Hi all,

I currently have a 2010 MINI Cooper S that I love and did not plan on getting rid anytime soon. However, me and my girlfriend are starting to talk baby and that may change a few things. We have friends that had a R56 Clubman and had a baby that actually got rid of the Clubman mostly because of the baby. They said it was actually going to be impossible to get everything to fit in a regular hardtop.

So the question I am asking is, have you had a baby with a R56 hardtop as a vehicule ? If so, please share you experience !

At the moment, we only have one car and it's the R56.

 

We had our daughter back in January. With her in the infant car seat (Peg Perrego for us), it wasn't so bad. I could muscle her in and out of the passenger side without too much difficulty, but my wife had trouble doing the same. You just needed to know how to do it, and the R56 is my car (she has an Escape, which made dealing with the baby much easier), so I did it more often.

Strollers were limited to what will fit in the back without folding seats down, or dismantling the thing beyond the point of recognition. The Baby Jogger Mini City GT fit without issue. You only had to take the parcel shelf out to get it in, and didn't have to touch the stroller, even though the wheels came off really easily.

The problem I have now is that even though she is only 10 months old, she has hit the height limit of the infant seat, and now needs to be in a rear facing convertible. The gymnastics I have to do to get in and out of the car with her is getting tiresome, and with winter setting in, I'm deathly afraid of falling with her and hurting her. As of right now, I'm seriously contemplating getting rid of the Mini for something with 4 doors, and a little more space (still has to be fun to drive though ). This is my second Mini (2003 R53, and 2011 R56 S) and I absolutely love them, but it's starting to get a little too impractical. It will be impossible if we end up with kiddo #2 in the near future, as I can't fit a car seat of any kind behind the drivers seat.

 

Mini cars and Mini people...

My missus and I have 2 little girls, they're 3 and 4 now (we banged em out quick to get over the diaper years sooner).

About 2 years ago we explored the option of a car for my wife to cart the girls around in. We took measurements of prams and things to see what would fit in the boot. So the girls were 1 and 2, just babies still. Anyway, with all the stuff we needed for two kids(not really that much, just something so we could change them in the boot, and a pram....and the occasional groceries...), we found we couldn't fit the stuff in the boot (mainly the pram exceeded the dimensions). We did find we could make it happen in a Countryman, though.
You have to remember though, that this is 2 kids, so your situation will be a little different. I ended up buying a Toyota Highlander for her.

Fast forward to today, the girls are a little older and they fit very well in my R56. They have car seats, and they climb in by themselves. I do have to lean in to lock the seat belts though. The Mini has the latch system of child seat restraints. The girls absolutely LOVE driving in the 'Koopah Kah'...and that includes my wife.

If you really love the Mini and want to keep it as part of the family, I think you should have no problem with 1 baby on board. At the very least, consider hanging on to it for a 6 month trial after the baby arrives as that will give you all the information you need as to whether it will work. The baby seat will certainly fit well in the back.

Hope that gives you a bit of a start on your quest for knowledge. Good luck.

Mike

 

Babies will definitely fit in a Mini...it's all the gear that comes with babies that becomes the issue. When my son was born, I took him along with me to see a friend's Mini I'd been eyeing for a while, just to see if everyone/everything would fit. We got him in and out alright, but once we started to attempt loading in the diaper bags, stroller & toys, it was enough for me to decide to delay the purchase.

Also, you should factor in the fatigue element: that ever present haze that hovers for the first 3-6 months of bringing the child home. Loading and unloading a child (with gear) can get frustratingly difficult when you've gone without solid sleep for a while.

And finally (and please don't take this the wrong way), you need to consider the safety element of an infant in the rear seat. I know that these vehicles are safe, but I'm in the driver seat--somewhat cushioned. My son's five now, and I still won't let him ride in my car. Call me a nervous nelly, but he's my world.

 

Had a baby in my r53...no issues...r56's are a bit bigger....
First rearward facing...then forward...then a booster...is fine.

 

P.S.
Some folks carry way too much crap when they have a baby..we had shower gifts we never used more than one or two times...take whst you need...pack smart...you can do day trips easy...overnights more challenging...but doable.

