Hey all,

as a first-time mum to-be, apart from the obvious :

1. Enough boot space for the buggy
2. ISO fix type binding
3. Wipable seats
4....
etc....

I have no idea what else to look for can any of you give me some pointers pls

Much appreciated.

High car, with wide doors.

When thinking of more then 1 baby in the future, and comfort, go for a people carrier (small or big ) with sliding doors, nothing is in the way to get your baby in and out without trouble

Wide doors , high ceiling, low floor.

roomy enough to make the baby in the first place

I wouldn't bother if the pram fits - I would just get a smaller pram for the car.

Safety would be my prime consideration to protect my baby. Isofix seats, side impact protection and side airbags and keep them rearward facing for as long as possible. ABS and AWD I certainly wouldn't go without and have saved me from crashing into oncoming traffic on those frosty mornings.

We have natural leather seats (orange/brown colour) that you simply wipe the scratches and stains off.

Being that most of us would have spent our childhoods unbelted and overcrowded in the back seats of cars I doubt you'll have problems.

I can't name a single modern family car without ABS (a Nobel 600 doesn't count as a family car).

Side airbags - I've read that these aren't great for the baby - and can't be turned off!!

Basically, anything with good access, reasonable space for the pram etc - and a good safety rating. Although don't get hung up on the 5* rating by NCAP - a 4* is more than good enough.

Actually - the best car is the Range Rover TDV8 - it is perfect. It must be. That what all the mums use to drive their children about in Knightsbridge

Sorry, but how does AWD stop you from crashing into oncoming traffic? It has nothing to do with slowing down and only helps cornering if the car is driven activly... i.e. off the brakes.

It seems to me that a lot of people here do not understand the principle of 4x4. It's great for driving uphill in snow and ice. It does next to nothing (or in some cases can make things worse!) when driving on flat roads or going downhill unless you drive the car quite actively. i.e. keep power going to the wheels at all times. In my experience a 4x4 car can be more dangerous in slippery conditions if not driven properly. the extra weight leads to more understeer and poorer braking if you don't "drive" the car.

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By taking power from the wheels that loose traction the car keeps going straight. AWD + traction control is not the same as 4 wheel drive (that just applies drive evenly to all four wheels all the time).

And you drive a Micra?

I'm not a Rover fan myself but Suv's are good at hight, the older baby/todler gets ,the heavier.

Your back will thank you when taken a slightly higher car, so its easier to lift your kid in and out of it.

It's ESP and ASR that does that, not AWD. If the car has AWD then it can send power to the back too if necessary. BUT unless the car is actually putting power to the wheels it is useless. So if you are on a flat road and start to drift across the road in a bend none of this will do anything unless you put extra power to the wheels. A lot of drivers will hit the brakes and in a 4x4 car this can make things worse!

4x4 is not a magic solution. It helps under certain circumstances but has limitations. People should not think that because I have a 4x4 car I can do anything. It doesn't do ANYTHING passively driving downhill or on flat roads.

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ESP ..who would have guessed! All I know is that the car starts to keep going straight when I want to turn on a slippery road then the car corrects itself. I know that the ABS is that crunching sound when you brake on ice.

I had a Landcruiser Prado, it was perfect for getting baby and kit , in and out of the car. A bit overkill, but if they made a lighter , cheaper, 2WD drive version , the Mums would flock to it.

Nope, my current car is 4x4, but I spent 8 winters driving front wheel drive cars here. I realise that my 4x4 has limitations and primary got it to get up to ski resorts in winter. TBH for just driving around the lowlands I'd nearly prefer the front wheel drive I had before. It's magic for getting up into the mountains in the snow though.

So you are someone who thinks the AWD is a magic thing that just keeps you on the road in any circumstances! Hmmm... dangerously blind trust in something you don't understand?

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Hill Descent Control in the Freelander 4x4 excluded of course...

That would be my recommendation, too...

And I'd go for something smaller rather than a big 'people mover' - trying to park a people mover, with a screaming child or two in the backseat, and manouver the pram or pull a 'bucket' with a child in it out of the car, with 4 inches clearance between your van and the next vehicle, is not fun!

And get a small/light pram - lifting a gigantic buggy into a very high car boot makes no sense either...we had a 'walking' pram and a 'car' pram..

Still has limitations. There will be a point where if traction is reduced enough you will not be able to stop or may have trouble getting around corners. I know we are talking about extreme cases... but sheet ice, is sheet ice.

I get quite upset with people that think they are invincible because they have some fancy car. If it goes wrong on ice all the fancy electronics you want won't stop you from piling into an oncoming car.

You don't need one of these:



But being serious, you don't really need anything special - it really depends on your lifestyle - and for how long you intend to keep the car.

A big boot could be a good idea. A pram takes up a fair bit of room but that's only a problem if you end up going away with lots of other things - a travel cot, bags, ski boots, helmets etc or go camping.

A small people carrier or similar with high seats is good if you've got a bad back or plan on having another child soon (lifting awkwardly whilst pregnant could give you months of back pain).

The best thing one of our old cars had was an opening rear window which, coupled with the parcel shelf made an excellent changing table for when we were travelling.

I went on a paragliding course quite a few years ago in the middle of a particularly bad winter. We had four cars with us. At the end of the week, the only one that had not been written off crashing in the ice and the snow was...the 2CV!

I don't trust it to avoid accidents - I slow down. I have felt it activate once or twice in 8 years. Sometimes you aren't aware of the condition the road is in when you set out in the morning. Straight out of my communal garage I have a steep hill with a sharp bend and sometimes it very icy. On another turn the car in front went into the farmer's field. I didn't. It isn't something magical, it was something standard on my car 8 years ago and I wouldn't buy another car without it.

Can we get back on track with the question of the OP, what to purchase to be baby friendly..

Not "to buy in order i can drive on ice and snow" ..i'm sure Op has no feelings of take her newborn up the mountains in the car

So we had :

4 x 4
people carrier

Both due to the fact that some have sliding doors and have the suitable hight for loading/unloading kids and buggy's without bumping your head.

Any other suggestions?