Is a 2 door car practical for new baby?

My wife and I are expecting our first child next summer which will
mean changing our two seater car for something a bit more practical.

I was thinking along the lines of needing a 4 door family saloon since
it would be easier to lift the baby in and out than a three door car,
but then it got me thinking...

....with a 4 door car you open the back doors and access the baby +
baby seat from the side.

....where as with a 2 door you access from the front.

So my question is - which is more practical for new baby, 2 door or 4
door - are there any other 'must haves' when looking for a new car, ie
It obviously must have a reasonable sized boot, but since this is our
first child we dont really have much idea of exactly what we will need
to take with us!

I would appreciate it if you could let me know what kind of cars you
mums & dads are driving and if you think there are any baby specific
pluses or minuses about them!

Thanks

David Bevan

http://www.davidbevan.co.uk

i have never driven a 2 door, but surely that would be a pain in the
backside with trying to get a bub in and out!

we had a sedan, and now with #3 on the way we have upgraded to a people
mover....i never thought my life would come to this!1 a aggggghhh

good luck

christine

"David" wrote in message
om...
My wife and I are expecting our first child next summer which will
mean changing our two seater car for something a bit more practical.

I was thinking along the lines of needing a 4 door family saloon since
it would be easier to lift the baby in and out than a three door car,
but then it got me thinking...

...with a 4 door car you open the back doors and access the baby +
baby seat from the side.

...where as with a 2 door you access from the front.

So my question is - which is more practical for new baby, 2 door or 4
door - are there any other 'must haves' when looking for a new car, ie
It obviously must have a reasonable sized boot, but since this is our
first child we dont really have much idea of exactly what we will need
to take with us!

I would appreciate it if you could let me know what kind of cars you
mums & dads are driving and if you think there are any baby specific
pluses or minuses about them!

Thanks

David Bevan

http://www.davidbevan.co.uk

Hi David

We're expecting our first in January. We bought a small 4 door car last year
(long before we found out we were expecting) but prior to that we had always
had 2 door small cars such as Rover Metro's/ Ford Fiesta's. With the 4 door
it'll be a doddle to access the rear seat. I'd hate to do this with one of
our previous cars, it would have put alot of pressure on our backs.

Hope this helps

Denise
#1 EDD 29 Jan 05


"David" wrote in message
om...
My wife and I are expecting our first child next summer which will
mean changing our two seater car for something a bit more practical.

I was thinking along the lines of needing a 4 door family saloon since
it would be easier to lift the baby in and out than a three door car,
but then it got me thinking...

...with a 4 door car you open the back doors and access the baby +
baby seat from the side.

...where as with a 2 door you access from the front.

So my question is - which is more practical for new baby, 2 door or 4
door - are there any other 'must haves' when looking for a new car, ie
It obviously must have a reasonable sized boot, but since this is our
first child we dont really have much idea of exactly what we will need
to take with us!

I would appreciate it if you could let me know what kind of cars you
mums & dads are driving and if you think there are any baby specific
pluses or minuses about them!

Thanks

David Bevan

http://www.davidbevan.co.uk

Hi,

I used to have a 3-door Toyota Corrolla - I found that it was fine for
getting the kids in and out. The doors are large, and the passenger seat
slid forward, giving more than enough room to get the car seat in.

I would suggest though that if you are going out to buy a 'family' car, that
you buy 4-doors, as it is easier for getting access to the backseats.

I have now changed my car and bought a true family car - citreon berlingo!
(one of the converted van type things) From a practical point of view it's
great, and I would highly recomend sliding rear doors - it's got to be the
best thing for getting kids in and out of cars.

The only other thing I would recomend would be that you make sure that the
boot is big enough for the pram that you buy.

Jacqui

"David" wrote in message
om...
My wife and I are expecting our first child next summer which will
mean changing our two seater car for something a bit more practical.

I was thinking along the lines of needing a 4 door family saloon since
it would be easier to lift the baby in and out than a three door car,
but then it got me thinking...

...with a 4 door car you open the back doors and access the baby +
baby seat from the side.

...where as with a 2 door you access from the front.

So my question is - which is more practical for new baby, 2 door or 4
door - are there any other 'must haves' when looking for a new car, ie
It obviously must have a reasonable sized boot, but since this is our
first child we dont really have much idea of exactly what we will need
to take with us!

I would appreciate it if you could let me know what kind of cars you
mums & dads are driving and if you think there are any baby specific
pluses or minuses about them!

Thanks

David Bevan

http://www.davidbevan.co.uk

we've always had a 2 door, we've not had much choice as we're not prepared
to take a car loan. A 4 door would definitely be easier, but we don't find
it much of a problem either. Definitely buy your car before you buy a
pushchair, we have a real struggle fitting either pushchair in, again not
much choice, we were given this car by an elderly relative after our old one
was rear ended.

On 20 Nov 2004 01:36:33 -0800, (David)
scribbled:

My wife and I are expecting our first child next summer which will
mean changing our two seater car for something a bit more practical.

I was thinking along the lines of needing a 4 door family saloon since
it would be easier to lift the baby in and out than a three door car,
but then it got me thinking...

