Prius for a Growing, Single-Car Family?

I noticed on the lot where I bought my 2010 Prius, there is a long row of used Priuses (Prii?).
I asked the salesman about that. He said everyone traded in their 1-4 year old Prius for a 2010.

 

DVD,

There's a review on motherproof.com that you might find helpful. (I'd post the direct link, but my noob status on PC doesn't allow posting links )

 

Photos of car seats in Prius?



Also:


Any more out there? Any 'lessons learned'?

Bob Wilson

 

If this is your family photo, you have a nice family.

Two or three kids that are grown, in the summer, not wearing thick coats, old enough not to require strollers or change in clothing, blankets, formula, bottles, diapers, toys. Not raining, not requiring 5 umbrellas or two big umbrellas, no dripping raincoats, no mud from playing outside, no beachwear, etc. No snow covered jackets from making snow angels, no snow shovel, no ice scrapers. No school backpacks and science projects. No fighting among kids.

I agree, with you, it can all be done by more careful packing, even in the more adverse conditions I outlined above. It can all be done if you keep it in your mind and are careful all the time. If you are the careful neat type, I recommend a Prius.

Wonderful family and a good time in your life. Congratulations.

 

One of the members of this board tows a beautiful ultralight utility trailer, but I can't seem to find the post about it. I would take that approach - the trailer weighs practically nothing (relatively speaking) and would haul all you would need. Plus it should get better mileage than a top box.

 

My sister had 2 kids pretty close together and even though they lived in the country got by no problems with a Holden Genini without AC. My oldest brother's family car was a Datsun Stanza. It was only after his 2 kids grew up he bought a Nissan Patrol

 

We just went away for Christmas in our new 2010. We don't have two babies, but have two teenagers. We fit both teens in the back seat with all of their travel stuff, and fit 4 carry-on (max size) suitcases, a large camera backpack, a large laptop backpack, snow pants, snow boots and a few presents in the back.

Wish I would have remembered to take a photo.

I'd say if you can fit two child seats in the back (which I think you should easily be able to to) then go for it!

 

2 full-size car seats fit nicely (as the previous photo shows). With our 4 grandkids, we could get 2 full car seats in when there were 2, then 2 carseats and 1 booster fit not too bad when they got older. Now that the 3 older ones are all out of boosters, all three fit nicely. The 4th is from another family and younger, and we seldom have a mixture, so he usually has the back all to himself. If we had to haul all 4, we'd have a problem if the wife wanted to come along! So if you're careful about the age spacing, I'd say up to 3 shouldn't be a big deal! Family planning per Prius capacity - now THAT'S green! :thumb:

 

A prius has more usable room than most cars. We bought our first one to accomodate a large baby stroller after our first son was born. It would not fit in our Pontiac Bonneville but fit perfectly in the back of the Prius. Now we have 2 kids...and 2 Prii. We can even fit a 100 lb dog in the back along with the 2 car seats and gear for a highway trip to the cabin.

 

*sigh* <rant>

So many people think that babies and kids need to have so much stuff.
Granted, you will need car seats, but beyond that, you can easily fit a small child's needs in the space on the floor in front of the back seat, as well as the massive space in the hatch area.

You are eco-conscious people. I'm going to hope that extends to your child raising - i.e., that you will provide them with a few durable, quality clothes, toys, and such, rather than overwhelming them with an abundance of trendy consumer goods.

Strollers don't have to be as big as your car. Baby slings, front carriers, and backpacks are great, keep you close to your baby, and in my opinion, improve your child's health and well-being, by being close to you. Breastfeeding eliminates having to schlep along half a grocery store of (nutritionally inferior if not actually dangerous) 'formula', and all the other equipment needed (like disposable bottle liners - what a waste).

You can rent a car seat from your local hospital when your baby is born, btw. It will be up-to-date, will meet safety regulations, and when you are done with it, it will be returned for other babies to use.

I know that society has changed since my children were born, and the culture insists that so much is required for babies, but, really, all the previous generations survived without 99% of the crap that new parents are convinced is essential!

</rant>

 

Rae Vynn, I agree fully. The wife and I raised 3 kids (separately - we're a blended family) and now have 4 grandkids. Except for diapers, the volume of "stuff" required is really quite low. We had a brilliant fold-up playpen that, except for being heavy was quite compact for travel. We used it as both playpin and crib - when each grandkid was small, I believe they felt quite secure in it since they were used to it. None of our kids or grandkids liked strollers, so they seldom got used or taken along. With the grandkids the toy situation was kept to a minimum (since they only visit) - after the first 3 we had a toy box full of stuff, and gave it away to a day care as the kids outgrew it all. Now they travel with a couple of favorite items each.

When my daughter was born I traded my Renault coupe in on a small wagon, but discovered it was not necessary. The coupe (smaller than the Prius) would have been perfectly fine. I didn't keep the wagon long, trading it in on an Alfa Romeo coupe (much smaller than a Prius, but still sufficient, even for road trips).