Keeping the car cool for baby

Weezy2012 · July 2014

With the weather being insanely hot these past few weeks, it has me thinking about what I will do when i start to bring DS out in his car seat with me. The best scenario for me would be to always have DH find the car a few minutes ahead me and cool it off before we head out but relying on that all the time is certainly not a realistic option.

Has anyone used the windshield foldy contraptions to keep their car cool? If so, did they really work? I have never bought one, they always seemed like such a waste of money and hard to store in the car.

I've also seen these foil blanket type things that you can wrap over the car seat when it is sitting in the car but that overall seems more appropriate if you had a car seat that you rarely move in/out of the car and we'll be using the carrier seat at least for the first few months.

Anyone have any good tips on keeping the car cool and/or cooling it down fast?

BeachM · July 2014

DH has a Heat Shield for his car because it is parked in a completely unshaded lot next to a Navy pier every day. It's $$ as far as shades go, but it really does work and keep the car much cooler than any of the cheaper ones. He got it on Amazon. I'm considering getting one for my Outback but haven't committed yet because it does not fold up small at all.

I will likely just try to plan ahead and start the car and a/c several minutes before we leave the house. And park in the shade whenever possible when we're out and about.

rockyrollgirl · July 2014

Windows are tinted. Remote ignition helps to get the air going before I get to the car.

Before I had those two things though it was not an issue. Car cooled down pretty quickly.

tamarar5 · July 2014

Unfortunately the ac broke in my van. :'( There is no way for us to fix the ac or replace the car this year. So this is what we are doing:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0074WPKAC?pc_redir=1404311578&robot_redir=1

We got one for DS, and it seems to really help. We'll get one for the new baby but probably have to not point it right on her.

pmpkn219 · July 2014

I found this not too bad with the infant seat. Because the immediate area the baby is in, was house temp, not hot-car temp. I kept a couple doors open while I snapped him into the base and usually the car started blowing cold within a minute.

I've debated getting one of those foil-cover things for J's convertible though, sometimes the buckles seem hot, but the fabric stays (relatively) cool, even with it being a black and silver pattern. We're also in the NE, so though summer gets piping hot for a car in the sun, it's not an issue we have a lot of the year.

MC03 · July 2014

We live in a very hot area (it's been over 104 for a week with no relief in sight) but the car seat thing has never been a real problem. Yes it's hot for the first few minutes but we just crank the ac. We survive and DD has been fine the past 2.5 years. A sun shade does help a little but other than that I wouldn't worry about it.

Weezy2012 · July 2014

Thanks everyone! I think I am just super paranoid because babies have a much more difficult time regulating their body temps and overheat more easily. When I feel uncomfortable in the car for several minutes in this humid 100+ heat, I can only imagine how a baby would deal with it.

Looks like a will be looking into a few amazon purchase tonight though. Better safe than sorry :-) thanks again!

caballablanca · July 2014

I never worried about it and we live in Texas. Open some windows and blast the ac. Having windows cracked for the first couple minutes helps heat escape. As long as air is moving it doesn't feel as bad even if it is 150+ in the car. And as others have said, it doesn't take long to cool.

Raclla · July 2014

I got remote start for the winter for myself. I HATE (hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate) cold weather. Turns out, kiddo benefits from the remote start in the summer.

I'm in AL, so it's definitely worth the $ for us. We also have the windows tinted.

ETA: When DD was a newborn, we were taking the car seat in and out. She would be put in the seat while still inside. The car seat never got hot because we didn't leave it in the car.

Even shopping, I would sometimes put her in the cart (or the seat fit in the stroller).

It was rare that the seat got hot (or cold).

Moving to a convertible seat is when we started checking the temp on the buckles.

PecanSam · July 2014

I live in Hotlanta and it was never a problem. Our windows are tinted and the car cools off quickly.

Weezy2012 · July 2014

I feel like around here it isn't necessarily the heat but the humidity that is just the worst. Shade doesn't really provide relief and it kind of feels like you are living in a disgusting swamp sometimes. Can't wait to move back northeast!!!!

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