Need Dad Mods

With your build the question is "How to install a roll cage for your car seat"

 

saw one of those 37 minutes ago. I'm not a minivan guy (will never), but that thing is pretty sick. Some come with sick lift kits too.

 

Haha that’s an ADA Sienna.

 

Mini vans definitely upped their game. They’re much nicer than 15 - 20 year old soccer-mom wagons.

 

I am sorry, 2 kids and you need a minivan?

I have 3 kids and these are the cars they have been in from 2013 to 2021. E46 M3, 2013 STI, 2014 Evo, 2016 STI, 135, Challenger Hellcat, Raptor. Raptor was sold and replaced with manual Pro.

You can easily accomodate 3 kids in any of these vehicles. Buy European brand car seats made for European SEDANS. Nuna Pipa was great, rear facing did not take up more room. Combi Coccoro was great too and also did not take up more room. Sunshine Kidz are very narrow and does just fine as well.

There is no reason to allow cheap gigantic car seats to dictate your vehicle choices.

All 3 of them have very fond memories in these loud fast vehicles. Do NOT get a minivan because lousy car seats.

 

Good selection of vehicles

 

It was also about the need to be able to haul other kids around as well. With the wife and 2 kids most cars will only allow you to take one more passenger. With kids come play dates and inevitably the play dates where each kid may have a friend.

I've got an F80 M3 and there is no way I'm putting a kid in a carseat in it just for the fact I don't want cheerios and spilled juice boxes in the back.

 

Congrats! If you have the funds you could benefit from having a cap on the back of your truck. Then your entire bed can become dry storage for all the things... and there will be a lot of stuff you’ll be lugging around. It kind of just happens.

Congrats again, also carry a good multi tool (leatherman free p4) and consider a pair of cargo pants. You’ll need to cut/screw/repair things and you’ll probably be used to carry more then a mule.

 

Awesome. I missed out in that speed yellow manual one on BAT a while back, still looking for a skittles F80 manual.

My main thing was really just that’s I read this on car forums all the time. Have one kid, must find the slowest most soul crushing vehicle because some gigantic plasticky car seat from target won’t fit in anything else. Europeans have kids too and they drive 1 liter econoboxes and manage to have safe car seats that are also available in the US.

 

PITA, but part of the game.

Oh man! Grocery runs always took a bit longer than you'd think. Any extra miles was worth it.

Very true.

We still have packs of wipes for different reasons and my monkeys are in HS now. Hahahaha!

 

Store the Tacoma for the first teenager and get yourself one of these

 

I ended up with a Yaz Marina blue in a manual. Having the minivan sure helped convince the wife it was time for a fun car.......

 

Time to trade up ..

 

Anyone who grew up in the 70s and early 80s, knows the joy of the station wagon cargo area. Pure road trip magic.

 

Yep. Shop vac. Maybe even some better floor mats. Husky or WeatherTech. Front passenger seat may be crammed when you get to from facing car seat days. Luckily my wife is 5’4” but it’s still not much room for her.

 

My wife gets angry at the mention of a minivan. It was Forerunners, a Durango, and a Jeep JK

I was in a left turn lane on my sport bike one day and had this Astro van in front of me with 5 or 6 kids all going nuts. The woman driving it looked back at me 2 or 3 times while yelling at the kids. Then, suddenly the back up lights went on and she was coming right at me. I had enough space and the bike was in gear, I just went around her. When she realized what happened, she was flippin' out a little, but no big deal. You have to watch those distracted mini van moms; they're dangerous.

 

I can’t agree more, just brought my 3rd home Friday afternoon, swaddling is such a life saver.

as to the thread itself, cover the seat, side visors for the rear windows and a mirror. Extra storage is a must. I have 3, I ended up getting a topper to keep a bunch of extra stuff in the bed so it would stay dry (at least that was the excuse )

 

This.

 

I have 3 kids, oldest is 5. Best suggestions in this thread for a newborn and new parents is definitely spare/back up cleaning stuff. A roll of damp paper towels in a ziploc comes in clutch in a vehicle.

Making sure your car seat is correctly installed is utmost.. surprisingly difficult these days. The local fire or police department will inspect your seat for free and make sure you’re all set.

Parenthood is a wild ride. Enjoy it. The clichés are all true. Time never goes faster than when you have kids and start counting from 0.

Vacuum and a seat protector can wait until they’re a couple years old and safe to snack in the car. Seat protector would be nice for diaper changes that will be messy, but otherwise.. eh. Newborns sleep, eat and poop, the feeding you’ll get a pass on if y’all are breastfeeding and the sleeping is easy. Try to setup for the poop part with traveling.

 

Second Diono for the convertible style. Smallest foot print. Switched to those after our win outgrew his infant seat.