Is your car big enough to accommodate the grandkids?
Is your car big enough to accommodate the grandkids?
If you’re about to become a new grandparent – congratulations! But as well as finding adorable onesies and accessories for the little one, there’s also the small matter of having the right car. Is your current car spacious enough to carry the latest addition to the family? Does it have the right safety features?
Whether you live just up the road from your family or can only see your grandchild occasionally, we’ve put together some things to look out for if you’re thinking of upgrading to a bigger car.
3-doors vs 5-doors
If you’ve been used to running your own small car, it’s worth considering whether you’ll need more space. 3-doors are fine when you’re putting shopping in the boot or carrying the odd extra passenger, but it’s a different matter with a baby and pram in tow. Putting the front seat forward then crawling into the back to fix a baby seat will give you a real headache - not to mention backache.
A 5-door hatchback is far more practical, but you don’t have to spend money on a huge vehicle. There are plenty of smaller, economical 5-doors out there that will work as both a runaround and a family car – a Volkswagen Golf, Renault Clio or Ford Focus would all fit the bill.
Boot space
Your grandchild might only weigh a few pounds right now, but today’s safety-conscious prams can be the size of tractors. Even when they’re folded down, they might take up more space than you’d think. That’s why you’ll need flexible boot space with enough height to accommodate a pram chassis. Cars like the Renault Captur come with a removable shelf at the bottom of the boot to add depth – perfect for prams or buggies of any size. The Kia Cee’d also has family friendly storage options like underfloor storage trays and centre console storage for all those stray dummies and toys.
Isofix points
The world of child in-car safety can sound dauntingly technical. The good news is that no matter what car seat you choose for your grandchild, there’s now a universal safety fitting built in, called Isofix. Many cars come with Isofix points as standard – they’re metal connectors in the car’s chassis that you click your car seat into.
Safety technology
There’s a tonne of safety features that take the worry out of driving with your precious grandchild in the back. Front and side airbags, parking sensors, cruise control and speed limiters all help to keep things safer. New cars like the 2016 Vauxhall Corsa even come with an onboard safety and navigation system, which alerts an operator in case airbags are deployed. Look for the Euro NCAP rating when you’re buying. New cars with five-star Euro NCAP ratings include the 2016 Kia Niro, the 2015 Renault Megane and the 2015 Volkswagen Touran.
Entertainment and child-friendly extras
You might have remembered to buy the car seat, the back seat baby activity centre and the CD of nursery rhymes, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A really handy thing to have is a baby mirror, so you can check on your grandchild while they’re in the back. Also, don’t forget window blinds, to keep the sun out of their eyes. And if you’re serious about keeping the little ones entertained, modern touch screen dashboard infotainment systems can offer Bluetooth, Apple and Android connectivity, so as your grandkids grow, they’ll always have something to keep them busy on long journeys.
