Editor’s Note

What’s your best Disney tip?

TU R N TO PAG E 8 0 FO R M O R E M U S T- R E A D ADVI C E ! L I Z VAC CA R I E L LO Vice President, Editor-in-Chief

Creative Director AGNETHE GLATVED Executive Editor MINDY WALKER Managing Editor MICHAELA GARIBALDI Deputy Editor DIANE DEBROVNER

Beauty Director KATE SANDOVAL BOX Lifestyle Director LAURA FENTON Senior Editor, Health JULIA EDELSTEIN Senior Editor, Nutrition and Travel KAREN CICERO Senior Editor, Food JENNA HELWIG Entertainment Editor JESSICA HARTSHORN News Editor MARISA LASCALA

Even the Contributing Editor SHARLENE BREAKEY happiest place Associate Editor, Beauty SHANNON M. BAUER on earth Associate Editor, Features EMILY ELVERU can’t prevent Assistant Editors LESLIE CORONA, RIYANA STRAETKER a sunburn!”

ART & PRODUCTION

Art Director EMILY FURLANI Associate Art Director JAMIE LEE Senior Designer MARIA FERNANDEZ-DAVILA Art Production Manager VINCENT M. SPINA

PHOTO

Executive Photo Director LILY FRANCESCA ALT Photo Director DAVID COOPER Photo Editor JOANNA MUENZ Photo Coordinator MAGGIE BLATTEL Assistant Photo Editor ERIKA THOMPSON

a treat. The only problem … my daughter wanted to see her bedroom too. ”

RESEARCH & COPY

Research Director BARBARA BRANDON-CROFT Copy Chief LISA K. MARUM Copy Editor JEAN RODIE Test Kitchen Project Manager CARLA CHRISTIAN, R.D.N.

Editorial Business Coordinator CATHY SIMPSON Executive Operations Coordinator, Of ice of Editor-in-Chief ADRIENNE FARR

Contributing Editors SABRINA JAMES, SALLY KUZEMCHAK, R.D., SARAH MAHONEY, LAURA MORGAN, ERIN ZAMMETT RUDDY, DARSHAK SANGHAVI, M.D., COLBY SHARP, VIRGINIA SOLE-SMITH

DIGITAL

Digital Director JULIA DENNISON Senior Editor MELISSA BYKOFSKY Social Media Manager MELISSA CHAVEZ Social Media Editor GILLIAN NIGRO

ADVISORY BOARD

Pediatrics ARI BROWN, M.D., DAVID L. HILL, M.D., HARVEY KARP, M.D., PHILIP LANDRIGAN, M.D., JANE MORTON, M.D., IRWIN REDLENER, M.D., MICHAEL RICH, M.D., M.P.H., HARLEY A. ROTBART, M.D., DARSHAK SANGHAVI, M.D., JENNIFER SHU, M.D., WENDY SUE SWANSON, M.D., M.B.E. Nutrition JILL CASTLE, R.D., CONNIE DIEKMAN, R.D., DAVID LUDWIG, M.D., Ph.D., Mental Health ROBIN BERMAN, M.D., DAVID FASSLER, M.D., HAROLD S. KOPLEWICZ, M.D., REBECCA LANDA, Ph.D. Dentistry LEZLI LEVENE HARVELL, D.M.D. Child Development and Behavior WAYNE FLEISIG, Ph.D., EILEEN KENNEDY-MOORE, Ph.D., JENN MANN, Psy.D., WENDY MOGEL, Ph.D., MICHAEL THOMPSON, Ph.D. Women’s Health ALICE D. DOMAR, Ph.D., MARJORIE GREENFIELD, M.D., LAURA RILEY, M.D. Education and Child Care DEBORAH STIPEK, Ph.D., CATHY VATTEROTT, Ph.D. Allergy WILLIAM E. BERGER, M.D., HUGH SAMPSON, M.D. Emergency Medicine and Safety MARTIN EICHELBERGER, M.D., WENDY L. HUNTER, M.D., GARY A. SMITH, M.D., Dr.P.H. Sleep JODI MINDELL, Ph.D., JUDITH OWENS, M.D. Dermatology LAWRENCE F. EICHENFIELD, M.D., JODY ALPERT LEVINE, M.D.

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because people really do make them six months in advance. ”

ADMINISTRATION

Business Director ROBYN DEAN Senior Business Manager SANDY GALLENTINE Advertising Business Manager BOB PARLAPIANO Consumer Marketing Director JON MACARTHY Associate Consumer Marketing Director SHERI STEGER Senior Production Director KATE REMALY Production Director TIFFANY GJERSTAD Advertising Production Supervisor ASHLEY SCHAUBROECK Director of Quality JOSEPH KOHLER Prepress Desktop Specialist BEN ANDERSON

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Meredith Corporation President and Chief Executive Of icer TOM HARTY Chief Financial Of icer JOSEPH CERYANEC Chief Development Of icer JOHN ZIESER President, Meredith Local Media Group PAUL KARPOWICZ Senior Vice President, Human Resources DINA NATHANSON

Executive Chairman STEPHEN M. LACY Vice Chairman MELL MEREDITH FRAZIER

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A Look Under the Hood

T H E P I C T U R E below was taken after our SUV slid down an icy hill and crumpled against a telephone pole. The whole thing was terrifying in its grace—the car rotated in slow motion as Steve gently pumped the brakes. I cut my finger on shattered glass, but otherwise we were physically unscathed. Sophia, who sat in her car seat behind me, fears any snowy descent to this day.

The family car. It’s arguably the single most important purchase a parent can make. Not only must it protect us during our most vulnerable moments, but it’s also the thing we spend more time in (and money on) than anything other than perhaps our house. Stunning, then, that most of us spend more time researching infant car seats than our car itself.

That’s where Parents magazine comes in. We believe your car purchase is worth rigorous testing, which is why we worked so hard to create “The Car Your Kids Will Grow Up In.” Starting with 300+ cars, we only considered ones that are a Top Safety Pick of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or received a 5/5 rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A mere 109 vehicles made that first cut.

Senior editor Karen Cicero organized the cars into our six categories and received testing and review data from our partner, Edmunds, including driving and comfort, price, and gas mileage. We narrowed the list to 20 semif ina lists based on these ratings.

We then hired a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and visited dealerships to see all 20 cars. In a whirlwind, two-day effort, we installed at least 60 car seats of various sizes and in various configurations.

Our team also counted cupholders, looked for USB charging stations, and measured trunk space. We talked to families who own the cars and even asked a mom and baby to meet us at a Honda dealership so we could test out the “CabinWatch rear seat monitor” on the Odyssey. Afterward, Edmunds and the Parents team selected the ten winning cars in the story.

As the issue was coming together, our teams went to the New York International Auto Show to film the winners—and we got to see some 2019 vehicles. That’s right—we’re already thinking about next year!

Shop wisely. Drive safely.

B E S T C A R S B Y T H E N U M B E R S

2018 new car models

Cars that made our first cut

Cars that made our second cut

Car seats installed

Auto dealerships visited

People involved

7 Experts from Edmunds 1 Child Passenger Safety Technician 6 Editors 1 Fact-checker 2 Designers 1 Photo editor 1 Videographer 2 Lawyers

Months to choose the winners

S E E T H E L I S T, PA G E 7 5

Months to complete the story

Go to @LizVaccariello on Instagram for more behind-thescenes fun. I invite you to email me at liz@parents.com.