Sunday, March 16, 2008

what a difference a carseat makes

One more thing checked off our to-do list: We now have two carseats installed in each of our back seats — one for Daniel, one for the baby. (Well, his is actually just a base, and the actual carseat can click into either one of them.)

It was an arduous hour we spent getting all the latches and belts tightened and adjusted, and all I can say at the end of it is, I WANT A BIGGER CAR. I've never felt cramped for space with just one carseat in the back of my Honda Civic, but having two there changes the whole landscape of the car. It feels like it's going to be very crowded and cumbersome loading an infant in one side and toddler in the other with very little space to spare. Even Steve's Passat feels packed to capacity. And we're going to feel it up front, too: We had to move our front seats forward to make room for the infant seat (on one side) and Daniel's kicking feet (on the other). He used to occupy the prime middle of the back seat, where he had all the leg room he needed; but now both kids will be behind seats ... and next to side doors, which doesn't feel as safe to me.

We flipped through some old Consumer Reports today (back issues Steve's dad had given us) and started reading up on SUVs and other modes of family transport. All that room suddenly sounds very nice. I don't necessarily need an SUV, but a roomier station wagon with some extra storage space in the back would be nice. Egads. How our priorities change when we have kids.

5 comments:

Jo on the go said...

I'm a big fan of Audi/VW. Wonder what station wagons they have that might have more backseat room?

With gas prices doing what they are, maybe check the specs on a Prius! I love my Toyota, and 4Runners are pretty reliable. I see lots of them still running with 250+ on the engines.

I also have test driven a Subaru SUV thingy, can't recall what it's called but it was really nice!

I really plan to keep my Tacoma until it dies. It has the two flip-out doors behind each main door, so the back seat is accessible, but it is tiny. I think you're right, one car seat would work but two would be tight! No immediate plans for testing that theory... but it's good to keep in mind.

Jo on the go said...

Oh, yeah... the Tribeca.

http://www.subaru.com/sub/misc/2008/autoshow/ny0311/tribeca/index.html

I really stink at figuring out this posting links inline thing... especially on a comment. sorry for being sloppy!

kristine said...

I'm already feeling like it's going to be pretty cramped, too. In our little Chevy Cobalt... That's great that you have gotten it done! I see you are on a "list" too. Making lists is one thing I am REALLY good at!

Unknown said...

I think the Nissan cars are really nice, and built well. They have a smaller Minivan/SUV type of car that I see that looks nice, and not too big. I bet it gets pretty good milage too.

Anonymous said...

At the car show last weekend we saw the Saturn Outlook/GMC Acadia and almost fell in love-- perfect for us with our 4wd and space needs. The Toyota Sequoia looked good. The Sienna didn't have a big enough back seat.

--Laura S.