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Baby On Board: What Should New Parents Look For In A Car?

Starting a family can be a scary thing. It requires a complete lifestyle change as your baby will take precedent over many other aspects of your life. They will need to be taken into consideration for almost everything, especially when it comes to a car. You want your family to be safe and comfortable when you are on the roads. This can be quite complicated. What sort of features do you even look for? If you’re stumped, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

kid playing with car toys

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Look at the Safety Ratings

One of the most important things you should look at for any car is its safety ratings. You will want to keep your family as safe as possible in case you were to have an accident. Above and beyond this, when shopping for pre-owned vehicles, it is important that you know the vehicle's comprehensive history. You want to know if it has ever been in an accident if its service history is accurate and up-to-date. All of these factors could affect the safety of the vehicle. This is why, according to this car dealer in Turnersville, certified preowned is the best option as when you buy a certified pre-owned vehicle it has gone through rigorous tests to ensure that it is in tip-top condition. This way you know what you’re getting and shouldn’t be greeted by unpleasant surprises. Also be sure to look at how many airbags it has, as well as how accessible the seatbelts are. This brings us to our next point.

Try it Before You Buy it

Most dealers will be understanding of the fact that you are a concerned parent who is trying to find the perfect car for your growing little family. You should not be embarrassed to ask if you can try to fit your car seat in the car you are wanting to purchase. This is incredibly important. If you buy a car without trying to fit the seat first and get home to find that it is a nightmare to fit, or that it does not fit at all, you will have an even bigger nightmare trying to return the car. When fitting the seat be sure to position it in as many different ways as you can think of. This includes forward-facing, rear-facing, boosted, and anything else it might feature. If you have difficulty positioning it in different ways or find that it is too time-consuming to access, look at a different car. Car seats will be a daily occurrence.

LATCH Systems

Car seats will be around for a few years. This is why a LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system is beneficial. A LATCH system enables you to connect a car seat without having to navigate and tangle your seat belt. These systems can be found in many car models made after 2002 when it was initially introduced. It is basically an easier way to correctly install and secure a car seat in a vehicle. Many parents prefer a LATCH system as it prevents the car seat from being accidentally ejected in the case of an accident. This is why it is such an important feature to include on your list. 

Look For Space

A plus one means that you need more room. But more seats don’t necessarily mean more space. A 6-seater can’t always comfortably (or safely) sit 6 people, so keep this in mind. Your most important consideration for this car should be the available front-to-back space inside the vehicle. Look at how much space there is when the seats are folded because you’ll need somewhere to store that pram for outings. There should enough space for people to sit comfortably and enough space in the front for the driver to have enough legroom.

Remember to Plan Ahead

As a first-time parent, it is easy to get overwhelmed with all of the changes and additions you need to make to the home, car, etc. Kill two birds with one stone and plan ahead with your car purchase. If you are wanting to have more children at some point, then get a car that can hold more than one child. Take into consideration things such as does it have more than one LATCH system for multiple car seats? If you don’t plan on extending your family, this is still important, as you might need to transport your little one's friends, or cousins for a playdate, or fun day out. Be sure that there is enough legroom for growing bodies in the back and enough space for bags when doing weekends away as a family.

You have plenty of things to worry about as a new parent. Don’t let your car be one of them. We hope that you will add a few of these features and considerations to your list for an easy driving experience.

 

 

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