 

My thoughts are that a Clubman could be the answer? I kick myself occasionally for not getting one, with that little door on the passenger side. And all the boot room for taking more stuff.

 

Had an R50 and R53 while our son was in an infant seat... It's a squeeze, but an infant and a MINI is 100% doable...

However, it definitely takes more planning, especially if the MINI is your only vehicle... For starters, you need to be mindful of the size stroller you purchase, larger strollers won't fit in the MINI. Overnight trips - eventually we invested in the roof box for the MINI. However there was the weekend trip we made with several MINIs up to CT - the pack-n-play traveled in a friend's MINI because we didn't have the space for the stroller, suit case, diaper bag, baby food, two adults, and the pack-n-play. Until you can go with the tiny umbrella stroller, you boot will be almost completely consumed by the stroller.

Also, the contortion to get the infant seat, and later buckle in the car seat may get old... After 5 years it wore us down and we moved to a 4 door GTi, and now have replaced that with an R60.

 

2012 Justa HT.

Three kids... Ages 9, 3, and 1 month.

So... While the math doesn't work out (5 people in a car that seats 4), my wife has a 2004 CR-V that serves as the "family truckster". The second row is tight only because the two younger ones need bulky seats, but like diapers, this too shall pass.

But, 90% of the time, it's just me in the car, whether commuting or autocrossing.

The other 5% of the time, my 9 year old is with me, so obviously no issues there with him getting in and out. I also have a 3 year old who is in a forward facing convertible. He climbs in, but I buckle him securely. As soon as he's big enough, booster seat!

The infant won't be in the MINI until she's in the forward facing convertible.

As much as I love my MINI, I will say that to own a MINI as an only car with small kids must make you really love the car as I've contemplated selling the MINI for $17000, picking up a used $5000 Accord or Camry (room for 5), and then buying an early C5 Vette (can be had for $12000 now) to autocross with. But then I don't want to maintain, register, fuel, and insure three total vehicles.

 

You will load the baby from the boot. That is when you are using the rear facing basket type seat that clips and unclips. I don't know the exact name of that kind. It's like a basket with a handle and the baby sits inside. Leave one rear seat folded down.

The Recaro Prosport seems to fit best in our cars. When the baby can sit forward you can fasten the seat in the middle of the rear seat. One clip per side. That lasts about a year or less then they can graduate to the Recaro in the front seat. Make sure you ALWAYS use the third tie down (there are anchor points in both the rear seat and the boot/trunk).

You will want to get the Metra kit and install a DVD player.

 

It can be done. My wife and I both had 2010 R56s. As your only car, IMO it is not a good move. We got rid of my wife's for a VW Passat, which is a great family car and I ended up getting a countryman. The car seats we have are both Britax Marathon 70s. Very big seats but the best on the market. I wanted to hold onto my R56 but with the seat facing rear, it just didn't fit in my car. I opted for the R60 and it has made it much easier for now until he is a little bigger that he can get in and out of his seat on his own.

The only other piece of advice that I will give is the fact that you might want to consider that there will be times your girlfriend/wife will be riding in the back seat with the baby and that will make you uncomfortable while driving (unless you happen to be under 5 foot...LOL). My son is 18 months old and my wife still loves crawling in the back seat with our son while we are going somewhere and in either car, she is comfy and so am I, so IMO if the R56 is your only car, you may want to consider making a change.

 

It can be done, but like others have said - it all depends on how far you plan to travel and how much stuff you will be taking with you.

I've done a 500 mile 3-day road trip with a 3 year old in an R56 and it worked out. For longer multi-day trips with both kids with got a 3-series BMW. If you live some place where it snows, 335ix works out well for winter duty as well.

Just getting the kids in and out of the car is SOOOOOO much easier with dedicated rear doors. Especially when you have to buckle them into the child seat yourself.

Again, it can be done with a MINI, but WAY easier with a 4-door.

YMMV,
a

 

Getting a kid in and out can be a bit tricky in the first year, but after that you on easy road. The only fear I have is the safety aspect of hatchbacks and being rear ended. There is not much rigidity on hatchbacks, and I have seen some nasty rear end coopers. IMHO what I have seen is that saloon cars tend to take the impact a bit better.