It’s official. I’m full blown MOM status now. Baby #3 has finally pushed us over the edge…and I’m a van mom now. Something about this purchase made everything seem really real….like we’ll be having THREE KIDS in a few months. Yikes!
We’ve only had the van for a few days, so it’ hasn’t quite sunk in yet…..but yeah. And you know what? I kind of love it. I knew if I wrote a “to van or not to van” blog post that EVERY mom with a van would leave a comment about how much you LOVE your van. And it’s true. This baby was built for a mom with young kids.
The sliding doors are hands down my favorite…and surprisingly Hudson’s favorite too! No more wide load doors open on both sides while I try to buckle these two crazies in to their car seats. I was driving a Toyota Highlander and I LOVED it…and the whole reason we got it a few years ago was because there was a third row if we ever decided to have more than two kids. But such silly young parents we were. There was NO WAY that third row could help. Hudson isn’t able to buckle/unbuckle himself in to his car seat (and I kind of want to keep him like that)…..so he would need help each time he got in his seat. And with two car seats in the middle row there was no way for me to climb to the third row to help him. Plus with the third row up there was zero trunk space….aka no room for our double stroller (#momlife). It’s really a better design for older kids. But the van? I can walk through that baby. And it’s awesome.
Plus it has a built in DVD player…which Hudson is ALL ABOUT. And poor Sadie is still rear facing so she has no clue what’s going on…..but she likes the van anyway. All weekend Hudson was begging to play in the van and go for a ride. We definitely sat in the van in our driveway and watched a little Finding Nemo and ate snacks while I poked around with all the features. And Jon? He was very anti-van….for the longest time. But my mom helped me sell him on it…especially when we talked about how when I’m out and about it was safer for me to get all the kids in the van and lock the door while I strap them in, instead of being so exposed while I got each one it and had all the doors open. But guess who jumped at the chance to drive the van all weekend? Jon secretly loves that van and all the features….just don’t tell him I said that.
And for anyone curious, we got a Toyota Sienna. Because of where we live, we really needed a 4 wheel drive van for me to feel safe driving it in the winter. And Toyota is the only one who makes a van with all wheel drive….so our choice was made for us!
So yeah…..I’m a van driving mom and I am not ashamed. I am in LOVE.
Ha, love it! I am starting to wrap my head around the idea of a van now, because I know we will need one eventually. But I will hold out for as long as possible!
LOL yes! Love our van. I can't wait until we graduate to an SUV again one day, but for now it is perfect! You will love it when the new baby is in the carrier seat…I feel like swinging doors have to open so wide to get one of those in there, but with sliding doors it's so easy!! And the third row is great for nursing and diaper changes! 🙂
AWD was the same reason we bought the Sienna Toyota and we love it! I fought it for a while but when we found out we were having twins I knew I needed sliding doors in my life! Congrats!
I WISH I had a van! We had one as a rental once and it was amazing! Great choice 🙂
Mini vans FTW!!!!! We're just a couple of months ahead of you (also a Sienna) and I have completely accepted and fallen in love with mine! Though I still feel a little weird getting in it sometimes…mainly because I still feel like I'm 25 and pretty hip?! Anyway, enjoy it! And yes, my husband (Mr. anti mini for so long) loves ours more than he will ever admit!
So, in our family, I am the anti-van one. I don't think my husband would put up that much of a fight at all if I told him that was what I wanted. And girl…seeing you put all those points out there kind of makes me wonder why I am anti-van? Because carting the infant carrier in and out of the wide opening doors is such a pain, especially in tight parking spaces. Buckling Caleb in and out of his car seat from the third row is horrific. And our trunk space is laughable. I've also never thought about how unsafe it is for me to be spending 10 minutes buckling kids in every where we go. I'm a sitting duck. Seriously. I would be the perfect target for anyone looking to grab a purse. Or abduct a child. Eek. Not liking that thought at all.
Girl, welcome to the club! We only have two, but our van was the best purchase for our family. It's perfect for short and long trips. I always said I'd never drive one, but now that I have one I'm so happy. I know I won't drive one forever, but at this stage in our life it's the perfect vehicle. I'm so glad you like it.
I love my minivan! My husband wasn't convinced before kids, but now we talk about what we'll get after this van and it's another van!
Love my Sienna too! I never thought I'd ever need a van but when baby #2 turned out to be baby #2 and #3 it was a no-brainer. Perfect for the little kid years!
Just bought our sienna a few weeks ago, and I love it! I was major anti van before having kids. But now, it's just so darn functional it's simply the best!
You go momma!! 😉 My husband is already wanting to get us a van… and we have ONE baby haha. I'm not totally against it, but I want to hold on to my 4-door sedan for awhile longer 😉
I love our van, which we also got when we were expecting baby #3 and it was the only logical choice, based on what we could afford. We scored big time and got found a great one on Craig's List. 4 years later I still love our Sienna.
You are making me want a van! We can't get one, but oh my goodness, this van is amazing and I want one! 🙂 Enjoy van life!
I just discovered your blog and it's super cute! Really enjoyed reading your pieces! PS–Great name!
-Julie
http://www.julie-blue.com
I love this post! I have always wanted a van after we had kids, and I absolutely LOVE my Honda Odyssey. Seriously, those sliding doors are key! And the space inside is amazing, not to mention that vans get pretty good gas mileage 🙂 Yay for minivan moms!