Calling All Minivan Moms!

In most minivans with benches for both back rows, you can switch the benches or just pull the little one out entirely and put the big one in the middle section. This is the option that works best for me, as it maximises both cargo space and seating availability (i'm a delivery driver and use my own vehicle, as well as take my toddler to work with me. I highly recomend a van with sliding doors on both sides as well.

In short, benches are the most versitile option.

We have a Toyota Sienna and it's really great! I was VERY against getting a minivan - really didn't see myself ever driving one, but I've gotten used to it. We bought it when my kids were 4 & 2 and baby #3 was due. It seats 8, which we thought would work well down the road so each child could have a friend in the car if necessary. The kids are now 8, 6 & 4 and it still works well seating wise. Good luck!

We've got the bench seats and they work fine. At this point, the almost 5 yr old sits in the back. She can duck under the seatbelt and buckle herself in just fine. She has never complained about the seatbelt being in her way. Our two yr old sits in the middle and I plan to put the baby in the middle with him--dual sliding doors=direct access to each of the "little kids." The older two would fight if touching, but they are great now that they each have their own bench. If you like the color, price, etc. I'd say "Go for it!" You're probably not going to get exactly everything you're looking for in a used vehicle, so if you're happy with most of the features...
My biggest struggle is the fact that I actually drive a minivan!!! It makes me feel old and frumpy! Up until a few months ago, I drove a full size Chevy pickup. My husband decided I needed something more practical and convenient since our third child is on the way. He was right, of course. The kids love it and it is so much easier getting them (and groceries) in and out.

Hi,
I have a blue minivan. I love the color blue. I have the bench seating, where it is one long seat in the back and the 2 seat bench seat in the front. All I can tell you is that we have not had any problems with our van. I have a 5 year old and 2 year old twins plus when we go anywhere with my parents my husband and dad sit in the back with the kids. There has not been any complaints from anyone. Even with the seatbelt across.

Good luck.

I LOVE my Honda Odessey. It's a newer one 2007. The side door windows roll down which is key compared to some older ones. The middle/second seat is captains chairs, but comes w/ a middle part that converts the seat into a bench, so you have the flexibility to set the row up three ways. 1 - captains chairs w/ a split in the middle. 2 - two seats together with the opening near the door (easier access to the back) or a bench - three across both the middle and third rows. I would highly recommend looking at the Honda. Great product.

Hi, I'm the proud mama of 3 boys- ages 6, almost 4 and 1 month. We have a dodge grand caravan. I put the big boys in the back- one on either side of the 3 person bench seat with a bin holding their toys in the middle. We took one of the captains chairs out behind the driver seat so that the boys can easily get into the back and I can easily buckle their seat belts. This also gives us ample storage in addition to the behind seat. The infant is in the captains chair behind the passenger seat so that I can easily see him w/ mirrors. This works great for us. Additionally the year dodge we have is all wheel drive and has a good towing capacity which was more important that the color or condition. We bought it used on ebay and got a great deal w/ no complaints.

I have had both seat arrangements and I HATED the bench seats. It was a constant battle of someone poking the other one getting in the back was a pain. My new van I love. I have captains chairs in the middle and a bench int he back. You also want to consider how the chairs move/come out. My first van you had to actually take out all the seats - a huge pain if it needed to be done. Seats that fold into the floor are the best. My van's rear seat will split and let you fold half of it into the floor so you still have seating for one of your kids and you have space to haul stuff and you know kids have stuff! Good luck.

I chose our van because it had the captain's seats in the middle rather than the bench seating. I'm able to put the split in the middle or put the chairs next to each other, which allows easier access to the back for the older kids (and adults, for that matter).

One thing you'll probably want to look at is where the carseats can go in the third bench and how the middle configures around it. For instance, my manufacturer does not recommend carseats in the middle of the third row because it isn't supported by the LATCH system and the seatbelt isn't configured properly for use with a carseat. So if you can only put the boosters on the two outer seats of the third bench and you can't get the kids in and out easily with a bench configuration in the middle, it might be more hassle than what it's worth. But if a removable captain's chair allows you easier access (and I recommend throwing a towel or blanket over the chair hooks in the floor - otherwise it can be a painful experience for your kneecaps), then you can look for a model with that feature.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your new baby!

