What kind of car do you drive?

[samanthayeah]

@olaitan We have a Jeep Wagoneer II that my husband usually drives that we use for longer car trip or when we have more people riding with us. It has a roomy third row and captain's seats in the second row, which is awesome. We really love it.

 

[mansour]

@olaitan Minivan all the way! I have 2 kids and won’t be having anymore but I absolutely LOVE the extra space, insane amount of cup holders, automatic sliding doors, etc. Plus having that extra cargo space is great when you need to haul something big like a Christmas tree or new TV

 

[trdrp]

@olaitan Hyundai Palisade is a nice option for an SUV with captains chairs and a third row. I looked my mini van for trunk space.
Just downsized from the Palisade to an Equinox

 

[taye]

@trdrp I'm really surprised for all the Highlander recs and this lonely Palisade one so far down!

I own a Highlander, and it's way too small for 3 kids! I have 1 kid, it would have been Palisade all the way if I'd had 2+!!

 

[trdrp]

@taye I had 3 teens in that car. It was great especially when they had teammates with them

 

[aireland1000]

@olaitan 2012 Honda CRV. It’s still chugging along at 170,000 miles and I don’t plan on getting a new car until it dies! We have two boys and specifically bought Diono car seats that will allow 3 across when we have baby #3 in another year or two.

 

[dobson67]

@aireland1000 Side question but how do you get our diono seat to work rear facing?!? We really wanted to like these seats but the passenger seat was unusable.

 

[aireland1000]

@dobson67 We bought a foam incline adjuster from the website!! https://store.diono.com/angle-adjuster/

 

[cbsbbs]

@olaitan Might be outliers here but we have a Subaru Impreza (hatchback) and an old Honda CR-V. We specifically bought the Diono Radian car seats that fit three across, even in the hatchback.

We have three kids and a dog and they all fit. We also have the ergobaby metro stroller that folds up really small (fits behind drivers seat). So seriously we can fit all three kids plus the stroller in the back seat of either vehicle.

It's not everyone's cup of tea, but being compact and mobile are our top priorities. We talk about getting bigger vehicles someday but honestly, so hard to consider when cars are all paid off and we can make it all fit. Good luck!

 

[pulickalbrothers]

@cbsbbs Glad we’re not alone! We are still on kid 1, but will likely have 2-3, plus a dog and cat. We have a paid off Toyota Camry that is our road-trip car, and it could easily fit three slim car seats. The trunk is pretty massive too. Eventually, we’ll trade in my crappy tiny Ford crossover for a Subaru Outback, but that’s the biggest we’ll go unless there are surprise twins/triplets in the future…

 

[cbsbbs]

@pulickalbrothers Kindred spirit! Our paid-off Subaru is my commute car, our trusty road trip car, and the perfect car for heading downtown and squeezing into tight parking spots. When I go home to my parents and borrow their minivan, I just feel like I'm driving a boat! To each their own...

Highly recommend the Radian car seats. They have such a comfortable yet narrow profile and have worked really well for us.

And we have two cats too that sometimes come with us on trips to the cabin. It's cozy but totally doable, especially with the roof rack.

 

[mlgisback]

@cbsbbs This is the way. I had a the impreza hatchback as well and hated when I had to swap cars with my husband and drive his 4runner. Ultra easy loading with the baby and a toddler and still big enough for my jogging stroller and costco runs. We bought a used one for cheap (this was 8+ years ago), paid it off in 2 years, and I drove it for as long as I could. We even moved coast to coast with it and I could parallel park in the city like a pro. Oh man it was a great family car for small kids. Several people I worked with asked me about driving such a small car and I always sang its praises.

 

[katrina2017]

@olaitan I have 3 kids - 4, 2 and 6m. I drive a Volvo XC90 and it works for now but will not work long term. It was great for 2 kids. The third row in any midsize SUV is useless. Next car will be a surburban or expedition XL with bucket seats. I am not getting bigger car now because until the oldest can buckle herself in, I’d have to crawl into the back of the car to buckle her in. Right now, she’s in the middle. She crawls in and gets in her seat, then I turn around from my seat and buckle/tighten her straps.

Minivan is the answer but I just can’t.

 

[hovis]

@katrina2017 I have this for one kid (and two large dogs) and it’s great for us but can’t imagine it for 3 kids. All of my friends that have 3 kids have a Lincoln Navigator. I know my best friend also considered the Escalade but the wait was too long.

 

[chris239]

@katrina2017 I LOOOOOVE your car. I have a GLC 300 now but maybe in the future!

 

[franz3]

@olaitan Check out the KIA Carnival. It's probably the least looking mini van out there. Looks more like a large SUV.

 

[welshdragon]

@franz3 This is what I have and I LOVE it. Definitely looks more like a stretched out SUV.

 

[divisionibanez]

@franz3 I love my Kia Carnival! I was apprehensive but with a 4, 2 and newborn it is simply amazing. Great features and nice to drive!

 

[wernalip]

@olaitan Not the same car, but similar to your Lexus. I drive a 2019 Honda Pilot, but opted for the bench middle row instead of captains chairs. We had twins back in 2018 and my oldest was almost 6. We had a 160 lb dog and any time she went anywhere with us we'd put down the 3rd row, put the dog back there, and then all 3 kids would be in the middle row.

Now, 4 years later, the dog has passed away and the kids fight like crazy. I throw our now 10 year old into the 3rd row and it's a pain in the ass for her to get back there. Because of the twins' carseats, we can't tilt the 2nd row seats up, so she either gets into the 3rd row through the back or jumps over the 2nd row bench.

I want to swap out my bench for captains chairs, but the cost probably isn't worth it. 1000000% if you don't need the 3 seats on the bench, go with captains chairs. Makes things sooooooo much easier.

ETA: I am very very very anti-minivan.

 

[olaitan]

@wernalip I am also very anti-van, but only for my vanity .

What you described is what I’m trying to figure out! I test drove the Toyota Sequoia yesterday and it has a captains seat option and think it could work for us especially while baby is in an infant seat and could click them in after the toddler climbs in.