Welcome to the world of parenting! Now that you’ve a got a kid, it’s time to transform your ride with some kids travel accessories.
Having kids comes with a ton of special stuff made just for them. Various toys, diapers, wipes, highchairs, swings, cribs, strollers, a ton of clothes that either get ruined or are grown out of too fast, and plenty of other kid products that I have crowding my home right now. Once you become a parent, your home becomes a baby proofed play place for your little one. That experience also occurs to your car as well. Whether you’re just going across town or across the country, kids need some travel accessories to keep them entertained, organized, or just to clean up their messes. I’ve compiled some great and sometimes necessary kids travel accessories for your car that you should pick up as a parent. Whether it’s a new baby, a growing toddler, or an elementary school aged kiddo, we’ve brought together the car accessory must haves you should look at getting before driving them around.
I’ve only recently joined the world of parenthood, but I’ve had my fair share of experiences with just about every baby accessory a car can have. Some were obvious buys, while others I wish I had picked up earlier on. After a quick road trip with the little guy, I can say that all of these car accessories for babies should be on your baby registry or will soon be in your shopping cart.
This one is a no brainer, but it’s important to talk about. Car seats aren’t just a suggestion, they’re mandatory when driving around with a baby. Be sure to look at reputable brands like Britax, Chicco, Evenflo, or Graco when shopping. If it is a brand you’ve never heard of with little information online, it’s best to avoid that option even if the price is a steal. I’d recommend buying a car seat brand new too, since you know the seat is straight from the manufacturer with all of its parts and has been tested with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) somewhat recently. Otherwise, you’ll want to be sure that a used car seat option isn’t expired, broken, recalled, or missing any parts to it should you go that route. You’ll also want to figure out if you want to go with a convertible or an infant car seat.
Convertible car seats are made to grow with your child up to the point of being a booster seat (more on those later). Infant specific car seats typically only last until the baby is about 35 pounds or they’re taller than 30 inches. While that time period is shorter than the convertible option, infant car seats can easily snap in and be quickly removed from a seat base to carry the baby around in their car seat. There’s also the added benefit that some of these infant car seats can click into a stroller as well, so less of a hassle moving the baby from a car seat to a stroller if they’ve fallen asleep.
Before installing that car seat, you may want some added protection for your vehicle’s interior. Babies can be messy and they don’t grow out of it for a long while. A car seat protector is a piece of material that drapes itself over your rear seat and acts as a nice shield for your car’s rear seats. In the event that your baby happens to create a mess, this protector will take the brunt of the issue and can be taken out to be washed. There are single seat covers or full rear covers for complete protection. I prefer the full cover since I’ve got a dog that likes to ride along in the back too. Keep in mind that this car accessory is one that will stay helpful for a while too, so it’s worth the investment.
This isn’t a specific product really, but more of a package of items that can be a life saver while out on the road. Get items like paper towels, interior cleaning products, and some waste bags together so that any kind of mess can be handled wherever you are. You’ll also want to bring a number of items for the baby here. Emergency diapers, extra baby formula, extra wipes, a spare change of clothes, and a baby changing mat will all be life savers when you need them. That changing mat one can be extra helpful as it can be found as a folding organizer that holds all the other changing necessities. Bring all these items together in a nice cargo space organizer and you’ll be ready for anything as a parent.
These yellow “Baby on Board” placards seem kind of cheesy, but they’re not like those honor student bumper stickers. Instead, the Baby on Board sign is there to signify to first responders that there is a baby in a vehicle at the scene of an accident. Kind of a downer topic, but it’s a good thing to have on your vehicle just in case.
Babies can’t sit out in the sun for very long, so they need protection when that sunlight comes through the rear windows. A sunshade is a piece of mesh material that helps block harmful rays while still remaining see through. Some vehicles come with rear sunshades built-in, like the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey, but that may not be a feature that has you running to the dealership for. Instead, you can take the cheaper route and find sunshade accessories that cover the rear window with the help of suction cups, clips, or magnets to attach themselves to the vehicle. This way you can install a sunshade for your little one on your Ford F-150, Chevrolet Trax, or whatever car you drive.
A baby mirror can be helpful for both you and your baby while riding in the car. It attaches to the rear headrest and aims at the baby in their car seat. This allows you to easily look back at the mirror and get an idea of how your baby is doing back there. It also can let your baby see you to know where you are while out on the road. There are some baby cameras that achieve the same effect by streaming video to a small monitor on your dash, but they aren’t that great of quality for the price you pay. Best to keep this travel accessory low-tech.
Getting one of these special fans made to attach to baby carriers is great. Not every car comes with multizone climate controls, so this rechargeable fan will give your baby their own fan and help keep them cool during those hot summer months. It also works great outside the car by attaching it to a stroller or standing it up like a tripod when they’re having tummy time.