I don't have a van yet, but we will be getting one very soon, as we're in a similar situation to yours. I just wanted to say that I really liked the suggestion of a previous poster, who said to put the older kids in the back, the infant in one captain seat, and remove the other captain seat if possible. It really sounds like that would give great access to the back and everyone would be able to get in and out easily. Plus, the infant seat would be closer to you if Baby should need something. Good luck!

I like my bucket seats because there are more space between them. I have a Toyota with 3 bucket seats in the middle. I like it because I can take one out or leave in all three. My 2 year old sits in the middle and can see out. This makes him very happy and he will sit for much longer than when he is on the side. It also make it easier for the kids heading to the back because there are more options to get to the back and they don't climb all over the place like they would with a middle bench seat.

I know you don't want advice on brands or price, but remember you get what you paid for. I have two siblings that have Grand Caravans and they both lost transmissions around 120K miles, so they had the cost of that. There are also other costs you need to factor in like gas mileage? how many repairs are you going to face? How many miles do you expect to drive your van? It's proven fact that Toyota's go twice what a Grand Caravan does...so you may pay 20K for the Toyota, but your paying 10K for the Caravan really equates to the same price in the end. My husband is an analytical thinker so these are things he thinks about before buying. He has been working up to buying a replacement vehicle for himself and has been "doing it" for 2 years now...I will believe it when I see it. But just not sure what your thinking was and wanted to throw my two bits out.

go with the Honda, I LOVE mine! We got the one that comes with the extra seat and it can be stored in the middle of the floor when you don't need it. It seats eight. I love everything about it!
Good luck
E.

I didn't read all of the responses, but I love our Grand Caravan :)

My favorite feature is the automatic doors! It sounds silly, but it is so great to be able to push the button for the doors or tail gate to come open. ESPECIALLY WHEN CARRYING A BABY BUCKET and herding other kids.

I have captain chairs in the middle and my 4 year old's car seat is usually in the back. I do have to climb through to fasten her seatbelt, but she is old enough to undo it by herself so I only have to climb through when we are loading.

Happy hunting :)

In my experience, the van with captain seating is GREAT if you don't have a baby in an infant carseat. I have a Dodge Grand Caravan and I have the two bench rows. I do have built in toddler seats in the middle row (which is a GREAT asset that I love!). It is a GREAT family van, but it has to be taken care of because that line of vans is known to have problems with the transmission if driven too hard. Good luck & have fun choosing!

Make it a GREAT day!

S.

You got a great deal, thats what I paid for my grand caravan and i LOVE it. Depending on the year, just watch for tranny problems, they can be notorious for them. I just had to replace mine but the mileage was at least high (171,000 miles) on mine so I didn't feel let down by my purchase at all, its still in great shape and running great with a new tranny. I have 4 sons. I put the oldest and the the second youngest in the back and the second oldest and youngest in the middle row, that alleviates most of the fighting and also helps with getting the baby things that he needs. I hear you about having another boy, having 4 of them and I cried at my last ultrasound when they told me it was another boy, then felt guilty and then got used to it because, well, really, I knew exactly what to do with another boy. No surprises there, it made life easier for me, thats for sure. And now I love being a mom of 4 boys and I am SOOOO done having babies but happy about it!

Enjoy your new van, I'm sure you will love it!

We have a Mazda MPV. It's one of the smallest mini-vans available. The front row is two seats that can be together or apart. The back row is a bench. I have a 3 1/2-year-old, a 22-month-old, and an 8-month old. I have the two older kids in the back, but not right next to each other. One on the left, one on the right, so there is space between them and they can barely reach each other. Every now and then they will reach their hands into the middle and my son will pull on my daughter's arm and make her cry or he'll snatch her toy away from her, but it doesn't happen often and we discipline him when it does. So it isn't much of a problem to have them back there together. The baby is in the front row seat behind the front passenger seat. I have it moved over toward the middle so the two seats are touching. The only problem with this arrangement is that when you put the car seat handle down into the car position it hits the seat in front, so you have to have the front passenger seat scooted up a bit toward the dashboard. If your passenger is tall, they'd have no leg room. (My husband has to drive when the baby is in the car, but I like him to drive anyway, and I'm short, so we don't really have a problem with it. We also removed the handle on the back of the seat to give ourselves another couple of inches. It's complicated, I know, but I figure I drive this thing all the time, I want us all to be comfortable.)

