Are we there yet? I’m bored, Dad! No! I don’t want to sleep. *followed by pointless staring competition*
These are the words no parent wants to hear on a car journey. Why? Because we don’t need the stress and worry of unhappy kids. Call it parental guilt. Or choose to ignore it at our own peril. But travelling in a car with kids can be a nightmare; even a roadblock to us taking that family holiday. Unless, of course, we do a little prep!
Now the good news is, the kind of prep we’re talking about is the set and forget kind. It’s affordable. And will set you up for the coming summer. So lets a take moment to look at a few accessories that make holiday travel (and day-to-day family driving) easier all round.
Accessories for happier car adventures
Rear Window Screens
A shining midday sun through tinted and untinted car windows makes for sweaty, uncomfortable kids who struggle to nap. So when I came across this gem, called a Window Sox (yes Window Sox?!), it felt like a no-brainer. The packet says they reduce over 80% of cancer causing UV which is great. You get a pair; one for each rear window. And from an aesthetic point of view, these ones don’t seem to be the loose, flappy-in-the-wind kind so kudos to the Australian company that makes them.
The one catch is that you need a car that has frames around the window if you want to wind down the window (otherwise it will fly away in the breeze)! But not to worry. 99% of cars on the road have the necessary bits, so you should be fine.
Phone / Tablet Headrest Holder
In car smart device holders. This one almost goes without saying. Specifically, though, we’re talking about the kind that fix to the headrest posts of the driver or front passenger seat and provides a source of entertainment for rear seat passengers.
Netflix download* (save movies & television programs for offline viewing) and an ever increasing myriad of iTunes educational apps, make it so easy to keep the kids distracted on the road. So when someone suggested I get a holder to keep my device secure AND within eye view of more than one user at a time for our next trip, I jumped at it. Finally, no more begging the kids to share.
So which smart device holder should you go for? I’m no expert, but I’d suggest one that tightly fastens to the headrest posts and has a strong magnet on the back. This will ensure your holder and phone don’t fall off when driving on bumpy roads.
Here’s the one I use. We haven’t had any problems with it.
*Netflix download tip: save money on your phone data plan by downloading the kids’ favourite movies & television programs from your home WiFi
Bumper Protector
As the family grows, the stuff we carry around in our cars grows too.
Going on a holiday doesn’t change that fact.
Boogie boards, prams, football boots, skateboards, school bags, sport equipment bags and the weekly grocery shop all get bigger with passenger numbers. The only problem with loading and unloading large and heavy cargo is the damage we put on our vehicles.
Scratches, chipped paintwork and scuffs are all too common on family cars. No blame on us though right, our kids are becoming more involved in extra activities AND there’s only so much one parent carry and still safely clear the sill of the boot. But of course, a future car buyer won’t care about our issues and will insist on knocking down the resale value of our car.
So with a small $$ investment, you can pick up this little guy —> It’s called a Bumper Protector and as the name suggests it is designed to defend the rear bumper of our cars against the damage caused by items going in and out of the boot space.
It’s easy to install via the little velcro strip on the back. To use it, simply pull it over the bumper when you need a little extra protection. Short on space? No stress. This little do-dad folds away neatly in your boot for easy storage.
First Aid Kit
As a Dad, I wear many hats. When someone gets hurt I become triage, nurse and a shoulder to cry on. But what do I do when someone cuts their knee on holiday when I’m far away from the normal bag of tricks I pull out from the bathroom cupboard? Easy. I go to my glovebox sized first aid kit and take out any one of the care essentials you’d expect to find in a proper kit.
Kids Sunnies
When I first had kids, I thought a pair of good UV / sun glare protecting sunglasses for children were going to cost me a fortune. Either that or buy a pair of nasty ones from the servo (don’t judge, kids grow up way too fast to spend a lot of money on something they’ll outgrow quickly).
I’ve learnt a lot since then 🙂 Now I know I can get a good pair from City Beach that will cost me less than $10. Uh, you can go right ahead and lock that in thanks, Eddie.
Floor & Boot Liners
In Australia, the beach is a fairly common holiday spot. We love our sunburnt country and the different adventures offered by our popular beaches. But when it comes to packing up the car and heading home, we don’t want to carry the sand around with us.
Sand that isn’t at the beach is evil. It’s sticky. It gets into the carpet. It’s a bit like a guest that doesn’t know when to leave.
For these reasons I decided enough is enough and started using one of the solutions we have here at FitMyCar that hates sand in the car as much as I do. I could get a raised edge rubber-like mat for my car floor and boot for a reasonable price. Not cheap. But reasonable.
The benefit they give me? Well, my car is protected from all sorts of mess = sand, dirt, mud, pet hair, little oh-oh’s the kids make, and of course spills from just about any liquid under the sun.
Pro-tip: if you’re in the market for a floor liner or cargo liner, I would choose a moulded option that suits the contours and shape of the floor or boot space. It will look better AND help to protect all the nooks-and-crannies from damage.
Seat Covers
Kids make a mess in the car. No doubt about it. It makes sense then, that when kids spend a longer time in the car they make an even bigger mess. Food crumbs, drink spills, sticky lollies and “accidents” are a frequent part of travelling with kids.
So if you had the chance to put a protective barrier between the seats and the muck, why not take it up. It’s a no-brainer really, especially if you want to protect the resale value of your car.
There are quite a different types and styles on the market, which I won’t go into (it’d be a whole other article that might actually put you to sleep). But the main things to consider when purchasing a seat cover include:
- Style
- Protective qualities (is it water resistant?)
- Ease of installation (do you prefer velcro or ties?)
- Safety (is it airbag deploy safe?)
- Be prepared to pay a bit more. Cheap might not be the way to go for durability and safety
Pet Seat Cover
Holidays often include the family pet.
Family pets, often drop hair and other yucky stuff we won’t mention here if you know what I mean.
So do yourself a favour and get that mat you’ve probably seen all over our facebook. The one we have at FitMyCar could be folded in half so it fits the pet and kids in the back without a problem.
Dash Mats
It might be a bit old school (admittedly I don’t own one) but I have it on good authority from the guys at FitMyCar that dashboard mats are great for reducing the glare you get in your eyes.
Dashboard reflection is a bigger problem in newer cars than old. Vehicle designers are in love with the wider dashboard right now which means there is greater reflective surface area impeding drivers ability on the road.
You might have experienced glare in the eyes on a family holiday or when driving home following an after school activity. Generally speaking, dashboard glare is worse as the sun rises and falls.
The way to stop it is with a dashboard cover. The experts say all the anti-glare magic happens within the mat fibres but I won’t be giving you an explanation here. Just take their word for it.
So, do you rock a dash mat?
Did your favourite car accessories for family travel make the list?
If not, what car accessories make holiday travel easier for you?
Leave us a comment below.
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