The kid has been jabbering non-stop for months, and always comes up with something to surprise us. The other day, when we loaded into the hot car, she started moaning for "air, air, air," from the back.
The black Maxi Cosi Priori car seat (the next size up from the Cabrio, ordered in a huge, expensive debacle from ebay.de, remind me to tell you about it sometime) doesn't help.
What would help, though, is a chillable car seat cooling device like the Cold Seat, which has six freezable gel packs sewn into a condensation-absorbing cover. When draped across the metal buckles, straps, and hardware of a sun-baked carseat, the Cold Seat lowers the contact temperature pretty quick.
Too bad they're only available in cheesy, riotous prints. After three months and $400 worth of "fun" getting this Euro carseat over here, I'm definitely not gonna drape a "fun" jungle print all over on it, so I'll wait until there are solid fabrics available. Meanwhile, the kid
knows how to say "air," so I'm not too worried.
The Cold Seat is around $60 [weetergroup.net, via dt reader ed]
tsk, tsk, Greg... the prints aren't THAT bad! I thought the crocs were kinda cute, in a kitschy sort of way. And you could always get it and stuff it inside a plain colored pillowcase, dude. The Cold Seat's an interesting idea but I don't really see how cool the thing would stay unless you only use it for short errands; surely if you lay it on the seat while you're gone 2+ hours and the car's parked in full sun on a hot day it wouldn't stay cool? We just drape one of those cheap folding windshield covers over the seat on very hot days.
And $400 for a carseat??? LOL, were strangers milling around you when you made this purchase? I thought the Britax was too spendy!
We used a mini cooling pad during baby's first summer. We'd grab a chilled pad from the freezer before any major drives and stick it behind her back in her safe, but oh-so-unfashionable snugride. It made a world of difference.
Now that she's in a Marathon (still safe, and somewhat-less-unfashionable), we rely on precooling the car before we load her.
This cooling pad thing is a great idea. I don't care what it looks like. Kids bake in those padded seats. Tint the windows on your oh-so-fashionable-mercedes so no one can see the prints.
[unfortunately, tinting the windows on an 80's mercedes makes it look really pimpy, like a Florida bail bondsman. -ed.]
Try covering the seat with a white (or pale colored) sheet or something when the can is parked (a porta-crib sheet is pretty much the exact right size) just covering the dark material seems to help a lot, thats what I did all summer with my navy blue car seat, and it actually made a noticable difference especially when parked in the sun.
oops, I meant car, not can.
[unfortunately, tinting the windows on an 80's mercedes makes it look really pimpy, like a Florida bail bondsman. -ed.]
And that's a bad thing? C'mon!
[alright, alright. you smoked me out. I am actually FOR burning babies with hot metal car seat buckles. No sense hiding anymore.
And while I'm at it, I am also responsible for not organizing or deploying the federal response to Katrina. I hereby acknowledge my mistakes and announce my resignation. -ed.]
Here in Arizona, it's too damn hot to be fashion conscious. If it cools things down, then it's in style.
I know this is an old thread but for anyone new coming along...The cold seat is awesome! A must have for every person in AZ with a child. And it does keep the seat cool all day long. I have been out, in our lovely Arizona summer, from morning until 5 in the afternoon and the Cold Seat keeps the car seat cool. Which means baby does not get burned by the seat belt or have to sit in a smokin'hot seat. The pattern choices are simple and not everyone's style but this is about keeping a car seat cold! :) I have some at my web store if you want to try one out! www.thebabysbundle.com
http://www.thebabysbundle.com/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=TheColdSeat