5 Ways to Entertain Your Baby in Their Car-Seat

The first time I went on a solo trip with my son, I remember him screaming in his car-seat approximately 20 seconds after I pulled out of the garage. I kept pulling over to give him his binky or to rock his car-seat. It got so frustrating, and my momma heart couldn’t handle the screaming! This fiasco caused me to be late to the appointment that I had, and I started to absolutely dread taking the baby on car rides alone.

Many parents feel like their baby hates their car-seat. My son didn’t, but he would get so upset if he lost his binky, so I came up with a few others ways to distract him. Now, when he loses his binky, he’ll last a lot longer before he loses his mind as well! Here are a few things that you can do to help your baby enjoy their car-seat (and car rides) a little more.

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If you haven’t read my post, What I Pack in My Diaper Bag, it’s definitely worth checking out! If you’re taking your baby out and about a lot, you need everything in that post!

Put A Mirror Facing the Car-Seat

I got this CAR-SEAT MIRROR from my baby registry, and I love it! At first, I didn’t think it was very useful, but as my baby has gotten older (he’s 6 months old), I have found it to be so helpful! It’s very affordable too! I can check on my baby, and he can see me, which comforts him a lot! He can also see a lot more “action” through that mirror, which I believe helps keep him more entertained!

Put Fairy Lights Around the Mirror and Car-Seat

You guys! This is my most genius idea! I got some cheap fairy lights at Wal-Mart and just wrapped them around the seat that the mirror was hooked to. My baby LOVED them! I got ones that faded in and out and he seriously stayed so happy! If you don’t find them in a store near you, THESE AMAZON FAIRY LIGHTS seem really good! They have different color options, and my baby definitely would’ve loved the red lights! Regardless of what kind you get, they are the best for keeping your baby happy in their car-seat! I especially liked using them when it was dark, or getting darker outside.

Hang Car-Seat Covers or Colorful Blankets Over the Seat

I have some very high-contrasting car-seat covers for my baby that I always leave in the car. I drape them over the seat that his car-seat is hooked up to, so I can easily access them. After I’d done this for a while, I realized that he loves looking at them and that they keep him entertained! This CAR-SEAT COVER from amazon is super colorful and cute! It’s gender neutral too! Babies would love looking at this! You could also drape a colorful blanket over the seat and I’m sure the baby would love that too!

TOYS!

My baby recently reached the age where he LOVES toys! When he is in his car-seat, I put toys in his lap and strap them to the car-seat. I love the ones that hook onto the car-seat because he can’t throw them out or drop them. THIS CAR-SEAT TOY is great! It is colorful and has different textures that the baby can stay entertained with. I also like to give my baby a crinkle book to play with in his car-seat. He loves the noise, and I like to hear him playing with it.

Use a Binky-Clip

Even though the binky probably won’t go flying across the car and hit the dirty floor, it can still be useful to use in the car-seat! If my baby pops his binky out and really starts crying, it’s a lot easier to find the binky if you can fish it out with a clip. I hate having to reach all around the sides of the car-seat and behind his back to find his binky. I use the binky clip even when I’m not going out solo. I think that THESE BINKY CLIPS are so cute! If you don’t have any, binky clips are a must for lots of other outings!

These tricks might not always work for your baby, but they will definitely increase your chances of happiness! Ideally, I try to go out on solo trips when my baby is ready to nap so that he’ll just sleep in his car-seat. 😉 Babies can be so hard to please, but hopefully these tips can help you!

Do you have any other creative ways to keep your baby happy in the car? Tell me in the comments!