Toddler car seat scramble and 5 other strange talents you acquire when you're a parent.

These are the daily contests we compete in without the lure of a gold medal.

You might've completed the world-record nappy change. Or pulled your back after backyard toddler chasing cardio. Or maybe you've got the 'baby bicep' dead arm.

Welcome to parenthood! A lifetime of physical challenges await, so limber up.

In the daily Parenting Olympics, we become freakishly talented at certain skills. Often they involve kids and car trips.

When pregnant with my first child, I thought it was unnecessary to upgrade my two-door (manual!) hatchback which had served me well as I zipped about town without a care in the world, or passengers in the back.

At that point, I had no idea how many little details I'd appreciate with two in the back seat.

Nowadays, I'd be more inclined to choose something like a Honda CR-V. The new medium SUV is intuitively designed to solve daily stresses – the 7-seat grades have 10 cupholders (for my 10 coffees). Extra boot space for all the kids' stuff, and 90-degree rear doors to reduce those baby seat and capsule struggles. And, it has advanced safety technologies and a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

I need my boot to be this big, please. And just as neat. Image: Honda CR-V. 

It's often the car where our Olympic-level moments take place. How many of these have you mastered?

1. Child and Grocery Weightlifting Stakes.

Accurate. via GIPHY

The zip around the supermarket with the baby deciding that the fluorescent-lit aisles were a good time for shut-eye has lulled you into a false optimism that this shopping trip will be the one time you CAN do it all.

You park the car at home and baby wakes up. Carrying them to the front door, they lean across from your hip to reach for the jar of pasta sauce in one of the seven shopping bags slung over your other arm as you desperately try to keep child and groceries separate.

It's that moment you realise you're not sure where you put the keys (little tip – they're still in the car).

An automatic power tailgate with a kick sensor to open and close the boot for you is just the ticket in such situations.

2. The Toddler Car Seat Scramble.

Think she'll stay put? via GIPHY

They are fast, nimble and wriggly so getting toddlers into their car seat is a mission, but the payoff is knowing they're safe and secure (and no longer able to move). You've earned yourself a medal for wrangling these twisty, flippy mini gymnasts into a seat, flailing arms in straps, buckles fastened and peace restored.

This all comes after the scramble to fit the seats into the car in the first place. 

Don't even get me started when baby number two (or three or four) comes along. A car with ISOFIX – the internationally recognised standard for attaching child safety seats in passenger vehicles – gives you the best chance to get it right from the start.

Eating up precious time in the race to leave the house, getting children into the car is never a job done quickly. With unique rear doors on the CR-V that open to a full 90 degrees to help lift in the baby capsule or buckle up their siblings with easy access just about hands mum or dad the winner's trophy.

3. Nursery Rhyme Anti-nap Marathon.

You glance in the rear-view mirror and see your little one's eyes start to blink slowly. The clock on your dash tells you it's only lunchtime but you'd planned to get home, feed them and pop them down for a nice, long, relaxing couple of hours of mum quiet time…sorry, sleep! I meant sleep.

This will not do! A power nap in the car and they will be awake all afternoon! Arrggh! The horn on the bus goes BEEP BEEP BEEP! You crank up the volume for a jaunty singalong as you edge closer to home and see your ploy to keep peepers wide open is doing the trick. A little fresh air into the cabin from the panoramic sunroof and you're home and hosed. That was close.

4. Backseat Nappy Change Express.

My victory dance I have on the inside. via GIPHY

I swear it is the slightly curved position of babies in capsules that makes it so easy for them to fill their nappy just as you are driving to go somewhere.

Sensing there's a desperate need to get them changed before their clothes need changing too, you pull into a side street and try to do the inconspicuous change in the back seat while you try to keep baby from wriggling off the old gym towel they're lying on. A spacious interior and increased legroom in the back will help you get this job done with the greatest of ease.

Running late for an appointment? That's the guarantee you'll have to pull off this swift manoeuvre at a very inconvenient time. Do not panic, the added pressure is good training for next time (there will be a next time).

5. The Fastest Parent Relay Of All.

Feet swollen and belly heavy, the expectant mum and her obliging partner venture off to the baby warehouse superstore where it's a dash to grab the latest capsule/nappy bag/toy elephant/window shades/baby mirrors/travel blanket/'Baby On Board' sign before someone else grabs the last one on sale.

It's not long before you pass the baton to your partner and retreat to the car for a moment of quiet relaxation with the air-con turned up or heated seats switched on. Rear con air vents for the baby in the back - spoilt already.

6. Car Boot Tetris.

This is a game regularly played by parents everywhere. Peak season for this contest is school holidays, long weekends and summer holidays and involves the challenging task of fitting EVERYTHING into a car that could be needed by a family for a week or two had they been stranded on a desert island.

They won't be, but there's something reassuring about knowing it's all coming with you, just in case. 

Five or seven seat options in your car gives flexibility to take a trip with the grandparents too - clever storage means nan and pop's gear won't be left behind.

Then unpacking the car is just like Jenga. Move the wrong thing at the wrong time and it is all going to tumble. It's a mental and physical challenge.

Manage to get it all in and out without a fuss? You have reached Expert Level – it's where parents all over the country aspire to be.

In life, the joy is in the detail. If you're on the lookout for a car that's all about those little details that make family life less stressful and more enjoyable, check out the new Honda CR-V.

Please check Honda CR-V website for accurate specifications per grade.

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