We’re in the middle of a heat wave in Minnesota, and that means hot cars. Hot cars also mean hot car seats. Today I’d like to share a trick I figured out to help keep your little one’s car seat (especially the buckles) from getting too hot.
The idea came to me a couple weeks ago, and in the heat this past Wednesday I finally tested it out.
The realization
My twins are 9 months old, so I’m still changing my fair share of diapers. This means I spend a decent amount of time standing in front of my babies’ dresser and looking down at the changing pad.
I couldn’t tell you how many times each day I say, “We don’t roll over on the changing table. It’s not safe.” I’ve said it enough times my daughter will often chime in because she likes to tell the babies when they can or can’t do something.
I can’t believe how big they’ve gotten already. My baby boy is almost as long as the changing pad! This realization made me start thinking about the actual size of the changing pad and, more importantly for this post, the size of the changing pad cover.
Note: I couldn’t find a link to the cream changing pad cover I used, so I linked to the sage green one we have instead. You can obviously use whatever changing pad cover you have. 😉
The hot car problem
My 3-year-old daughter is in a convertible car seat (like this one, but without the polka dots) and it can get pretty hot when I have to park in the sun. I know I’ve heard people say to cover the car seat with a blanket or towel to keep the buckles from getting really hot, but that doesn’t always work.
I like to drive with the windows down and the radio up when I’m alone. Singing in the car is more fun with the windows open — I feel like I can sing even louder because of the wind. Anyway, the times I’ve tried using a blanket to cover my daughter’s car seat, it starts flapping around all over the place once I get on the highway and the wind through the car is stronger.
While buckling her into my car Wednesday morning, I made a mental note of the approximate distance between the top and bottom edges of her car seat. At that point I was pretty sure my idea would work.
The answer
When I got home that afternoon, I decided to test out my idea. I grabbed one of the extra changing pad covers from the dresser and headed out to my car. It was easy to cover the car seat with the changing pad cover since it has elastic all the way around (similar to a fitted sheet). It even stretched enough to cover the cup holder on the side!
I plan to use this trick on hot days from now on, and I hope you’ll give it a try, too! Please share this post with anyone else you think might find it helpful. As always, feel free to contact me about this or any of my previous posts.
Check back soon — there’s so much more I want to tell you!
This blog is truthful and based on personal experience with the products or items mentioned. It doesn’t have sponsors, and no one paid to receive positive reviews of their products. All of the links provided are for your convenience and are not “affiliate links” — Valerie doesn’t receive payment or kickbacks if people purchase products based on her recommendations.
Valerie lives in Bloomington with her husband, their 3-year-old daughter and 9-month-old twins. You can comment below to contact her.
