Car Shopping Tips for New and Expecting Parents

If you have a newborn (or one on the way) and are looking for a new set of family-friendly wheels, there are a few things you need to take into consideration that you might not have thought of before. Incorporating these six steps into your shopping and test-driving will help you find a car that’s best suited to you and your new bundle of joy.

1. Buy your car seat before shopping for a car.

An improperly-installed car seat can cause your baby to be injured or killed, yet studies show that around 80% of child seats in the US are improperly used or installed. Not all back seats will properly accommodate a car seat, so make sure you bring your car seat to the dealership and try installing it. A correctly and tightly installed car seat will move no more than an inch in any direction. New cars and seats have the LATCH (also known as ISOFIX) system; use it. If you have a convertible seat, test both rear- and front-facing installation. If in doubt, your test drive should include a stop at a free child seat inspection center (links and phone numbers below).

2. Try getting the baby in and out of the car.

You’re going to be hoisting your kid in and out of the car for quite some time to come. For car seats with detachable carriers, put some weight in the carrier (15-20 lbs or 7-9 kg—they grow fast) and see how easy it is to get the carrier in and out of the car. If your seat does not detach, bring a life-size baby doll (or a life-size baby) and try putting the baby into the seat and taking him/her out. In some cars, this will involve getting into the car yourself one- (or no-) handed.

2. Stow the stroller.

Make sure the car has enough storage space to accommodate your stroller or carriage plus other stuff (shopping, groceries, etc.). Don’t just plop the stroller in once and declare it good; lift the stroller in and out of the trunk or cargo bay a few times, as you’ll be doing a lot.

3. Check the rear window.

Some sedans and coupes have deeply-sloped rear windows that allow sunlight to stream down on a rear-facing child seat, which could cause sunburn, heatstroke, or other heat-related injuries.

4. Check door handles and locks.

Time for the dress rehearsal! Get into full baby-carrying mode, with your baby (or surrogate weights) in the carrier or stroller and baby bag over your shoulder. See how easy it is to unlock and open the doors and trunk/hatch and get loaded up. Now, do the reverse: Open the doors, gather up the gear, and make sure you can easily close and lock up the car.

5. Take a ride in the back.

From time to time, you (or your spouse/partner/doting grandparent/etc.) may want to ride next to baby, so part of your test drive should include a ride in the back seat next to the strapped-in child seat. The seat takes up more space than you might expect, so get in, close the door, and stay there for a while to make sure it’s comfortable. If you’re prone to motion sickness, take an extended ride to make sure the back seat won’t make you queasy.

6. Don’t rule out two-doors.

Many coupes and hatchbacks have front seats that slide forward far enough to make plenty of room to get baby in and out. The Volkswagen New Beetle is a great example: It’s flip-forward seat and tall roofline allow shorter adults to get in and stand over the car seat, so getting baby in is easier than with many sedans. On the downside, coupes tend to have longer doors, which can be a problem in tight parking lots.