What car is suitable for having a kid?

TheValeyard

5 door cars are best for easy access to child seats, puke, sorting out things in the back.

Personally I go for Estate cars to get that extra boot space, since leaving the house with a baby to visit somewhere can be a mini military operation.

Lia_lia

I’ve a 5 door but it’s a 15 year old Fiesta. It’s small but it’s grand. We’ve a 1 year old. Share the car between myself and my partner. We often travel hours away to the grandparents. Don’t see any need to get a bigger car especially when there’s nothing wrong with this one. Will upgrade when we have another baby if the car hasn’t given up by then!

Mehaffey1

Just get an estate now and your sorted for all the activities down the line. Took the girlfriend and 3 year old girl for 4 days away and my 3 door Civic was jammed with bags, buggy, travel case, tight squeeze but unnecessary hardship.

That plus clambouring in the back twice for every stop is challenging on the flexibility but certainly a lot more so on your patience especially if you were to add in a tantrum or uncooperative kid!

mirrorwall14

I had a old honda civic saloon for the first and now have a skoda rapid with my one year old and a five year old (he was still rear facing when number two arrived but isn't anymore). Honestly 3 doors would be a nightmare. I couldn't have managed it, on the first I had serious carpel tunnel in both hands by the end and I really struggled with straps for a while so crawling on the backseat would have been no fun. On the second I had SPD in pregnancy which took a while to resolve so I simply wouldn't have been able.

I also found the saloon boot on the civic far less useful than the rapids. Nipper goes in easily with wheels on to the boot of the rapid, wheels had to come off due to the access in the civic. My husband howefver has a skoda octavia, its boot is massive! I can now go to mayo with both on my own with the boot full and my handbag/changing bag on the front seat and fit everything in the boot, buggy, scooters and all (albeit its a bit of tetris!). If we are all travelling for an overnight we always take the octavia

pwurple

Need more info, where do you regularly drive to for a start?

If you are driving across the country for a weekend to visit relatives, you need more space than if your family live in walking distance and the car is for a spin to the shops.

We found the biggest challenge with a new baby was money, particularly unpaid maternity, and childcare. We Slashed the car tax, removed fuel from our outgoings and have 60 quid service a year by buying an electric car. Nissan Leaf. Best thing we ever did. 5 doors, smooth, safe and costs buttons to run. Same car regularly takes 4 kids and a dog to sports these days, never given us a minutes trouble.

But if you are driving from Kerry to Donegal every weekend, that won’t work. So, where are you driving?

Lolamontez

Hi all, quick question if air bags are disabled in passenger seat can a newborn baby be placed in a rearward facing child seat that fitted in front seat of a car van as in a hatchback car with no seating in the back? Second part of my question is if this is possible to do legally does anyone know where can I get iso fix hooks for the seat of car or is the seat belt through the baby car seat the only option?

bee06

Lolamontez wrote: »

Hi all, quick question if air bags are disabled in passenger seat can a newborn baby be placed in a rearward facing child seat that fitted in front seat of a car van as in a hatchback car with no seating in the back? Second part of my question is if this is possible to do legally does anyone know where can I get iso fix hooks for the seat of car or is the seat belt through the baby car seat the only option?

Check the manual for your car/van but in most cars you can put a rear facing seat in the front with the airbag disabled. I don’t know about isofix though.

Millem

Lolamontez wrote: »

Hi all, quick question if air bags are disabled in passenger seat can a newborn baby be placed in a rearward facing child seat that fitted in front seat of a car van as in a hatchback car with no seating in the back? Second part of my question is if this is possible to do legally does anyone know where can I get iso fix hooks for the seat of car or is the seat belt through the baby car seat the only option?

Ring a dealership and ask re isofix.
My husband has isofix in the passenger seat of his car. It came with the car.

jlm29

What seat is it? My base can be installed with a belt or isofix. The seat just clips on as usual then.

mirrorwall14

I had no isofix in my first car nearly six years ago. Unless the chassis had been factory drilled and it not installed then they wouldn’t do it. (They wouldn’t do the drilling part for Fear of failure). Couldn’t do it in my case. It may have changed but if it’s just the installation of the hooks maybe.

However I had the maxi cosi two way base. Belted into my car and isofixed to my husbands if it ever needed to move