I have a happy traveler, which makes me a happy driver
Because he is on the tiny side and because he doesn’t always understand what’s right and what’s wrong, CJ is still in a car seat at the age of nine. It isn’t as odd as it sounds to some, he only weights 50 pounds. Because he is a boy he isn’t always the neatest child. Because he’s a child he likes to keep busy. The center of the back seat has a cup holder, so he can out a drink there, but that doesn’t solve the problem of giving him something to do that won’t go all over the place. We had to take a couple of little trips this past month and had something new to try, the Snack & Play Travel Tray from Star Kids.
From the website: “Star Kids Products is proud to introduce Snack & Play Travel Tray (Patent Pending), a unique and innovative product for families on the go. Snack & Play Travel Tray was created out of necessity for today’s children. Snack & Play Travel Tray enhances the driving experience by providing a flat, safe area for children to eat and play.”
The Snack & Play Travel Tray is designed for children to use to have a snack on or play on while traveling. The tray is made of bright and colorful nylon, making it easy to clean. Being made of nylon also means it’s soft and easy to move, making it safer for children. I was pleased to read that the tray collapses upon impact. The tray has pockets on both sides to hold things including toys and snacks. The sides of the tray are about two inches high so that items on the tray stay on the tray. The tray attaches by belting around either the child or the car seat. We opted to belt to the car seat. The tray can be attached to booster seats and strollers as well as car seats using clips such as you see on a car seat. The Snack & Play Travel Tray was invented by Alyson Starr Probst, who was looking for a safe and practical surface for her child to use when in his car seat or stroller.
Never before has CJ been able to color in the car. On past trips he’s always had to hold his things in his lap, which inevitably got stuck under the car seat, and place them on the seat next to him, where they promptly slide away. I was pleased to find that the Snack & Play Travel Tray was indeed a firm enough surface that he could color. It didn’t move all over the place and all of his crayons stayed in one pocket and his snacks in another. We arrived at our destination with a child who was happy because he’d been able to keep busy and with no mess on the floor. Gone are the days of watching him be bored and fighting falling asleep. Not once did I have to use my six foot long Mom arm during the trip. (That’s my right arm, which stretches beyond what’s possible under normal circumstances to reach the object on the back seat floor that my child dropped or accidentally lost.)
We’re very pleased with the Snack & Play. Anyone who wants to help make their child’s trip more enjoyable will want to take a look at this. The Snack & PlayTravel Tray retails for about $18-$25 and can be purchased in select stores across the country and in many online stores.
PS - Those are pics from the Snack & Play site. Mine came out terribly.
