I am one of the babies when it comes to the age of a racer so I haven't been through the same situations as most of you yet. My daughter is almost three and she loves going to the track, driving the race car in the garage, and "fixing" her Power Wheel when I am in the garage fixing the car.
About a different car because of children-
After my daughter was born my wife wanted a four door car. Instead of buying a people mover or Chevy, we decided on a standard 328i. The car has 4 doors for her and three pedals for me which means a potential race car in the future. There are usually positive things about any idea if you look hard enough.

Jeremy Cesene
Hillbilly Motorsports