I'm pretty sure if I told Cheri she had to get rid of Pig when junior came, I'd find myself watching the taillights as Junior and Cheri motored away in Pig...

 

Brother in law has sent an email to "the safety team" at GM where he works. We will see if they know anything about MINIS. They might. They must keep an eye on the competition.

 

I loved Octaneguy's post. Yesterday I told my SO that I wanted to take the MINI to run the Dragon. She said "there is no way I'm riding in that little car 7 hours on the Interstates with all those trucks and SUVs. The only way that will happen is if we take two cars." I'm thinking OH!! It's ok for ME but not you!!! I'm sure she didn't mean it that way and after a few minutes of me not saying anything I think she figured it out.

I'm going to show her the picture of that F150. She is alway bragging about how her Expedition is built on an F150 chassis.

 

Haha, if you only knew my wife. We had an 85 Honda Prelude that we bought for $350 and drove for a couple years while we were in grad school. She wanted to drag that rusty car with us to MN when we started working. I was like, "honey, we'll be making enough money to buy a newer car" but she was pretty insistent. "Fortunately", the timing belt broke a few months prior to us moving, so we had it towed to the junk yard.

 

Most people who have those big suvs really think that they have something safe. But most people have no clue how to drive them, which makes them really unsafe. Couple that with the questionable engineering practices of ford and you have something VERY bad.

 

NAM is like the tabloids now, spreading pregnancy rumors. Who will be targeted next?

 

^^^^^ Gotta love NAM!!!

 

 

OMG!!!! You guys are pregnant, too!!??!!??

WONDERFUL!!! Pig will be a GREAT big brother!!!

 

Thank you EVERYONE. And yes, a HUGE to Octane Guy's post. I appreciate all the posts, and Octane Guy's gets an A+.

Seeing posts from some of my MayDayer buddies really makes me at the thought of seeing Dobby drive away with some stranger behind his wheel. To this day, I am the only driver, with my husband driving it about 10 times or so. I CANNOT let him go! I just can't do it!

I'm looking forward to hearing about any info that starts coming in (thanks again everyone for asking around)...

 

You will be better off with a 4-door.. something bigger as you will be carrying more than just your child... Congrats!
You can always get another mini down the road...
Look at the Honda Accord... very practical, good value and lot of room... Also a 5 star crash rating.... You wont miss your mini too much whe you become a new mom... Saftey will be a priority...

 

1. You don't need to use a car seat for another 7 months, what's the hurry?
2. Mini won't depreciate significantly in that period so you can take your time selecting something "appropriate".
3. Yes, we try to minimize risk for our loved ones by taking precautions. Are they reasonable? Who knows? Plenty of kids get hurt in SUVs, Minivans and big cars. A lot of what happens is chance and beyond our control. We like to think we have some control over our lives but that's why they're called "accidents"...
4. There's no standard for rear impact safety beyond the 5 mph bumper. At best, buying another car is 50/50 chance of "improvement". If I wanted pure safety, I'd buy a SAAB or Volvo.
5. I've been rear-ended by a 3/4T van in a MINI that was going 20-30 mph. It & I survived very well. I have no qualms carrying my grand-daughters (5 & 8) around in my MINI. I do not take them in my classic, however.

 

for what it worth, and I didn't have time to read all the above posts, I've been fine with my 2005 MINI and previously 2004 MINI and 2 children.

My 3 year and 6 month old fit fine in back seat. The only problem is that with a rear facing baby seat (for less than 20lb child), the front passenger can't make the seat go back far enough, unless they are short, say 5'5" or less. My wife is 5'9". However, we have a 1999 Volvo Wagon for most duties with the kids. I can easily take the two kids out in my MINI as long as my wife doesn't come along, and frankly she is thrilled when I take the 2 boyz out and give her a break. We did go on a 4 person trip and it was tight.

The rear seats of a MINI does have the side apron airbags which can be harmful if deployed and a child isn't belted in, but it sounds like your child would always be belted in..

Can you keep the MINI and get a used wagon, and have 2 cars? I think the MINI is reasonably safe, has the LATCH system which our volvo doesn't, and is agile enough to avoid many accidents. The reality is we want to protect our children as much as possible, and this is somewhat of the problem why everyone has SUV's... We can't protect em from everything unfortunately and the MINI is pretty safe... You could get the volvo wagon if safety is your bag, but volvo is now made by ford, so I don't know about that.... If your hubby is uncool with the MINI as a transport, then do get something else, to keep the peace...

