Safest cars for babies

[Abbysmom1121]

I am looking at getting a new(er) car and wanted to get some advice on what most moms look for in a car! Currently we drive a 1997 Isuzu Trooper, so my husband thinks we should stick with an SUV or a crossover. I have a 5 month old girl, Abigail Caroline. Any suggestions?

[Littleape]

I have the Kia Sorento and we love it. It is a little roomier than most of the other SUVs I think. Has the same square footage as the sportage but it is a lot more comfortable. Don't know much about the safety compared to other SUV's but my BIL is a certified Kia tech and he says it is a very safe vehicle. I completely trust his word since it is his job to know everything about these vehicles and I know he would never recommend a vehicle to us that is not safe for our girls. I know a lot of people in our area have switched to the Sorento and I haven't heard of anyone who didn't like theirs.

[levdev]

We just purchased a 2000 Subaru Outback. It's an all wheel drive, not quit a suv.....but very nice & safe. It has a cool safety seat belt feature in back & side air bags....
It's not an suv but a car that is next best thing.
I love, love, love it!

[ShutterbugMommie]

We purchased a Chrysler Pacifica about a month after my son was born. I absolutely love it. There is plenty of storage room to haul suff and its so roomy and comfortable. We were looking for a safe vehicle that could hold alot of people. I didnt want and suv so we looked at crossovers. The Pacifica holds seven people comfortably - Ive sat in all the seats. Its working great for use and my Aunt and friend also have a Pacifica. I haven't herd any complaints.

I recommed checking out consumer reports the review cars every year. Here is the link.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/index.htm

[Juds2008]

Whatever you do, make sure child safety locks are standard on every door. I bought my car in 2000, before I had kids. I still love it, it runs great and is roomy enough for my 2 kids now BUT it does not have child locks on the back doors and my 2 year old can get out on her own. Very scary. I'm getting another car just for that reason alone.

Shop For Kids - http://www.kidpowershop.com - Everything you need for kids and more!

[dubnchix]

we had a 2004 toyota 4 runner......loved it with 2 kids, but when we assed my son, it was a tight squeeze with his carseat and base. So now I drive a ford 500 limited t.i.s. 22" edition. And I love, love, love it! It's wider then the 4 runner and all 3 kids fit comfortably with lots of room. The trunk it huge and accomadated his stroller and all the baby gear plus groceries. We feel very safe in it. We also just bought a Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn Edition...with the crew cab and the kids fit nicely in there. Good Luck and have fun car shopping.

[caseyedwards]

cross overs and suvs are okay for the first child, but when you get to having two or more i recomend a mini van. we just got a 2006 chrysler town and country touring van it is awsome!! But i had a jeep cherokee befor and i loved it two i just needed a little more room when i wanted to get in the back seat with my new born. I wil admit i had withdrawls after the trade in.. but i love the van now.. I think the big thing about vans is that men and some women don't want that "soccer mom" look or feel when it comes to vans, and did i mention that the chrysler will burn rubber! some hot shot kid was reving his engine next to me at a red light so when it turned green i stomped the gas and left him in the dust. it was funny,

good luck finding what you want.

[leeniebeenie007]

We drove the Toyota 4-Runner but when we found out we were prego again we got the Sequoia- Spacious, Safe, Side Air Bags, Reclining Seats, the list goes ON!

[HarperKsMommy]

We currently have a Toyota 4-Runner, A '08 Sequoia, and my husband drives a 4 door Nissan Titan.We also love the Sequoia-I agree with Leeniebeenie.

[Sullie06]

We just bought a 03 Pontiac Aztek and it's a great car. There is plenty of room for lots of stuff and baby! Plus it's good on gas!

[lena241]

I just upgraded from a Dodge Stratus to 2008 Dodge Caravan. I have a 4 year old DD and a baby on the way EDD 1/22/08. The van has automatic sliding doors on both sides, the rear hatch is automatic, and you can operate the doors and hatch from a remote or inside the van. The rear windows in this van roll down, its a neat feature. My daughter loves the individual captains chairs. It seats 7 people. I choose the Stow N Go model to give us the ability to easily make room for cargo if needed. It is so easy to do, and the seat pops right back up, when you need it. No more banging your legs up trying to get the seats back in.

For safety, it his interior running lights on the ceiling that can be turned on and off, even when the car is running. My daughter likes it because we can drive with it on, and it is just enough light that she isnt scared. it has side curtain air-bags and front air bags. It has a 5 star crash test rating.

It drives nice, but does take some getting used to, especially if upgrading from a standard car. I am currently getting approximately 20.1 miles to the gallon.

[zlady313]

We have a 2008 Ford Taurus X and I absolutely LOVE it!! It's considered a crossover but I think it's more a station wagon. It has a capacity of 7 and 3 LATCH positions. It has front, side, and canopy airbags and excellent crash ratings. Makes good gas mileage, has a smooth and VERY quiet ride. I was a little leary when we ordered it, but I'm truly amazed at what a perfect car it is. Unfortunately, we will grow out of it next year. We live in the Midwest and all our family lives on the East coast. So we travel alot. 3 Kids and two 70lbs dogs with all the gear will just be a little too tight for the Taurus X. So we will be moving on to an Expedition. But for now I love my car!!

[HarperKsMommy]

We have a 2006 Toyota 4-Runner, a 2008 Toyota Sequoia, and we recently traded Arrons Nissan Titan for a Nissan Rouge to drive aroind town. It gets 30 miles a gallon around town, so its great!! We love all of our cars!

[lpapi13]

I drive a 07 CRV and it's great. Make sure that whatever you get... the safety features are there: side air curtain/bags, latches for the car seats, etc etc.

[Abbysmom1121]

Thanks for all your responses!! We still currently have the Trooper - but am looking at the Nissan Rogue (I like the Versa - but my hubby wants something bigger-safer). I appreciate all your comments and will definitely consider them all!!

[craftyashley]

We bought an 04 Lexus RX330 and love it. It's a bit bigger than a few of the other crossovers. I'm so against going to a van. But we have twins, and if we add another, we may not fit into the Lexus anymore (which gets ridiculously great gas mileage).
I want to petition Volkswagen to bring an updated version of the bus back. How cool would that be?!

[erinL5802]

My husband has a Toyota Rav4 in Black. We bought 2 days before we found out we were pregnant. I have a 2008 Lexus RX. I love it!