One other thing that has made it so much easier to use this van is we removed the other seat from the front row (they're made to come out for cargo room). We never use it, so we have it stored inside our house. If we ever need it, we can put it back in in just a couple of minutes. Not having the other seat in there gives us so much room to get to the back row and buckle the kids in, and also gives us lots of cargo room, since my double stroller takes up pretty much all the cargo space in the back.

I just looked at KSL.com's classifieds and the MPVs they have listed are priced between $3-8 thousand.

I hope that helps! Good luck!

My friend LOVES her Grand Caravan. In fact when she can afford the newer model, that will be the car for her. It comfortably sat all of us on a recent trip (6 and 7 people). The kids really had no problem getting in the back, Grandma on the other hand needed a different seat. I do not think that you can get a used minivan without stains and such. :) Have the previous owners, a website or even a dealer show you how to configure the seating that is best for you.

I prefer the captain seats, I like that kids can't touch each other...we only have one daughter but when we drive cousins and friends around it really helps so much. it really isn't that big of a deal to go through the captain seats, even the teenagers I have (host kids) get around them okay and I have the caravan, not the grand. they don't love the leg room they would like but we bought the van for little kids thinking at the time we were going to have more. but I would still go with captain chairs again over a bench. the ones we have have a lever you pop the chair to lean forward and it is actually easier to get in the back. so that is my 2 cents on the seats :)

Two words for you my friend: Honda Odyssey. Seriously. I'm not a mini van mom- hopefully I'll be a crossover suv type mommy :) just out of preference for towing capacity. However, if I decided I wanted a van this would be the ONLY one I'd consider! They're super super versitale!!! the back bench seat folds into the floor! The middle two seats can be separated or moved together, or just removed altogether (or on the years 2005 and up those also fold into the floor!!!) 1999 was the first year they were out and my folks just barely replaced it (after it was in an accident- it was still running great with 250,000 MILES!!!)

I didn't read all the other responses but here is my two cents:
I have two captain's chairs in the front row and the bench in the back. I put my older boys in the back, but on either side. That way they can play but have their own space to not fight. My daughter is on one captain chair, and I took the other one out, so when I pick my boys up for school, they can climb right in without brushing past little legs. We've even had a picnic in that empty space!
Also, I can rearrange anytime I want or need to and it's great to be able to put the "naughty" one away from everyone else as a punishment!

You are planning on having someone throw up in your van. Hee hee! Ok, seriously now, I would go for the bench and the kids sitting next to each other. I know they can hit, but they also can play and be helpful. Our van has the bench with the built in boosters, in which case the seatbelts can be kept out of the way. Just try to get double sliders, that will save you, it is one feature that we envy. Good luck.

We have the bench seats in the 2nd row and just like the Captain's chairs, you can remove one or both. I would think with little kids and car seats, you would want the bench because the car seats would fit better. I'm not sure becsuse we got ours when my 3 kids were older. However, I don't think we would like the captain's chairs because they take up more room. When we take road trips, we always remove one of the middle bench seats and park the ice chest there for easy reach of snacks. The other is moved middlish so the passage to the back is by the door (not going over someone's legs) Let the back people get in first and out last and the seatbelt stretched across isn't a problem.
S.

I'm not sure about bench seating - we have captains chairs. the beauty of them is that you can take one or both out, dependent on your needs. For long road trips we'd take one out to give us more floor space. I know a lot of people put the baby in a captains chair, take out the other and put the older kids in the third row - lots easier to get them in and out w/out the 2nd captains chair. the other thing is, you can move them (in most models anyway - don't know about chrysler/dodge) so that you have right and left OR left and center. we went w/left and center for safety reasons (gives the kid on the passenger side another foot or two before the door caves in and hits him if we were to get broadsided) but it also makes it super easy to get into the third row. good luck!