A Car-Shopping Guide for Soon-to-Be Parents
Take advantage of these car-buying tips for families on the go.
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Parenthood is an exciting journey loaded with highs and lows. It can also be pretty tiring at times. One thing that can help reduce the mental load is knowing you can transport your children safely and easily. If you're expecting a baby and need a new car, truck, SUV, or minivan, here are some tips on what to look for.
Types of Child Safety Seats
Babies and children come with a lot of gear. That gear likely includes a child safety seat — an infant seat, baby seat, or child restraint system — so parents can take their newborns and toddlers out of the house. These seats keep children comfortable and safe in a car. They can also take up a lot of space, however, forcing the driver or front passenger to move their seats forward to an uncomfortable degree.
Purchasing a child safety seat before you go car shopping is a good idea. That way you can test the seat's fit in prospective vehicles.
The lower anchors and tethers for children (LATCH) feature allows rear-facing baby seats to be installed in a vehicle's rear seat. Not all seats in a vehicle, however, have LATCH in every seat position. For example, center seats in the third rows of some SUVs may not support LATCH car seat installation. Older vehicles may not have LATCH at all.
With the LATCH system, the baby seat's base clips into the lower anchors of the vehicle's seatback. Baby seats can also be installed via a seat belt, though the exact methods differ for each seat. Be sure to read the child-restraint system's user manual to learn how to install it.
As your child grows, their seat usage will change. Newborns sit in a rear-facing position and will switch to a front-facing position and then a booster seat as they grow older, heavier, and larger. These all have different attaching points in a vehicle, with front-facing seats using the top tether point near a seat's headrest and booster seats using either seat belts or lower anchors. Some vehicles, such as the 2024 Volvo XC60, offer integrated booster seats for a cleaner look.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a handy source of safety information for car shoppers. The IIHS provides vehicle safety rankings and helps explain where LATCH points are and how easy they are to use.
Infant safety seats are required for children, and each seat has different weight limits specified by its manufacturer. Older and larger children generally use a booster seat until they can properly use a vehicle's seat belt. That means the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs rather than the stomach, and the shoulder belt should cross the shoulder and chest rather than lie across the neck or face. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has guides and recommendations for shoppers looking for a car seat.
Space for Strollers, (More) Children, and Pets
Baby seats aren't the only thing new parents will need to accommodate in a new car. Most parents will likely also have a stroller to haul around. Like the baby seat, strollers are helpful to have on hand while car shopping to test how they might fit in each prospective vehicle.
Strollers come in many sizes and shapes, including large ones that some drivers may struggle to fit into the rear cargo compartment of a compact SUV. Also, consider how heavy the stroller is and whether or not you or your partner can hoist it into the vehicle. Some features touted by stroller makers, such as cupholders, roller boards, or bassinets, can make the strollers tough to fit easily into a vehicle's cargo area.
Families with multiple kids or pets that come along on road trips may be tempted to get a three-row vehicle. If you're so inclined, inspect the third-row accessibility and see if your pet or child can access those seats while a child safety seat is installed in the second row.
Also, some three-row vehicles need more cargo room behind the third row to stow a large stroller, and car shoppers may struggle to fit a big jogging stroller or double stroller behind the raised third row of some smaller three-row SUVs.
Handy Features for Parents
When you're leaving the house with children in tow, you may not always have your hands free to do something as small but vital as locking your car doors, operating the tailgate while pushing a stroller, or carrying a diaper bag while keeping an eye on your little one.
Fortunately, hands-free car locks are becoming more popular. Rather than using the key fob to lock or unlock a car, certain vehicles use a proximity sensor to lock or unlock the doors as the owner approaches or walks away. The 2024 Nissan Ariya is one new vehicle with this convenient setup.
Power liftgates are also becoming smarter, with many offering a hands-free operation. Some vehicles, such as the 2024 Toyota Highlander or Grand Highlander, require users to stick their foot under the bumper for it to activate, while others, such as the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse with its so-called AutoSense Power Liftgate, will trigger the power liftgate by having you stand (with the key) by the rear of the vehicle for a certain period.
Sometimes these systems have a learning curve and you may need practice to make them work consistently. Shoppers should ask a salesperson for a demo of the feature in action to see its ease of use.
Also (again), kids can be tiring. The first few months of parenthood are often spent in a state of constant sleep deprivation, which can lead to more than a few thoughtless actions. Fortunately, many new cars, including the 2024 Honda CR-V, can help keep kids safe if parents forget them in the rear seats. In these situations, a reminder pops up on the dashboard and an audible alert is triggered if the driver leaves the vehicle without first checking the rear seats.
Cool Child-Safety Tech
Some new features in cars are a bit gimmicky. While a third-party mirror can also do the trick, some vehicles, such as the 2024 Kia Carnival, have a built-in cabin camera feed that displays a video on the infotainment system, allowing drivers to keep an eye on their napping children.
Similarly, some three-row vehicles, including the 2024 Hyundai Palisade, offer an in-car broadcast system that plays the driver's voice to the rear speakers so the driver doesn't have to shout or take their eyes off the road to talk to passengers in the rear. Alternatively, some vehicles offer a feature that plays music exclusively to the front speakers so children in the back can enjoy a peaceful nap.
It's occasionally tough to keep children stimulated on longer road trips as they grow. That's where rear-seat entertainment systems come in. Some systems have headsets, so the driver isn't distracted. In the past, some vehicles supported DVDs to play on the rear screens, but many cars today only have an HDMI input or an integrated streaming service, which requires an internet connection.
Older children might have smart devices such as phones or tablets. Car shoppers should check for rear-seat USB connections in prospective vehicles so children can keep their devices charged. Many newer vehicles have USB plugs scattered about the cabin, though only newer vehicles have more powerful USB-C outlets for rear-seat riders.
Take a Checklist Along on Your Car-Shopping Trip
It can be tough to keep everything in mind when you're a soon-to-be parent, and all the preparation can feel overwhelming. This quick list of questions to answer when shopping for a car might be helpful.
- Does your baby seat fit your vehicle?
- When the baby seat is installed, do you have enough space for front/additional rear passengers?
- Are the LATCH locations easily accessible, and is the baby seat easy to install?
- Does the vehicle have enough space for your stroller?
- How safe is this vehicle in a crash?
- Does the vehicle have any these handy features:
- Hands-free lock/unlock
- Hands-free liftgate
- USB ports
- In-cabin camera
- In-cabin broadcast
- Rear-seat entertainment
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
Sami Haj-AssaadSami Haj-Assaad is an award-winning automotive journalist who has contributed to several automotive, electric vehicle, luxury lifestyle, and technology publications. His work isn't just limited to the written word, as he's also hosted YouTube videos and podcasts. Having grown up in the '90s, he has a strong sense of attachment to that era's style, though he also loves to geek out about the modern, futuristic tech and powertrains rolling out today.
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