3u4: must haves & minivans??

H

hanspeter

New member
WELL HELLO FRIENDS!

We found out recently we are expecting our third little nugget Dec 2022!

DS will be right at 3.5 y/o and DD will be turning 2 y/o right around my due date! We definitely will be needing a new vehicle for our little crew! Amongst other things to aid in making 3u4 a bit more manageable! I am a SAHM and would really love to get out with the kids as much as we are able!

What would you recommend for a reliable, safe, and comfortable minivan/suv?

Would greatly appreciate any and all recommendations!

Additional question:

We currently have the Zoe Twin+ stroller. I am trying to decide between getting the Trio add-on (making it a triple stroller) or to sell our stroller and get a 4-seater wagon instead. Thoughts?
 
@hanspeter When my big ones were little I reluctantly got a caravan. I had a 2 y/o and twins. From the first time I drove it I loved it. Everything about it was great. Sliding doors so all the kids can pile in on their own. Lower to the ground than an suv, which is good for little ones, heavy infant carriers and packing in gear and groceries. After 10 years got a town and country, had one more bonus kiddo and I’m going for the Pacifica hybrid plug-in now. Which means I’m giving up stow and go, also hard to get rid of because it’s so convenient. But not needing gas for my everyday errands is worth it.

Hubs has had me look at every other suv and said we could always keep the old van for transporting stuff. He really doesn’t want another minivan. But giving up those sliding hands free doors is not something I’m ready to do. It makes such a difference. Plus have had many strollers through the years and they always fit upright on one side of the trunk so there was still always room for groceries or whatever. Roomy for nursing and potty training, changing out of wet clothes. We do everything in our van.
 
@hanspeter We've got a 4Runner, which is working well so far for 3 under 4. Just the one row of seating in the back, we wanted the extra storage space. We also just got a wonderfold wagon and I love it so much! We'd been surviving with a jogging stroller (one kid can perch on the footrest) and baby wearing.
 
@hanspeter We have a Honda Odyssey 2019. I am not a fan. I don't like the push button gear changes. I know there's safety measures, but of course the kiddos get in a push buttons and it makes me nervous. Also, we don't drive a lot or very far often and the battery dies all the time. We bought a lil mini battery pack because we were jumping it all the time. I've been stranded at the park on more than on occasion.
 
@hanspeter I have a 5yo and twin 2yo right now. My SIL gave me a glider board and i love it. It hooks on the back of the stroller and the oldest stands on it... he's been doing it since 3. Now they can rotate who is standing when we're at the park. If i only have 2 with me i can just take it off. It does get a bit hard to push up hill when all 3 are on it.
 
@hanspeter We have a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Limited w/entertainment package and advanced safety package. Just do yourself a favor and go ahead and get yourself one. You’ll thank me later. We have 6 kids and I can easily fit our 4 car seats. It’s easy to drive and we haven’t had any major issues in the 4 years we’ve owned it. I love that I can crawl inside to get the kids all buckled in and it has a suuuper deep trunk. I seriously love my van.
 
@rjskidmore Have the same vehicle (built in vacuum is great too!). What brand car seats do you have? We tried several brands but could never get three across in the back. Even fitting two car seats and a booster back there is tight.
 
@ayyyy We don’t have ours three across. We have two Diono Radian 3RXs in the back side and middle, an Evenflo 360 rotating seat in one captain seat and an infant carrier and base in the other captain seat. We can’t fit our whole family in the car, but one adult can fit with all 6 because our oldest is almost 15 and he is big enough for the passenger seat up front and the second oldest is big enough to ride without a car seat in the extra spot in back. It’s not that often that we go somewhere with the whole family and when we do, we supplement with our Subaru Outback. I just love my van so much I don’t want to give it up for a bigger car, especially since our oldest will be driving and heading off to college in just a few years.
 
@hanspeter We had 3 under 4 and I currently drive a 2020 Honda Odyssey. The only thing I don’t love about it is that it’s not AWD because we get a few months of winter weather here and it doesn’t handle it well. Otherwise it has some really nice features. I love the sliding doors, and we’ve never had a problem reaching the car seats in the third row because you can remove/fold/slide the middle row seats to the configuration that works best for your family.
 
@hanspeter I HATE my odyssey. It rides rough, it’s made cheaply and generally not useful. I have three in car seats.

Since my kids are 7, 4, 3 and 3 (not twins) I have big kids in the back seat I open the trunk hatch to lord them and I have them climb over the seat. Babies in the middle captains.

Eventually I want a 15 passenger or expedition max xl.

I just don’t have enough room in the van.
 
@blazewater But also, our is a very standard model. It drives like a truck and has no bells and whistles. A couple things I miss are: controls for back windows and back windows that go up and down; rear wiper; being able to control the back door from the driver’s seat (kids can’t always slam it properly); steering wheel radio controls; the easy in/out of the seats in the back (our sienna’s seats folded down so easily and this one I have to move them all the way out and it’s hard. BUT I only really have to do that when I pick up big things for our yard like lumber or fencing or something…).
 
@canobiecrazy That’s my big hang up. I’m spoiled in my van. I love the bells even though I have a mid grade van it’s got some nice extras.

Edit:
Do you have a hard time parking it in smaller spaces? Any disadvantages to driving it
 
@blazewater Not gonna lie. Parking it is hard. I aim for way I. The back of the lot it’s so long I either stick out the front or the back of the space. We live in a fairly rural area so it’s not generally a problem with crowds and such but I’d think twice if I had to regularly park in small spaces. Driving it is fine. It felt like a tank at first but I got used to it quickly.
 
@blazewater Just a lurker, but I drive a 16-passenger van in a major city for my weekend community service. I can usually parallel park it in one go at this point, and have gotten savvy about getting it through tight alleys and streets. It's a learning curve but very doable.
 
@blazewater Over the winter our kids’ school bus had a problem and the kids were going to be very late getting picked up. I drove my kids to school and picked up an extra six kids along the way, no problem. 😂
 
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