As far as two door MINI's, it is easy to jump in the car behind the driver/passenger front seat to buckle in the children.....

just my 2 cents worth.

 

Don't fret as there's a mini in your future - mini van.

The MINI is as safe, if not safer than most anything else on the road, but getting the little tike in and out of the back will get old real quick.

Also, do you have any idea how much logistical support a baby requires?

It's amazing how a person that weighs in at less than 10 pounds requires about a 100 pounds/100 cubic feet of stuff to visit granny. Unless you plan on putting a luggage rack on the MINI, plan on getting something with some room. And an on-board DVD player for when the child gets a little older.

Are we there yet?

 

I'm also a believer that if you have a big car, you will find ways to fill it to the max. On the contrary, with a small car, you just have to be more efficient and selective.

For the last 19 months, I've got a fully packed diaper bag that contains diapers, extra food, extra clothes, toys, sippy cup/bottle, snacks, and now some reading books, and more toys. This is his biggest toy that we take out of the house now. It sits on my front seat--wife sits in back behind me, again with more toys on the floor--portable cell phone, big plastic key set, various toys that light up.



I'm woking on making a cargo carrier that plugs into my MINI FINI Tow Link so that I can mount the car in back and gain some more interior space.

I can also fit a full size stroller in the boot. An Umbrella is nice, but my son can't really sleep in an umbrella, so sometimes we have to take the Aria GM.



So let me see, I got a day bag of all his essentials, a baby stroller, a mini Counterfeit MINI, toys, and more toys, and still room for 2 adults, and an infant seat, all the rest of the stuff that goes in my MINI.

Now don't ask me what will happen if baby #2 comes along, cause then my plan all goes to s**t. And one day I will have to explain to Lukas. Sorry sweetie. The reason Mommy can't come with us is because your friend Joey wants to come too. Unless you don't mind being a loner and not having any friends.....

Richard

 

Congratulations on your pregnancy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel compelled to chime in on this subject. I have two boys... age 6 and 2. When both kids are in the car, I put both of them in the back seat. While I feel totally confident in the mini's crashworthiness, I still pay extra attention to what is behind me.

When I have just the 6 year old, I put him in front (in a booster seat) and slide the seat all the way back. It is easier for me and makes him feel special.

There are some practical advantages to schlepping kids around in a Mini, and I fear that some of my fellow parents might have missed the highlights, so here goes...

1. Less room to take less junk means less will get lost
2. If the tyke drops a bottle or toy, it is much easier to reach because it will be close
3. Gas stops with a baby can be annoying... drive a Mini and stop less often
4. When it comes time to take junior to school, you will be the only parent actually able to find a place to park.
5. The stiff ride and short wheelbase create a bouncing motion that puts all babies to sleep virtually instantly
6. If junior needs a soothing pat or rub, you can actually reach safely while driving
7. On the not-so-rare occasion that junior is cranky, the stereo in the Mini does a great job of drowning out the noise
8. The climate controlled glove box is great for keeping milk and snacks cool
9. Since the interior is smaller, there are fewer places you need to clean when junior pukes in the car
10. The big windows give junior a better view out and thus are soothing
11. It is much easier to smell a poopy diaper in the Mini because it is closer (that may or may NOT be a plus... you decide)

All that being said, it is rational and reasonable to worry about the lack of crush space behind the rear seat. However, I firmly believe that BMW engineers great, safe cars. I sincerely doubt they would bring a car to market if it was not safe. In support of my argument, they have never sold a third row seat in their SUV's because BMW thinks they are unsafe. It goes without saying that a third row would help them sell even more cars, but they would rather keep building safe cars.

The approach I recommend (regardless of what car you drive) is to get the highest quality car seat around. Personally, I am incredibly impressed with the Recaro seat. I have owned them all, and the Recaro blows them all away. IMHO they are well worth the extra money!

Get the smallest and lightest stroller you can find. Check this one out... http://www.zapp.quinny.com/

Go to a good high performance driving school. There is no safety measure as good as competence behind the wheel.

Be prepared for added strain loading a kid in the back (this is true of any 2 door). Regardless of how wide the doors open, putting an infant in the back is physically challenging. This is however short lived and temporary.

Do NOT plan on doing a big marketing or Cosco run with the kid in the car. It just does not work.

Do NOT stop doing things that make you happy just because you are becoming a parent. Parenthood is the worst excuse in the world to abandon lifes little pleasures!