Car rides can be a calming experience for some babies and sometimes it is an easy way to get a fussy baby to sleep. However, they won’t stay asleep for all of your road trips and can get bored sitting there after a while. Be sure to get some car seat toys or a kick mat to attach to the seat back to keep your baby entertained when they need it. Bringing along a couple other toys they enjoy in your diaper bag is a great option also.
Some of the products that worked for babies will have to be put to the side as they get older and enter their toddler years. They’re walking, talking, and a bit bigger too. Toddlers are the next stage in your parental journey and can start to not enjoy the idea of getting in the car. Rather than fight their tantrum, try making your vehicle an enjoyable space with these car accessories for toddlers. They’ll make car rides one of their favorite things and hopefully keep the upset screaming to a minimum.
Unless you went with a convertible car seat to start, it may be time to move on to the next one. This is where jumping to a convertible car seat can be a good value since it can grow into a booster seat. Handle this new car seat the same as the previous one while shopping – stick with known brands and try to shop new or be warry of used purchases. These larger car seats for your toddler are beginning to be front facing and have lost their carrying handle that may have held some of your kid’s car toys. Thankfully, I’ve got some replacements coming up that’ll fix that.
Car seat trays are a great addition to a toddler’s front facing car seat. This travel accessory gives your kid a personal lap tray that they can use for snacks, to play with their toys on, and sometimes comes with a number of pockets to organize different items like washable markers (emphasis on using washable ones in the car). It also works as a nice base for the text car accessory for toddlers.
Your child has grown to understand that the steering wheel directs the car, so get them their own steering wheel toy for car rides. These kid friendly steering wheels are a great way to entertain their imagination during car rides and allow them to emulate their favorite person – you! Just be sure to keep your cool and not have a moment of road rage. Don’t want to hear a little voice in the back repeat a “no-no word” and then slam on their toy horn.
Busy boards are a great tool not only for on the road but for everyday play. These specialized toys feature a number of different activities built into them to help with fine motor skills, educate about different items your toddler may encounter in life, and just keep them busy for a bit. There are some busy boards built into a piece of wood or plastic, but the best ones for in the car are the foldable fabric ones. The folding ones come with a carrying handle and can be stored in the car a lot easier.
This one you could technically buy at the baby stage but it won’t start seeing its full potential until they’re forward facing and more active. A seat back organizer is great for holding all of your kid’s toys, snacks, drinks, and any other number of things they bring with them in the car. A lot of these organizers also included a tablet holder so that you can put on their favorite kids TV show or movie. This travel accessory also works as a scuff protector from those flailing legs of your toddler, but you’ll unfortunately still feel bumps in your back.
Some of the toddler products from earlier may continue to grow with your child, but they’ll eventually be aged out. Now we’re getting to the age where the daily commutes are to and from school and they’re more likely to voice their boredom from the backseat. Then there are the road trips that are inundated with “Are we there yet?” and groans of disappointment. Luckily, there are a couple car accessories for these kids to keep them entertained in the car wherever you go.
First up, going to mention child safety seating again. Convertible car seats may work up into this stage, but you may need to shop for a booster seat. Convertible car seats have their own weight and height restrictions that won’t work up into some ages, so a booster seat will ensure that your child sits at the correct height to use a car seatbelt.
Sometimes all you need is a good coloring book for a car ride. Crayola provides a nice solution for travel use in their Color Wonder Stow & Go Studio. Not only is this a handy tote carrying case that acts as a coloring surface and storage space, it also comes with Crayola’s special Wonder Markers and a Color Wonder Paper coloring book. Crayola’s Color Wonder products only work with each other, so no worries about coloring on the interior. The tote can also work for holding colored pencils too for your young artist to use.
Can’t go wrong with some classic games to pass the time. Take ‘N’ Play is a company that’s all about putting magnets into different board games. These fun tin containers act as a makeshift game board that can also hold all the magnetic playing pieces. They’ve made travel versions of Bingo, Checkers, Tic Tac Toe, and a number of others.
This may just be me reminiscing on my childhood past of playing Gameboy Color on road trips, but a Nintendo Switch is a great thing to hand off to the kids on a road trip. Not only is it a portable game console that’s perfect for car rides, but its key demographic is kids. Those with multiple children can rest easy, as the Switch can be split into different controllers for multiplayer gaming. No more fighting over who gets to play on the only game console, but there may be a small argument over which character either kid wants to play as.
Speaking of devices, kids have been ending up with a bunch of them in today’s technology packed world. Smartphones, iPads, the Switch I mentioned earlier, they all are being used on car rides and they all make noise. Get your kid some headphones so that there aren’t any squabbles about their sibling’s show being too loud and to keep your sanity in the front seat. Some cars like the Dodge Durango and GMC Terrain can actually come with wireless headphones that interact with the rear seat entertainment system. Whatever they’re using to watch their shows or play their games, get some headphones to go with it.