Travel pillow for children

[skiergirl4]

We have a 17+ hour drive down to Disney World and will be doing some driving at night. Our DD4 is in a booster seat and seems to always "flop" forward and wake up when she falls asleep. Any suggestions of pillows or other items to help her sleep comfortably in the car for more than 10 minutes? Our sanity depends on it!

Thanks!

 

[Dis703]

We have a 17+ hour drive down to Disney World and will be doing some driving at night. Our DD4 is in a booster seat and seems to always "flop" forward and wake up when she falls asleep. Any suggestions of pillows or other items to help her sleep comfortably in the car for more than 10 minutes? Our sanity depends on it!

Thanks!

Do you have a carseat with a 5 point harness you can use? Technically, a child should remain in a 5pt until they can remain seated properly whether awake or asleep. If you have one you can use for the ride (maybe even borrow one?) I'd go with that before trying to prop her head with pillows. It would be much safer.

 

[MrsNick]

I would try something like this and would put it on the front of the neck so that when head comes forward it is supported on the pillow.
http://www.target.com/p/lewis-n-clark-comfort-neck-pillow-red/-/A-14496874

 

[kj2mom]

We found the U shaped pillows at Five Below. We had a 13 hour train ride (I actually had a 13 hour train ride down one day then 13 hours back the next) so my children and I each got one and love them!

 

[brooke789]

FYI - she may not be legal in a booster in all the states you pass through. For my state (SC) for a 4 year old to ride in a booster they must also be 40lbs. If she's not 4yr and 40lbs she's not legal.

Legal or not a 4 year old in a booster is not recommended!

 

[skiergirl4]

She is four years and 40+ pounds.

Thank you for the information!

 

[Gracie09]

I would try a seatbelt pillow. IF you google it a bunch will come up. It might be a pain if she is in a highback booster though

 

[skiergirl4]

1. 
   She's in a booster with a back. I'm unclear as to how/why a booster is inappropriate for a four year old.
   From my research, it appears to be legal in all states for a four year old who is 40 pounds to ride in a booster.
   
   According to Ohio law:
   Booster Seats. Once a child reaches 4 years of age and weighs at least 40 pounds, she can move to a booster seat. A child is required by law to use the booster seat until she is 8 years old or 4'9” tall. Both backless and high back booster seats are available.

.

 

[piglet1979]

We have the same problem with my daughter. When went to Disney when she was 4 (drove from NE Ohio) we put her and my son (5 at the time) in a 5 point harness seat. When we went back when they were 6 and 7 they did not fit anymore. In my can I am able to change the angle of the back in the back seat(just like the front seat). So we lean them back slightly. I also have them bring their pillows. My poor kids will be in boosters until they are 16 at the rate they are going. I am only 4'9" so they know they have to be as tall as me to be out of a booster. They are 8 and almost 10 and we still have a few more years of the booster.

 

[Dis703]

1. 
   She's in a booster with a back. I'm unclear as to how/why a booster is inappropriate for a four year old.
   From my research, it appears to be legal in all states for a four year old who is 40 pounds to ride in a booster.
   
   According to Ohio law:
   Booster Seats. Once a child reaches 4 years of age and weighs at least 40 pounds, she can move to a booster seat. A child is required by law to use the booster seat until she is 8 years old or 4'9” tall. Both backless and high back booster seats are available.

.

The laws are drastically behind the research in child car seat safety. For example they are finally changing the laws in some states (ours just did) to rearface until age 2, years after the AAP and other safety organizations recommended extended rearfacing with information based on safety studies. Most car seat safety techs and car seat companies, however, will recommend using rearfacing and then a 5pt harness to the capacity of the seat and not to follow the age guidelines only as an absolute minimum.

For moving a child to a booster it's about much more than age and height/weight. Boosters are designed to keep the strap in the appropriate place across both the lap and shoulder and just because a child is 4 doesn't mean that any booster will do this. One of the criteria safety techs look at is if the child can sit properly the entire time in the seat without slouching, leaning forward, sitting on their knees, playing with the strap, etc. This means sitting upright the entire time they are in the car because any of those things changes the location of the strap and in the case of an accident can make the seatbelt ineffective or even harmful depending on how it's laying.

I only mention it because if she's flopping forward in a booster as you expect her to sleep (and who wouldn't fall asleep on such a long drive) those are the kind of instances where it can become unsafe and a 5pt harness would prevent that from happening. And she may sleep better being secure in a 5pt.

It was just a thought though.

 

[tjmw2727]

We all have our kids best interest in mind - I am sure you did your research and made the decision to move to a booster with safety in mind.
Personally I would not use the car seat pillows or other "add on's" as they do affect safety. There is a 5 step safety test to see if a child is ready for a booster, go online and find it to double check your decision if you choose. FWIW I put my younger dd back in a 5 point after having moved her to a booster and put my older dd back in a booster after letting her use a seatbelt. In my case laws changed and I became better educated; this was about 15 years ago. Neither kid was thrilled but after a week or so it wasn't an issue anymore.

In direct answer to your question; for a trip like this I would try and find a 5 point seat that fits her and recline it if possible to keep her comfy and safe during such a long trip. Maybe you can borrow, rent or even purchase an inexpensive seat to get her through this "middle phase".

 

[skiergirl4]

I guess I should have been more clear with my original post. Her head drops forward, not her body in any way. I appreciate the feedback about pillows and 5 point harnesses!

Thank you!

 

[MudQueen22]

When dd was five, we drove to Disney (15+ hours), and stopping overnight. We had her in a five point harness and the seat had headwings. Sometimes her head would fall forward when she would sleep. One of us would just gently reach back and tilt her head up to where it rested against a headwing.