Long road trips are often not fun for anyone, especially children who want to be free to do their own thing! If you want to survive a car journey with kids, ensuring they are comfortable and secure is a big thing to get right. Car seats are essential for keeping children safe during all trips, but for longer journeys, it’s also important to consider the supporting accessories used.
Whether you are preparing for your first holiday with a baby or are a seasoned family traveller looking to improve your child’s comfort during the next road trip, this article is for you. Read to learn why car seats alone may not be enough to keep young ones happy during long journeys.
Car Seat Footmuffs
Car Seat Protectors
Baby Watching Mirrors
How Long Can Children Travel in a Car Seat?
Before we look at the best car seat accessories for enhanced comfort, we want to examine how long a child can remain in a seat during travel.
Being in a car seat for no longer than 2 hours is generally recommended for babies. Even if you have a much longer road trip, you should plan for regular stops to allow your baby to stretch and move about. For older children still required by law to use a car seat, the time spent travelling is more up to the parent’s discretion. If a quality car seat and the right accessories are being used, this will improve the time you can travel as the child will already be more comfortable.
What Car Seat Accessories Are Essential for Long Journeys?
Keeping your child comfortable for a long car journey is much easier when you have the right car seat accessories. Of course, the car seat itself is a critical factor, but adding some supporting products can enhance the experience and improve safety. Below, we have compiled our list of recommended travel car accessories to make your next trip enjoyable for everyone!
Comfort Enhancing Products
Firstly, we wanted to start by looking at some wearable and usable accessories.
Getting the temperature right when travelling can be tricky, especially as some people like it cold in the car and others prefer a warmer temperature. When travelling with a child, ensuring the conditions are best suited to their requirements is important. As well as choosing the right internal temperature, a great way to keep children cosy and comfortable for long journeys is by using a car seat footmuff suit. These sleeping-bag style covers allow babies and young children to be swaddled safely and securely, making for the perfect conditions to drift into a lovely sleep during the trip. Furthermore, they can also be used as seat liners, offering a way to pad out the car seat even more to enhance comfort.
Baby head support pillows are also brilliant car seat accessories to implement if the seat is not completely supporting a small child. This can be positioned to ensure a baby is secure and so that their neck is being positioned ideally which will ensure the child is more comfortable. Other accessories ideal for a physically cosy experience include harness covers and blankets.
Sunshades
UV light entering cars can also reduce comfort for children when travelling. Not only does this mean that the child heats up too much, but it can also lead to sunburn and skin irritations if exposure is prolonged. A great way to eliminate this risk is using a car sunshade cover.
Ideal if it’s a sunny day, especially if the vehicle has a clear sunroof, these covers provide complete protection from the sun’s rays. As well as keeping the child cool, sunshades are great as they can be easily clipped on or removed, making for the type of versatility you need when undertaking a long road trip. Thanks to the lightweight material, young ones can also still enjoy the views outside the window, meaning they are more likely to stay relaxed during travel. All of these benefits work together perfectly to enhance comfort and experience for the child.
Baby Watching Mirrors
Not all car seat accessories can be used hands-free, as keeping an eye on the child during travel is essential. An easy way to monitor a child’s comfort levels during a long car trip is by using a baby-watching mirror.
These lightweight accessories simply clip to the seat for use with rear-facing car seats required by young travellers. As well as allowing a parent or passenger to instantly assess how a child is doing, other benefits of using baby mirrors include the following:
- Using a mirror helps to ensure the proper installation and position of a car seat has been achieved, as it will be immediately obvious from the front if there is an error.
- They are simple to fix and remove, making them ideal for use in different vehicles.
- Children will also feel more comfortable if they can see their parents or guardians, which is not possible when they are rear-facing. However, when a mirror is available, they can seek comfort from knowing their loved ones are close by and safe.
- Baby mirrors also reduce the chance of driver distraction as a glance can be used instead of completely turning away from looking at the road.
- Looking in the mirror also acts as entertainment and distraction for young babies, keeping them busy during car rides.
Safety Car Seat Accessories
We also couldn’t miss out on safety accessories, as these have a huge part in keeping a child comfortable during travel. One of the main reasons for car seats and their importance is that they offer children an all-around level of support.
Having a properly fitted car seat ensures impact is reduced should an accident occur and allows the child to be positioned perfectly. This means that their posture is being supported, vital during development years, and they can benefit from using the car safely.
Car seat bases are, therefore, essential accessories to choose from when planning a long trip. These vital tools are necessary for a car seat to be secured professionally, making for an unpleasant and unsafe experience. Some options to consider include belted bases, Isofix bases and i-Size bases.
What Else Should Be Planned for When Taking Children on Long Car Journeys?
As well as keeping children safe and secure in their car seats as a method to keep them comfortable, other methods you can use aside from choosing accessories include the following:
- Play calm music and ensure this is the ideal volume based on the position of the car seat and accessories.
- Start the journey earlier in the day. This is important so you can make the most of nap times and faster routes and because children will likely struggle sitting in a car seat later in the day when their muscles become ready to move around.
- Don’t overfill the car around the accessories; this could upset the child and reduce their effectiveness.
- You may also want to invest in a car seat protector. This ensures that if any spills or accidents happen, which are of course common, that the area is easier to clean up. This means the child can be kept more comfortable as they are not having to sit on a dirty or damp seat. It also helps to keep the vehicle clean which makes everyone’s lives easier!
- Get the child used to the car seat accessories before a long journey so that they know it’s a safe place. This is also important for the guardians as it ensures they can assess whether the car seat and accessories work as intended. After all, the last thing you want is to deal with a product malfunction when you have just started a long trip.
Another essential fact is ensuring that the car seat has been correctly installed in the first place. If it has not, the accessories will likely not work to their optimal potential, making for an uncomfortable and interrupted journey. We offer This service at the Kiddies Kingdom showroom or via virtual appointments if you are not based in the Yorkshire postcode.
During the appointment, our experts help install car seats correctly and advise how best to use them. This is especially important for long car trips as you will need to know all about the features and ways to optimise the seat to keep a child comfortable for a prolonged period. If you wish to know more about car seat accessories and how they can be used with the model you have chosen, our experts can also help. Click the link to book an appointment. By ensuring the car seat is correctly fitted; you can receive peace of mind in knowing that a child is safe and comfortable with the intended benefits of their supporting car seat accessories.
Children Travel in Comfort with Kiddies Kingdom
As experts in child travel comfort, our car seat accessories are one that you can rely on to provide the solutions needed to keep children safe and happy. Explore our collection today or contact us to learn more.
