Two to Kiss, Two to Love: Deciding on a Larger Vehicle

When my husband and I had our first child, we bought baby gear keeping in mind that we wanted more children later. We got the City Mini stroller (yes, in green because that color is to die for!) instead of a double stroller. And why would we do that if we wanted more children? Well, we decided that we would add a rider board on the back for our firstborn instead of having a bulkier stroller at all times. We bought a Britax car seat, and the adapters for that stroller, so we had our own travel system. And we did this with pretty much everything we bought--just looking forward into the future, making sure what we were buying was going to last us a long time.

However, when you find out you're having twins, especially if you already have other children, your previous plans will have to change. That crib you thought would last through several children? Oh, it will, but better get a second one now. That perfect car seat you would use for all of your kids? Grab another! And that single stroller you'd just add a glider board to? Better start picking out the double you want! And remember, if you have older children, will they still need a seat on that stroller as well? Do you actually need THREE seats?

Twins can change so many plans. But, there's one thing an announcement of twins will change that might be the most expensive of them all--the car. Before twins, especially if you didn't have other children, you probably had a car that seated four, maybe five people. Even if you had just one kid, you could still take 2-3 other people, no problem! And then you found out you were having twins.

For a while, my husband and I thought we could get away with the station wagons we had. My older daughter's car seat was thin, and three car seats sat comfortably across the back.

But we ran into a problem--my older daughter. Even though they fit fine back there, my older daughter, who was forward-facing and the twins were rear-facing, was constantly shoving her feet in their car seats! The arguments over keeping her feet out of there were endless. Coupled with that, we also were maxed out on seats. So, if anyone wanted to hang out with us, we were taking separate cars.

Now, could we have gotten away with our station wagons? Absolutely. We did for months. Could we deal with the endless arguments? Sure...

But then, my anti-minivan husband told me we needed a minivan. Whhhhaaaaaatttt?? He has always insisted we would NEVER buy a minivan. I didn't really want to give up our station wagon; it was a manual and I love driving stick shift. But, I understood the convenience of having seven or eight seats. We would finally be able to take other people with us, we wouldn't be using gas in two cars, and it just made sense. And more than anything, I could move my older daughter to the back row! YES! AND...my sister-in-law pointed out the best feature of minivans: sliding doors!

Do you know how much easier it is to take kids out of the car, when there isn't a huge door in the way, or trying to get around the door so you don't hit another car? Especially if you're pulling out an infant car seat?! Amazing!

So, yes, now we have a minivan with eight seats, and it really is quite convenient to pull the back seats out from the floor and take more passengers. Or fold the seats down for a ton of extra space--you have a lot of gear to cart around when you have kids!

So, take the changes with a grain of salt. Embrace them! And if you're starting your children with twins, maybe just invest in the minivan now! ;)

Try to roll with it, and if you're able, make wise choices that help with your next children. Twins will change your world for the better; I promise.