient when family visits from out of town and we could all go in 1 or 2 cars vs. 3 or 4 cars. My neighbors who have older children kept their minivans until their children started driving so I anticipate keeping my minivan through high school. When I bought the minivan, I decided to keep my small car b/c the trade in value wasn't much (it's 10 years old) and I really like not having to drive the minivan when I am driving alone or just with my two children. I figured it will also reduce the wear and tear on the minivan so I can keep it as long as I need.

I mistakenly got one when I had my third child b/c I thought I needed it (all in carseats). I had it for a year and got rid of it because I hated it so much. It was convenient, I'll give you that, but I am vain enough that I felt like I had given up on life every time I approached that damn thing. Traded it in for an SUV and never looked back. No one NEEDS a minivan.

Anonymous wrote:For those that carpool - do you buy car seats for all the other kids? Or do you wait to carpool at the booster seat age and just buy extra boosters? I know those seem like rookie questions - my kid is 1 so I don't know much about those stages.

We have an extra carseat that is almost always in the back row. We take it out when we need the space. Sometimes when I am driving one child and her friend, my other child is elsewhere so we can use her seat. We carpool to preschool and friends come over after school for playdates, so it has been nice to have the extra seat.

The minivan is also great when relatives come to town, so you can go places in one car. Who wants to drive two cars to the zoo? (we don't live near a metro).

For those that carpool - do you buy car seats for all the other kids? Or do you wait to carpool at the booster seat age and just buy extra boosters? I know those seem like rookie questions - my kid is 1 so I don't know much about those stages.

My Sienna is 10 years old now. My 3 kids range from 9-12 and we still use the heck out of that thing. I really miss driving a smaller car but I can't imagine trying to cram 3 kids and all of our crap into anything smaller when when we take trips. It's also great for carpooling which we do only occasionally.

Anonymous wrote:This is a good thread. I'm pregnant with my 2nd and my DH is itching for a van. I'd rather wait a few years, just because we already have a paid off car that will die in 3-5 years most likely. Sounds like elementary age through high school is the most useful. That's perfect. We can buy it when my oldest is 6 or so and it should get us through.

I'm secretly excited, mini vans really do seem like the perfect family car...

Don't wait until elementary school. A preschool child/toddler can climb into the minivan on his own, the windows are tinted so you can breastfeed in private, there is plenty of room inside so you can change a diaper, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Never bought one. You don't need a minivan. We had a station wagon for ten years and then switched to a Pruis. Two children and an upright bass.

+1

By the time you start seriously carpooling kids will be in boosters.

Anonymous wrote:I have never seen the point of them. My car seats five. It has trunk space (hatchback). And it is electric. The carting of sporting equipment is not something that I ever want to be a part of our lives... and should it become so, there is room in the hatchback.

And what I find most depressing is the row of minivans and suvs with only one person in them careening down 16th st every morning.

They've probably already dropped off their kids - maybe they carpooled to school and are now going to work? Sorry that's depressing to you.

Anonymous wrote:I have never seen the point of them. My car seats five. It has trunk space (hatchback). And it is electric. The carting of sporting equipment is not something that I ever want to be a part of our lives... and should it become so, there is room in the hatchback.

And what I find most depressing is the row of minivans and suvs with only one person in them careening down 16th st every morning.

You don't see the point of them? Based on your mention of 16th street, maybe it is different in the city. I live in the suburbs. Everyone wants to carpool. We take road trips. I LOVE my mini van with two little kids.

First, I would not wait op. Getting kids buckled into a mini van is so much easier with the sliding doors when you are in tight parking spots. If you don't need the back rows you can put them down and it's easy to get strollers and all your other stuff in and out. When you do start carpooling or bringing a friend home and the kids are still in carseats, it's much easier to get to the back row than in a 3 row SUV.

In our neighborhood, once the kids are out of carseats, most parents seem to switch to large 3 row SUVs. I honestly don't know any moms in my suburban neighborhood who drive a Sedan. They just don't accommodate the multiple kids and all their stuff the same way, or even for us, all of our stuff for a road trip. But maybe it's different in the city.

Have had mine for 8 years and not giving it up any time soon. It's things like being able to bring a friend for each kid on an outing, or to drive with grandparents somewhere, or to go to Costco and buy a giant tv and always know that with the van, those things will fit without a problem.

I used to think that driving a minivan was a negative. Now I wonder what I was thinking...all those moms who insist on driving too-big-for-them-to-manuever-SUVs: "Look at me! I am way too cool for a minivan!" LOL.

I have never seen the point of them. My car seats five. It has trunk space (hatchback). And it is electric. The carting of sporting equipment is not something that I ever want to be a part of our lives... and should it become so, there is room in the hatchback.

And what I find most depressing is the row of minivans and suvs with only one person in them careening down 16th st every morning.

Love my minivan. My kids are older but it's great for a new driver (both for safety features and learning how to maneuver a larger vehicle will make parking anything else a breeze). We're all tall, and now I'm caring for elderly parents with wheelchairs so the extra room is important.