The 10 Best Car Seat & Stroller Toys
Editor's Notes
August 10, 2020:
Like baby mobiles and rattles, these car seat and stroller toys can be a lifesaver when you need to keep your little one entertained. Each of the ones featured here incorporates handy hanging hooks, Velcros, or clips to attach easily to bars, chairs, diaper bag handles, and more. Today we added in the Taf Toys Tropical Orchestra Arch, which incorporates several music-making elements, such as a maraca monkey, a bell that chimes, and a pineapple that serves as a cymbal. The sounds, along with bright colors and eye-catching patterns, are sure to keep little ones entertained. This arch-style bar clamps securely from both sides with strong clips. It replaces the Taf Toys Play & Kick amidst reports that many children cannot reach the toys when they hang down.
We also added the Lamaze Fun with Colors Book to the list, since it’s got plenty to stimulate the senses, including a shiny discovery mirror and fun crinkling and rattling sounds. This book is made of soft cloth pages and while its theme centers around colors, other themes are also available in the subjects of shapes, feelings, and forest animals. It replaces the Skip Hop Bandana Buddies, which suffers from availability issues at this time. After some deliberation, we moved the tried-and-true Lamaze Clip & Go Moose into the top spot, since it hits all of the marks when it comes to vibrant colors, interesting textures, and fun sounds. You can choose either Mortimer or Muffin, and each comes with a different vivid color scheme. It boasts a cozy scarf, three hanging rings, antlers that can double as teethers, and knotty legs with crinkly hooves. For another popular choice, check out the Tiny Love Meadow Days, which is packed with interesting elements like a rattle ball, spinning propeller, strawberry-shaped mirror and pineapple-shaped teether handle. You can choose one that features meadowland creatures, forest ones, magical ones, and more.
March 07, 2019:
Car rides with babies are generally a hit or miss experience. Your may be one of the lucky few who has a child that is lulled to sleep by the vibrations of the car and winds up snoozing soundly in the back. Unfortunately, for the majority of people, their kid often turns into an hysterical wreck, crying and screaming their lungs out. Hopefully, as long as you pick the right car seat and stroller toy from out list, your baby will be happily occupied while he or she is on the go, whether sleeping or not. If you want to provide your bundle of joy with the most amount of engaging toys as possible to ensure they find one that captures their attention, consider the Tiny Love My Nature Pals, Infantino Tag Along Pals, Taf Toys Play & Kick, Skip Hop Bandana Buddies, or HaHa Baby Hanging Set, since they all have three or more individual items to play with and are designed to stimulate multiple senses. Options like the Infantino Tag Along Pals, Skip Hop Bandana Buddies, Lamaze Clip & Go Moose, and Infantino Hug and Tug can all work as standalone toys, so if a child really takes a liking to them, they can play with them when at home. PlayGro Amazing Garden is nice, since you can attach it to a cribs bars or even the leg of a chair, making it very versatile. The Manhattan Toy Wimmer-Ferguson may lack a bit in tactile stimulation, but it more than makes up for it in the visual development area.
Why Stroller And Car Seat Toys Are Necessary
On a simple level, these toys are useful because they attach directly to a car seat or stroller.
If you're already sold on the fact that multisensory stimulation is important to a child's cognitive development and your little one has a quality combination of teething items, reflective surfaces, and unique textures in her playthings, it shouldn't be too much of a stretch to figure out how having such items everywhere you bring a baby, would be a good thing. On a simple level, these toys are useful because they attach directly to a car seat or stroller. Unlike loose toys, these are hard for your baby to just throw onto the street.
There is also the fact that if your munchkin doesn't have her own toys to interact with while she's along for a ride in a stroller, or in the car, she'll start to reach for your things. You've probably looked in your rearview mirror many times, only to panic when you discover that your little girl has found her way into your bag, and is now eating your ChapStick. Considering that parents tend to already be distracted enough while driving with a child passenger, you don't need one more incident taking your eyes off the road.
On the topic of keeping your little one entertained, any parent knows that a discontent baby can turn what was meant to be a nice day out into a living nightmare. There is nothing so torturous as standing in a long line at the grocery store, while your baby screams, cries, and makes all of the other customers cover their ears because she has nothing to keep her preoccupied during the wait. Then there are just those times you'd like to enjoy a nice cup of coffee at a cafe with a friend, but your tiny terror keeps grabbing bags of sugar or stirrers off the table and throwing them at people passing by. It's easy to see how making sure your baby has a beloved toy with her everywhere you go is critical to everyone's happiness.
What To Look For In A Stroller Or Car Seat Toy
A special combination of traits will make for the best car seat and stroller toys. If possible, find one that features one, or several, soft animals. Babies and children have strong, positive reactions to stuffed animals — in fact, when your tot is old enough to read picture books, making sure she has a faux furry friend can be beneficial. Meanwhile, babies like to look into their eyes, cuddle them, and make sounds at them. From there, you can build upon the creatures. Look for ones that also have attached teething surfaces, so when your baby feels like gnawing on her fuzzy friend, she won't destroy him. If the toy also makes music, either through battery-operated speakers, or simple instruments like bells, you'll triple the entertainment factor.
A special combination of traits will make for the best car seat and stroller toys.
You'll also want to think about how you will attach the toy to the stroller or car seat. This can depend on whether you have a luxury, compact, jogging, or another style. Some toys sit on a bar, similar to the one you may put over a crib or tummy time mat, others are in a cluster attached to a clip that you might put on the canopy, while others are oriented across flexible tubing that you can wrap around bars and handles. Look at the design of your stroller or car seat to decide which one is best for you. Also, ask yourself if your baby will be able to easily pull these off — it's important that the toys stay firmly attached.
A few other features will make you feel good about your choice, such as models boasting BPA-free parts so you don't expose your munchkin to any toxins. You can make things easier on yourself by selecting ones with machine-washable materials, too, since you can count on your cutie chewing, drooling, and spilling on her belongings. Should your toy of choice feature speakers that play music, you'll probably appreciate one that automatically shuts off after a certain amount of time.
Tips For Taking Baby Out For The Day
Whether you'll be pushing your little one around in a stroller, driving her in a car seat, or both, a day out with a baby requires more attention on the parent's part to every little detail than a regular outing. Between making sure your diaper bag is filled with the essentials to keep your cutie happy, fed, comfortable, and clean all day, and confirming that all of your destinations are baby-friendly, there is a lot for a parent to think about before stepping out with the youngest member of their family. Let's go over some tips to help those first outings feel (almost) seamless.
It's also hard to navigate large groups of people when you're pushing a stroller, so consider destination and time of day before taking a walk with your munchkin.
Select the proper car seat for your little one. Between backless boosters and convertibles, there are a lot of designs to choose from, but bear in mind all babies should remain in rear-facing models until they are at least two years old, or reach the height and weight maximum for the seat. Make sure yours fits your little one properly and is the right model for your type of car. You can also install a backseat mirror. These let you keep an eye on your adorable passenger without having to turn around.
When it's time to take your little love out of the vehicle and place him into the stroller, choose your locations wisely. Avoid crowded places since the over-stimulation can cause your baby to panic and begin to cry. It's also hard to navigate large groups of people when you're pushing a stroller, so consider destination and time of day before taking a walk with your munchkin. If you want to visit a park, walking path along a beach, or another popular workout area, 11 am is the best time to go. Professionals have already finished their morning exercise and headed to work, and people aren't yet out on their lunch break for a mid-day sweat. Keeping this advice in mind will make adventures with your cutie feel more manageable.