...with a 4 door car you open the back doors and access the baby +
baby seat from the side.

...where as with a 2 door you access from the front.

So my question is - which is more practical for new baby, 2 door or 4
door - are there any other 'must haves' when looking for a new car, ie
It obviously must have a reasonable sized boot, but since this is our
first child we dont really have much idea of exactly what we will need
to take with us!

I would appreciate it if you could let me know what kind of cars you
mums & dads are driving and if you think there are any baby specific
pluses or minuses about them!

I prefer 4-door cars with kids of any size. I had a 2-door car when
my ds was young and it was a pain.
As far as what to take with you, that will all depend. We keep a
stroller in our trunk, but it only gets used for times I don't feel
like wearing the baby in a sling. Any other baby gear you'll want
will likely be small enough that you can keep in the car with you,
such as a diaper bag.

Nan

"David" wrote in message
om...

So my question is - which is more practical for new baby, 2 door or 4
door -

Most definitely, a four door.

JennP.

David ) writes:
| So my question is - which is more practical for new baby, 2 door or 4
| door - are there any other 'must haves' when looking for a new car, ie
| It obviously must have a reasonable sized boot, but since this is our
| first child we dont really have much idea of exactly what we will need
| to take with us!

When Robert was born, we had two cars: a three-door 1988 VW Golf and a
four-door 1986 Toyota Carina.

Neither car was by any means impossible to deal with, but it was
quicker and less complicated to get the baby and the infant car seat
in and out of the Toyota. However, something to be aware of - the
Carina's rear seatbelts were only just long enough to hold the baby
seat. It wasn't impossible, but it was tricky to get the belt around,
and of course if we were in any amount of a hurry everything seemed to
go wrong. The VW had longer belts and getting the seat in was never a
problem from that point of view. And this depends on the seat as
well; we had that same Toyota when Kenneth was a baby, but a different
car seat, and never had any problems. If you're going to replace your
car, I'd recommend getting the seat you intend to use *first* and
seeing how easy it is to get the seat in place properly before
deciding to buy a particular car.

When Robert outgrew his infant seat, we bought a group 1+2 (9-25 kg)
seat that we mounted rear-facing. It was still easier to get him in
and out of that seat when it was in the Toyota than in the Volkswagen,
but the difference wasn't as big as with the infant seat. We got rid
of the Volkswagen before turning the seat around, so I can't speak to
that.

But the car we bought to replace it was definitely going to be a
four-door - we were never in any doubt about that!

As far as the trunk (boot) goes - make sure it's large enough in every
dimension to fit whatever carriage or stroller you intend to put in
there. Some cars have deep trunks that are too short front to back,
or long trunks that are too shallow to be practical. If you'll be
travelling overnight, say to visit family some distance away, consider
whether you'll want to take along a folding crib or similar equipment
- day-to-day diaper bags and such will fit in the back seat.

Hope this helps!

- Cindy Kandolf, mamma to Kenneth (10) and Robert (4)
****** Bærum, Norway
Bilingual Families Web Page:
http://www.nethelp.no/cindy/biling-fam.html

*I* would DEFINATELY take a 4 dour now. We still have a 2 door because
I haven't gone back to work yet so we can't afford a car payment yet.
We have an awful time getting the baby in and out of the carseat in the
back seat, especially since he's outgrown the infant seat. It's
difficult for us. Just my 2 cents.

Mamma Mia wrote:

i have never driven a 2 door, but surely that would be a pain in the
backside with trying to get a bub in and out!

we had a sedan, and now with #3 on the way we have upgraded to a people
mover....i never thought my life would come to this!1 a aggggghhh

good luck

christine

"David" wrote in message
om...

My wife and I are expecting our first child next summer which will
mean changing our two seater car for something a bit more practical.

I was thinking along the lines of needing a 4 door family saloon since
it would be easier to lift the baby in and out than a three door car,
but then it got me thinking...

...with a 4 door car you open the back doors and access the baby +
baby seat from the side.

...where as with a 2 door you access from the front.

So my question is - which is more practical for new baby, 2 door or 4
door - are there any other 'must haves' when looking for a new car, ie
It obviously must have a reasonable sized boot, but since this is our
first child we dont really have much idea of exactly what we will need
to take with us!

I would appreciate it if you could let me know what kind of cars you
mums & dads are driving and if you think there are any baby specific
pluses or minuses about them!

Thanks

David Bevan

http://www.davidbevan.co.uk

In article ,
(David) wrote:

what we will need
to take with us!

I would appreciate it if you could let me know what kind of cars you
mums & dads are driving and if you think there are any baby specific
pluses or minuses about them!

Thanks



Definately a four door; it's easier on the back than the kind of
twisting you have to do in most cars to get to the back seat, especially
when you are putting the baby in a rear facing seat.

If I could do it over, I'd have a mini-van when the kids were all in car
seats -- having the seats higher makes it MUCH easier on your back to
get them in and out.

However, we couldn't afford a new car when the kids were little, and
managed three kids with all their gear in a four door Mazda hatchback;
it just took a bit of creativity!
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care