Once the kid gets older, be prepared to have the back of the front seat kicked incessantly. There is just nowhere else for Junior to put his/her legs so you will get kicked!

If you are stuck with getting something bigger in the name of "safety" do not then be hypocritical and skimp by buying something Japanese. BMW builds the safest products in the world... buy any BMW you can afford.

Again, congratulations! I look forward to seeing your baby pictures!

 

Wanna & Iyellow are prognant? Oooh, how vuunderful. (think Martin Short)



Congrats to you both.

OMG, the maydayers are multiplying!!!

I think you're beginning to see all the more reasons to keep the MINI...

2 nieces in the car (13 & 15)... Driving back from Half Moon Bay to San Mateo on Hwy 92--there was head on directly in front of me between a UPS truck & a guy who fell asleep at the wheel.

Ollie Sr scooted around that with no problem whatsoever--even with the tiny shoulder on the road. Had I been in my Altima, we'd have either hit the UPS truck or gone over the side.

Moral: Safety doesn't always depend on bulk.

Congrats again to you WannaMini. (and to the Aiellos) :D

 

Here is a website for you to explore. I haven't had time to delve into it. I did find some statistics that show that being rear ended in general in any motor vehicle only causes a tiny fraction of the serious injuries. Front collisions and side collisions are much more likely to get you. I am thinking that it is true that the concerns about being rear ended in a MINI are outwieghed by the benefits of the MINI, as far as avoiding accidents and protection if you are in a front or side collision


http://www.ncac.gwu.edu/filmlibrary/index.html

 

Built in Baby Mirror
I hope you all know that your rear view mirror when flipped down or (****) turned to the right for you '05 folks --so mirror points down to focus headlights away from your eyes-- is also the perfect baby mirror.

I use it to check on my son in the back seat--without messing up my mirror adjustment. In fact, because it superimposes both his image and the rear view, sometimes I just drive that way.

He can see me looking at him, which is also a plus.

Costco
I can fit one super large box of Diapers on the front seat. Sometimes better to ditch the box, but if you need to keep it, its fine in front. The boot holds a surprising amount---a 15 pound bag of dog food, 2 gallons of milk, cereal, fruit, frozen food--usually about $50 - $75 worth of groceries for me, wife, and son--his food usually consists of thousands of jars of baby food. Plastic bags are easiest for cramming groceries into every nook and cranny. This includes the footwell in the area in front of my infant, the passenger footwell, and if it's really tight, on my wifes lap!

Oh and Similac formula is bigger and cheaper at Costco than Target, although if you use those $5 coupons at Target on the promo combo packs--consists of a can and bottle of premixed formula it's comparable.

#5,6,10 are all things I can relate to. My son loved staring up the son roof once he was strong enough to move his neck around.

Recaro
My neighbor has one and yes, they are awesome--but its not for infants right? Isn't it a toddler booster seat.

Zapp
Have you seen one in a MINI yet? From the pictures it looks tiny, but I saw the one that Paul had at MINI2 and it was much bigger than how the pictures made it seem. The fact it collapses and folds is cool, but it's also not sold in the USA, which should be of some concern.

Kicked Back Seat
Along with this advice, don't bother putting anything in those net pockets on the seat back. My son pulls everything out of there with his feet! I keep having to move the passenger seat away so he can't reach them.

Great advice Red05MCS

Richard

 

That is illegal here in Indiana. If they are not 12 yers of age they must ride in the back!

 

Reading this made me cringe and I just had to say something- I have seen too many people reach around to the back to do something like this while driving and get distracted, swerve, not pay complete attention to driving. Its just not safe, please pull over for your safety and others

That said, a lot of good advise in this thread - I'm so happy to see so many parents with Minis!

Congrats and let us know what happens :smile:

 

Thanks!

Recaro now makes a convertible seat that starts at 1 year and goes up to 80 pounds. I have both the Young Sport and the Start in the Mini and love them. I can't believe how much plusher and more well made the Recaro seats are. The material is microfiber so clean-up is a snap.

I think what I would do if faced with another infant would be to use the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio until 1 year, then the Recaro Young Sport.
http://www.elitecarseats.com/recaro-young-sport.shtml

 

Saw a show on cable the other night The one where they "Steal" the car and then trick it out. Kaztkins did two custom leather kid seat covers to match a custom interior.

AWESOME!

 

Most of my comments were meant to be funny. I did not mean to imply that people should consider doing something dangerous while driving. Sorry tomake you cringe.

 

What a WONDERFUL thread this has become!!!