{Thank you Dallas Moms Blog for the photo}
If you are squeezing your stroller in the back of your sedan and news of the next baby comes along, you are likely faced with this question. Maybe you are 10 years ahead of the game and you purchased a bigger vehicle when you first started having kids. Whatever your situation may be, I definitely thought at one time or another, “If we have more kids, what will I drive?
I started to compare…
Budget…
Number of seats…
How many doors and how do they open?…
Cup holders…
Stroller space…
Grocery space…
Cool factors such as…
Navigation & Bluetooth…
Color & Tinted Windows…
And last but definitely not least…PARKING that vehicle in the million of places you will inevitably take it.
When I had one baby, I hoped I would never own a minivan. I still prefer to “never say never,” but for now I thankfully haven’t had to throw in the white flag on this one. Minivan Moms, I think you’re awesome and fully owning that semi-stylish and functional vehicle, but here’s why I was glad to not become one.
Budget:
Minivans get expensive fast and if you have the budget I suggest considering all the options. For the price of a snazzy minivan, you might as well look at the Expeditions, even better the 12 seater vans.
Number of seats: How many do you need versus how many do you want? If you have 1 or 2 kids, do you like to offer rides to other Moms and their kiddos? If you have 3 kids, might there possibly come along a 4th little one? If you have 4 kids, do they have room for a friend? For us, the more seats the better.
How do the doors open and how many are there?
I know a lot of Moms are sold on the automatic sliding doors. With having several little ones, my Mom brain thinks like this: I imagine being in a parking lot and Kid A runs to one side of the van and Kid B goes around the van to the other door. Kid B doesn’t see a car backing out and….ahhhh, there I am in the parking lot frustrated at the car I am still paying for. I didn’t get that far into my minivan research to see if only one door can slide open, but I really love having only one door and loading my littles on the same side.
Cup holders:
Cup holders are an extra bonus where I’ll gladly take it and add that to the list of pros. The car we decided on has a cup holder under every seat and then more all over the place. Can a Minivan Mom bring all her kids and coffee for all her friends? I haven’t done that yet, but it sounds like a nice idea.
Stroller space:
I spent a year or two putting a double jogger into my Ford Fusion. Definitely not the end of the world, but when it came time to purchase a bigger vehicle you better believe I thought about this! I preferred to leave that sucker in the car at all times.
Grocery space:
I hoped to have room for groceries and my double stroller. I know, a Mom can dream right? As I looked at the space around the car, I considered where I might squeeze grocery bags if the kids were in the car or even more exciting, we were just getting home from a trip and needed to stop at Sam’s Club. We had two kids at the time, but the vehicle that won me over didn’t make me choose between groceries, the stroller or having more kids. There is room for all!
Moms are cool — don’t you forget it. The cool factor on these larger vehicles is not quite the same as other cars, but comparison is the thief of joy so I just keep thinking I’m cool and consider this stuff.
Navigation & Bluetooth:
Don’t text and drive…or talk and drive right? Just don’t be on your phone Mom. But we know how multitasking goes and those 20 minutes in the car are precious time when we can call a friend or relative. Perks like navigation and bluetooth made me happy.
Color & Tinted Windows:
The white minivans reminded me of a delivery service and I was glad to see what we were looking for in black. If budget wasn’t a thing, I would have picked a black Escalade with tinted windows, but hey, that is not my #momlife.
Parking:
The minivan rode quite smoothly. Almost like a car. Overall, it was pretty dreamy and I give my parking vote to you Minivan Moms. The number one question I currently get is “How do you park that thing?” But love makes you do crazy things and I’m willing to park our beast for the next 15 years if needed.
For now, I’ll be resisting the Minivan Mom Club and proudly escorting my crew in a 12 seater van. If you’re looking for a larger vehicle and don’t want to become a Minivan Mom, let me know because I will sell you on the greatest {large} family vehicle out there.
