Embrace the Minivan

Before kids, I drove a VW Beetle. When we got married, it became a Mazda sports car. But after my first baby, the giant, heavy jogging stroller wouldn’t fit in the trunk. Enter baby two and a Jeep Grand Cherokee. But when baby 3 came, it was 3 car seats in a row. This can cause chaos. Of course, it was helpful having a big sister right there to entertain her, but there was a lot of touching and fighting and just plain craziness. Heavy doors. Slammed fingers. Craziness. So, when baby 3 outgrew her infant seat, it was time for a third row vehicle. Enter my minivan.

I have a Chrysler Pacifica. I have now had my van for almost a year, and here are some of my favorite things about it:

You can never have too many cupholders. I love that my kids have access to their own drinks. We keep water cups in the car, and I like to keep them full and accessible. This eliminates whining when they’re thirsty. The Pura cups are great for traveling. I love that they keep drinks cold in our hot climate.

DVD players in the back of the front row seats. While we don’t have that in mine, it is easy to attach a portable dvd to a headrest. We take lots of trips back home to Illinois, which is a 3-hour drive. A movie is usually a big help when it comes to my 3 toddlers.

I can’t stress enough how much I love the sliding doors on my minivan. I hated parking near anyone at the mall, because we always were almost hitting someone’s door. The doors are easy to operate and safe for my littles. No more worries about fingers getting smashed here.

It is so nice to have an air vent above each seat in the van. No more hot baby when rear facing. It is easy to adjust the speed of the fans and temperature, as well. I do love the Noggle product, however. This product keeps baby cool, stylish and entertained!

So when you have to get a minvan, I suggest you embrace it. If I could do it over, I would try to convince my spouse to get the older model with the older dvd combo. However, I love my van. The back-up camera saves my sanity. The ease of getting my kids in and out is a plus. The safety ratings make me feel comfortable toting the around. Don’t’ worry. A minivan won’t hurt your cool mom image. It only enhances it.

Karyn Meyerhoff is a mom of three in Arkasnas where she loves to keep her van clean and tidy.