Tray for carseat?

[HALEYSMOMMOM]

Does anyone have a tray for their carseat? I thought this would be a good idea for our roadtrip so they can color and eat better in the car, but I can't seem to find one, and its too late to order one. Any ideas and do they work well? Thanks!

 

[tjmw2727]

Does anyone have a tray for their carseat? I thought this would be a good idea for our roadtrip so they can color and eat better in the car, but I can't seem to find one, and its too late to order one. Any ideas and do they work well? Thanks!

I won't add anything to the carseat as I read its unsafe to use anything that wasn't original to the CRS.

My girls have this -
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...145792-5930259?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B0002IG464

They have used them with carseats and my youngest still uses a booster. Its great for a snack and playing with toys and has lots of great pockets for "things".

My girls have an older version - not as nice with hello kitty and scooby doo but this is the only picture I could find.

You may not be able to see the tray that comes down but think of it like the airline tray. You clip it to the headrest of the seat in front and the tray can fold up or down.

HTH
TJ

 

[rt2dz]

One step ahead has them. I've looked everywhere else for them (to find in a store), but no luck. I believe they are crash safety tested by the juvenile something or other, so I won't worry about that.

 

[Trinity721]

i bought one for our DD to use when we had to drive from Chicago to Jacksonville, and it came in real handy. It came with snap-on straps, and I just snapped it off when she wasn't using it. I ordered it from One Step Ahead. She used it to color, mostly. If you really want one, is it still possible to ask One Step Ahead to have it rush delivered? try going to their website and maybe calling customer service.

 

[tjmw2727]

For those who make light of my concern, do a search on "third party" or "after market" add ons to CRS's. You may just change your mind about placing a hard plastic tray or some of the other products in front of your child while riding in the car. If nothing else you will have made a more educated decision once you have the facts.

Here is a blurb from the NHTSA - that addresses the trays in particular-

"Add-on Trays: These products that add-on to forward-facing restraints and booster cushions may incorporate a footrest and a hard plastic tray. The unit is attached to the restraint system by the weight of the restraint and the occupant resting on the device. Any hard object placed in front of a child may result in an injury or head injury should a crash or sudden stop occur."


A quick google will provide you with info on the foot rests, pillows and even the harness wraps - they can all compromise the safety of the CRS.

I am all for the comfort of my kids esp on a long trip but safety comes first.

The product I linked to for the OP is all fabric and does just as good a job as the tray. You also don't have to remove it each time, just fold it up. It is in stock at wallmart and target if you have time to go. Wallmart has them in the auto section and in the baby section - Target just had them in the auto section.

FWIW, as background- I have two close relatives that are firefighters and through them I have become very concerned about our car safety. The firefighters are often the first responders in car accidents. My BIl especially is now the first in the family to check and to make sure we have the proper CRS's and they are installed correctly. You don't even want to know the things they have seen.

In addition to coloring and playing try making some cassettes of you reading favorite stories - or singing songs, this kept my kids occupied for hours. (We could also fade the radio so it played in the backseat and spared ourselves).
If you do a quick search I recall a great thread on keeping kids busy in the car - either here or on the transportation board. I think the search is back up now and I remember reading some great tips.

So have a fun - safe trip!!

TJ

 

[EthansMom]

For coloring, I bought my son a clipboard that opened up and had room inside for paper and crayons -- it didn't have much room, just deep enough for several sheets of computer paper and an 8-pack of crayolas -- found it in the office supplies section of Walmart the day before we left and paid around $6. It got more use than the DVD-player we bought.

 

[tlbwriter]

One step ahead has them. I've looked everywhere else for them (to find in a store), but no luck. I believe they are crash safety tested by the juvenile something or other, so I won't worry about that.

They claim to be tested, but in fact there is no government standard for aftermarket products, so if they are tested by anyone, it might be an organization they own, kwim? The ones that claim to meet a federal standard are either being dishonest, or are referring to a different standard, such as one for flammability.

 

[Trinity721]

Thank you for the information, TJ. We only used the tray for that one trip, and have not used it since. DH put it away somewhere and I have never bothered to look at it, since DD is much better in the car now. It is definitely good to know about the facts. I hope you did not think that I was making light of your concern. I was simply trying to answer the OP's question. The tray was helpful for our 19 hour trip, even though we didn't use it that often. But thank you again for giving us that information. It was very helpful and I know I won't be digging out that tray from storage

I don't even want to think about what firefighters have witnessed. We ourselves witnessed our friends' SUV roll over on the highway, and roll right over an overpass with their 17 month old inside. Thankfully they were all ok, and the baby didn't have a scratch on her, thanks go a sturdy carseat and the LATCH system.

 

[Ask"WhyNot?"]

tlbwriter--Please don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think anyone was making light of your concerns. I think some were simply answering the OP's questions. In the case of RT2DZ, I think she (he?) was simply saying not that federal standards were met (are there any for a tray?), but that they had been tested by the jouvenile (sp?) council who safety tests many items (including strollers & car seats), usually to a much higher standard. This is an independent, non-profit group who usually does quite a bit to improve children's products. Also, please not that the same things are said about ANY loose item in a car. This includes luggage, cell phones, the toys your kids are playing with, food/straws, etc. All of these things have been known to harm, even kill, children (and adults). I am not trying to put down your safety concerns, in fact, I think this is wonderful information for people. I just wanted to clarify what I read. Other than that, I think the question has been answered for the OP.

 

[tlbwriter]

tlbwriter--Please don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think anyone was making light of your concerns.

I didn't think anyone was making light of my concerns... did you mean to address this to tjmw2727?

 

[disneyfan551]

This doesn't help with the coloring aspect, but we use a frisbee (upside down!) for our 3yo dd to eat on in the car! It keeps everything from sliding around and is easy to sit on her lap!