apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm sorry, but sleepy hat is beyond creepy.

We received one of those Kiddopotamus head/body supports pictured above as a gift, but after being strongly discouraged by our hospital and pediatrician from using it, have never even taken it out of the box. Apparently, anything that goes between the baby and the car seat, so as to potentially compromise the intended fit of the seat and safety straps, is a big no-no. Baby doesn't seem to miss it...

We don't do distance drives without a few favorite books on tape. You can find some on itunes, but our favorites are from Rabbit Ears Entertainment. They're just the right length, well narrated (not boringly read), and they have great music dispersed throughout. Our 2 year old listens to them intently.

You may want to mix it up with some Wiggleworms (itunes) in between stories just to keep it fresh.

a handmade car organizer makes keeping everyone's toys, snacks, and electronics separate and accessible - i used this tutorial (via sew mama sew). you can customize yours specifically to your seat/head rests.

Okay that sleepy hat leaves me claustrophobic, there is no way I would be able to put a child in one of those! Not to mention their is no normal child that will wear it!!! How in the world did they get the photograph??? Even my child that would wake up at the drop of a sock would sleep in the lull of a warm car on a long trip - light or dark... no need to encase them...

That sleepy hat is going to give me nightmares. Seriously.

Agreeing with darlingrose - aftermarket carseat supports and warmers like BundleMe and the one pictured are not crash tested and can seriously compromise the effectiveness of the carseat if there is a collision.

Here's my road trip must haves - snack trap full of cheerios and a small brag book full of photos. Keeps my almost 1 year-old entertained for miles.

http://www.snacktrap.com/Categories.bok?category=Made For Mom%3AThe Snack-Trap

A toy car in each hand seems to satisfy our son on trips, but if your kiddos aren't as easy to please, a car seat organizer is a great way to stash a bunch of bells and whistles...

If you can't find the time or the skill set to sew your own car seat organizer, we sell them here:

http://kreatelier.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_4&products_id=8

We have more patterns in stock now--mostly of the striped or polka-dotted nature, so stop by if you are a Providence local or drop us a line.

i loooooooove the sleepy hat. then again, my boys are majorly into accessories, and my old boy sleeps with his head under the covers, so it would work well for us. i might have to whip one up.

These are lifesavers in the car! (and in restaurants)

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27341304

A store here in Toronto, Dear-Born Baby, did a roundup of good travel items for parents baby on their blog, which fits nicely with this post

http://dearbornbaby.blogspot.com/2009/06/road-trip-essentials.html

Lindsay

audiobooks! You can download mp3's of Robert Munch reading all of his books from his website. I love them!
Too bad the only kid I ever travel with falls asleep as you roll out of the driveway and stays that way until you get there. ; )

Darlingrose - not to disagree with your pediatrician (but I will), the Kiddopotamus is rather thin, certainly thinner than a child's winter coat, so I'd be curious how this would interfere with the straps' effectiveness and safety (this goes around the straps not over). The head part is also removable so you could use it without anything even touching the straps.

Just got back from a 22 hour "jaunt" with our 13-monther. I made a "snack" cup for him like the ones you can buy by cutting a reverse flower shape into the lid of a cool whip container (round those corners folks!). Worked like a charm.

Also, I hid all his electronic toys for the 2 weeks before we left so they were new again in the car. This helped a bit.

Also waited to turn his carseat forward until the middle of a really long day of driving (he was one and met the height/ weight requirements previously but we "saved" it for the road trip). The novelty of facing forward for the first time gave us maybe two extra hours of happy baby.