After surviving our first year of marriage we decided to trade my Focus in for a new vehicle. Matt wanted something with a towing package that could handle a two place snowmobile trailer and a boat trailer. I wanted something that could accommodate a car seat; notice seat is singular. Twins was NEVER on my radar! We decided to look at SUVs and test drove several makes and models. The two we liked best were the Nissan Pathfinder and the Chevy Trailblazer. In the end we bought the Pathfinder because it had a better towing package, higher safety rating, and a third row of seats. We have been happy with our purchase since the day we drove it home...I only wish we had chosen a color other than BLACK!
Fast forward three years with twins on the way...boy was I glad we bought the SUV. We experienced some issues with the Pathfinder and our infant car seats the moment Matt installed them. The design of the backside of the front seats plus the depth of the infant car seats meant we had to drive with the front seats almost completely vertical and pushed forward. I grew accustomed to the new seat position but it wasn't the most comfortable way for Matt (who is 6'4" tall) to drive. This also made getting the car seats out of the car difficult, because the backs of both seats were so close together you had to jam your hand in to unlock the seat from the base.
One day this past spring the Pathfinder had to go in for servicing and I used Matt's VW for the day. He secured both infant car seat bases (not the whole seat) in the back seat (Note: His VW is a two-door vehicle) before leaving for work since I was planning to take the kids to a play group later that morning. Once the twins had woken up from the morning nap I changed them and put each of them in their seat. I brought Abigail out and snapped her into the base on the passenger side and returned for Tanner who I snapped into the base on the driver's side. Then I went to fold the driver's seat back so I could get in...it wouldn't lock into position. I tried again...no dice. I had to slide the seat all the way forward and lift the back of Tanner's car seat to get it to lock. Once the driver's seat was secure I went to sit down...OUCH! My knees were up against the dashboard and the steering wheel was between my legs. I felt like I was driving a clown car! There is NO WAY my husband would ever have been able to drive his car with these seats in it. I guess it was fortuitous that we never bought a second set of car seat bases...that would have been a HUGE waste of money. We never put the car seats in the VW again after that day.
In May, Tanner and Abigail transitioned from their infant car seats to convertible car seats. These aren't as deep as their infant car seats so we have been able to move the front seats back a few notches which has made driving more comfortable for Matt and me. We look forward to the day when Tanner and Abigail won't have to use a car seat, but with the way the rules and regulations keep changing it may not be until they are in high school.
No comments:
Post a Comment