#1 Hack for Traveling with kids in the car!
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Are you going to be traveling by car with your little angel(s) this labor day weekend (or any weekend)? How long do they last in the car without getting stir crazy and needing to watch TV? I have the #1 hack that will help you out!
Mine don’t last very long with out some sort of entertainment. They also don’t do well holding a tablet, phone, book, or toy on their lap. They will eventually get sick and throw up… And NO ONE enjoys that ! I’ve had to clean up vomit from the car and car seat more times that I care to mention and it’s not something I ever want to repeat if I can avoid it.
So if you’re like me… An in-car movie is key! We always load up the tablets with downloaded shows or movies.
When we had an iPad we had a special iPad holder which cost us nearly $50. I didn’t know any better so I paid and was just happy to have the surrogate hand to hold it. Then we switched to Kindle Fire tablets (only $49!!) and Android tablets (yes, we have a few). I personally love the Kindles because you can buy them “cheap” compared to the other tablets on the market and they do more than enough for the kids needs. They also have some nice kid features that I might address in a future post. But back on topic…
The Hack…
Now we have androids and kindles and they don’t fit in the old iPad holder. One day we were getting in the car fora trip and I was dreading a trip without the tablet holder. Then it hit me!
We have flip top covers for our tablets (like this one). All you need is a belt!
That’s how I discovered that using any belt will work and you don’t even have to sacrifice it! Just fasten the belt around the headrest and then hook the cover of the flip top case through it. TADA!
When you get to your destination, remove the belt and put it in your suitcase! You’ll be able to wear it when it’s not serving as a tablet-holder.
If you have one tablet and multiple kids you may be able to get away with just “mounting” one this way. We’ve done that before. When we can through, we mount one on each headrest and we are set for hours !
A Bonus
Now here is the other big perk…besides saving a ton of money, you can easily slip the tablet out of the belt at any time (if you are the passenger in the front you can even do it while on the road), make adjustments to the shows or volume, and easily slide it back in!
The commercial mounts are so much more complicated to insert and remove! This is just so much more convenient and free if you have a flip holder.
Don’t have a flip holder? They are super cheap! Here are the two we have.
Don’t have a flip top cover?
If you don’t already have a flip top cover for your tablet (and don’t want to buy one), rubber bands should work! Slip a rubber band on each side of the tablet and then run the belt through that. Sure, it will be harder for you to remove the tablet (it won’t slide out as easily) but it will still work and it’s free!
So…next time you hit the road with the kids, give this a shot! You can even do it with a phone if you have a flip case. Either way, it’s a super cheap way to mount a tablet for a more enjoyable (and vomit free) car ride with your kids!
If you give this a try, please comment below and let me know how it works for you!
If you’re interested in any of the products mentioned, you can purchase them below:
That’s a cool hack! A super easy one for mommies n daddies on wanderlust with toddlers. I know how it feels – a well deserved respite from our naughty little angels 🙂
Thanks Vaishnava! Glad you like it!
So true,kids won’t stay long and will get bored. Thanks for this wonderful and helpful hack.
Thanks Lourdes! Being bored isn’t the worst thing for them if course…just not on a long car ride!
Great idea. I need to remember this when our in car DVD player kicks the bucket! Thanks 🙂
Hi Tina – yup! Hopefully it outlived the car, but it not, this should work !
This is a fantastic! I’ll have to check this out when my lo is older ^.^
Hi Briana – thanks !
Such a smart idea! Love it – I’ll be trying it this weekend.
Oh my heck! Where was this hack when I needed it years ago. Now, my kiddos are older and can maneuver things easily. Yet, I may keep this in mind. You never know!