We’re back from our long road trip south, mostly unscathed! It was good time with family and friends (and all kinds of delicious food we can’t find or afford up north) but man, was that last bit of travel home challenging. We split our journey across three days on the way back, and the smallness of our car became quite apparent.

I’ve driven a Ford Focus hatchback since before M was born. We bought it while I was pregnant, because my old junky SUV was not the kind of vehicle you’d want to entrust with a baby.

Car

I love my car. It gets phenomenal gas mileage, and has more zip to it than one might think. However, Mac Daddy compares it to a clown car because I’m 6′ tall and he’s 6’2″, but I’ve always found it comfortable, and I am the one who drives it most. When M was born, we put her car seat in the centre of the back so she had lots of room, with the infant seat, and later on, rear-facing in a convertible seat.

When A was born, we had to cross our fingers, shuffle the seats and hope for the best. M’s seat wouldn’t rear face and leave any room for the driver, so we turned her front facing (at age 3). The infant seat went behind the passenger, because it took up more room than the convertible, so we figured any passenger could deal with less leg room because most people aren’t as tall as us! Having ridden in the passenger seat, I can say it’s a bit more cramped but not unbearable.

ADVERTISEMENT

But on a trip requiring all of us stuffed in there, with our luggage? It gets tight. We pack lightly, especially now that we have A, too. I’m okay with that, so long as we have laundry access, but it’s tricky and annoying to unpack the entire trunk every time you need something that happens to be on the bottom. And then there’s the constant turning in my seat and having to dig for whatever toy, book, or device M is asking for in between “are we there yet?”

That being said, I’m not on the minivan train. So many of our friends are getting them and gushing over the built-in coolers and the wicked leg room and all of the features, but… I still love my car. I love it enough that I spent time researching what convertible seat should leave the most room in it, now that A is on the verge of growing out of the baby seat. I love it enough to have to share my leg room with a diaper bag and a bag of toys and someone’s drink because inevitably there aren’t enough cupholders. I know it’s just a Focus, and not anything fancy, but I’m not ready to trade it in!

If we ever have a third kid… I guess Mac Daddy may convince me out of my Focus, because it will certainly not fit three car seats easily. And for our next road trip, he has declared that we will be taking a camper or trailer of some sort. Until then, I’m happy to be an example of the fact that you don’t really need a big SUV or a van to get around, even if you’re six feet tall and have two kids!

My suggestions, if this is also your scenario: pack lightly, as I mentioned, and look for modular baggage that stacks up nicely. Keep a zipped cooler bag within reach so you can hook the kids and the driver up with drinks on long trips without having to stop the car and head to the back. Utilize any and all organizers that fit on the backs of seats, floors, etc. and make sure you declutter frequently because it adds up in a small car!