« How To Teach Your Kids to Juggle | Main | How to Keep Everyone Happy At the Grocery Store »
5 Tips for Buying Your First Family Car
Published 01.28.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (0)
By Leah of A Girl and A Boy
So you got yourself a baby! Congratulations! Say hello to gummy smiles and belly laughs, and wave bye-bye to a full night's sleep and the easy spontaneity of your child-free life. Yes, gone are the days of spur-of-the-moment cross-country road trips (or even just a quick, uncomplicated run to the grocery store), for it's no longer just you and the open road but you, the open road, your baby, and all that baby-related baggage.
If you're in the market for a new family car, here are five things to keep in mind:
1. Think Safety.
The cost of living--and driving--is higher than it's ever been, but when it comes to protecting your baby (and yourself), now is not the time save money by purchasing the twenty-year-old deathtrap you saw advertised online for $500--GOOD AS NEW!!! CA$H ONLY!!! You may not be able to afford the latest model with seat warmers, a moonroof, and voice-activated GPS, but at least look for cars with high safety ratings, which probably means they also have airbags, anti-lock brakes, and the LATCH system for carseats.
2. Think Space.
Make sure there's enough cargo room for not just a stroller but also a full load of groceries that will henceforth include a jumbo box of diapers, a super-sized tub of laundry detergent, and a twelve-pound bag of Goldfish crackers.
3. Think Accessibility.
Carseats need to be in the back, and the easier your access, the happier you and your already overworked muscles will be. Say no to the convertible sports coupe, say no to the Smart car, and say a very-reluctant-no to the motorcycle with the sidecar, even though how fun would that be?
4. Think Style.
Safety, convenience, responsible choices, blah blah blah...Whatever happened to looking cool? Just because you're a parent doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your image. There are plenty of cute, kicky, and also safe and practical family cars out there, so don't despair thinking you have to buy a minivan. And on the off chance that you actually need a minivan, remember: you can always recapture your cool with a tattoo or blue hair dye.
5. Think Green.
Even if you live in a walkable community, chances are you're going to be in the car a lot more now that you have pediatrician appointments and playdates and emergency trips to the baby superstore because it's 9 p.m. and your little one can no longer tolerate his swing/rocker/bouncer and needs a bouncer/swing/rocker instead RIGHT NOW. More car trips means spending more on gas and releasing more toxic emissions into the atmosphere. If you can afford it, consider a hybrid; if that's out of the question, at least look for cars with high fuel efficiency (at least 30 mpg). You'll not only save money but help protect the earth, giving your baby a cleaner, healthier place to grow up.
Now if only there were a way to include New Car on your baby registry...
Don't forget to visit our hilarious, but informative, Pregnancy Calendar.
- Follow Us!
Via RSS Feed- Via Email
- On Twitter
- On Facebook
- Recent Posts
- How to Prepare for Your Newborn's First Pediatrician's Appointment
- How To Care For Your Child's Teeth Like a Pro
- How To Navigate the Supermarket Like a Nutritionist
- How To Plan Parties with Guests who have Allergies
- How to Trick or Treat Safely
- Categories
- Ages
- Animals
- Beauty
- Books
- Caregiving
- College
- Food
- Health
- Holidays
- Home & Garden
- Money Matters
- New Mom
- Offbeat
- Organization
- Parties
- Photography
- Play
- Pregnancy
- Relationships
- Safety
- School
- Shopping
- Travel
- Contributors
- A Girl & A Boy
- Bessie.Viola
- Busy Mom
- Cool Mom Picks
- Chookooloonks
- Desperately Seeking Sanity
- Doobleh-vay
- Dutch Blitz
- Fairly Odd Mother
- Foodmomiac
- Gray Matter Matters
- Green Mom Finds
- Her Bad Mother
- Hola Isabel
- I Pretty Much Hate Everything
- Issas Crazy World
- Jennifer Graf Groneberg
- Justice Fergie
- Looky, Daddy!
- Mamalogues
- Meagan Francis
- Miss Britt
- Miss Zoot
- Motherhood Uncensored
- Notes To Self
- Nothing But Bonfires
- Oh My Stinkin' Heck
- Peppers and Pollywogs
- Rookie Moms
- Sarah Wagner Yost
- Suburban Turmoil
- Table4Five
- The Blythe Spirit
- The Fabulous Miss S
- The Naked Ledger
- Three Out of Seven
- To Think Is To Create
- Today's Moms
- Uppercase Woman
- Woulda Coulda Shoulda
- Write. Edit. Repeat.
- Archives
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
Most Popular
1) How To Fly with a Young Child
2) How To Be A Cool Twilight Mom
3) How to Deal with Your Mother-In-Law Talking Smack
4) How to Introduce Music to Your Child
5) How To Take Great Photos Of Your Kids
About this column
Could there really be a guide to everything? And, in 5 simple steps? Nope. But, there are definitely fun and simple ways to live life with your family.
The Alpha Mom Guide to Everything (in 5 simple steps) is a contribution-based column, reflecting the voices of parents and non-parents who love children. We will cover lots of topics in the initial months and will continue to be introducing more. You will find that our guide is easy to understand.
1- it's in 5 easy steps
2- it's subjective, but accurate
3- it's useful
We are looking for submissions, so if you're interested please contact us first at contact@alphamom.com. We already have a dozens in the queue ready to be launched over the next few months and don't want to duplicate efforts.
Disclaimer
This column is only for entertainment purposes. Any recommendations or information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for advice by a trained professional. For a full statement of our site policies, please click here.