Choosing your next car is hard enough when you are single and child-free, so imagine the dilemma for those with dependents. There are several factors influencing parental decision-making in this area, namely, what features a car brings to the table. Naturally, elements such as car safety, storage space, and (possibly) child seat suitability come into play.
However, these modern children are not like Generation X kids. The Forgotten Generation was made to endure marathon road trips with nothing more than conversation, short-wave radio, or daydreaming as entertainment. Today’s children have never had it so good. The number of aftermarket products making their journeys more pleasurable is overwhelming.
How We Got There
To decide which automotive mod cons are most desirable, we’ve virtually eavesdropped on parent forums and researched expert opinions on the matter. Furthermore, we’ve shaken the trees of both parenting and auto expert sites like Car and Driver, Parenting, and GearTech for their wisdom.
Some of these modern car accessories are sanity-saving essentials; others are just completely indulgent — but who said that was always a bad thing?
Heated Seat Covers
Those Americans living north of the 37th Parallel might rejoice at this entry, considering how cold some regions in the United States can be. Imagine getting into that 20° F car and not feeling the cold coursing through your bones at the start of the school run.
You no longer need to if you get a heated seat pad. Of course, there are dozens on the market covering a wide range of costs. Car and Driver released an up-to-date lowdown on all their favorite heated designs. It proves how the aftermarket can be a place of sheer delight — literally, for one’s precious haunches.
USB Charging Port
The modern world is becoming an increasingly smart place, and charging one’s device at home will no longer suffice for the dopamine-hungry masses. Furthermore, a family of four will, at some point, quibble over the car’s one available charging port.
Therefore, why not invest in a port for everyone? It’s now possible with the latest in multi-charging port tech. For as low as $20, you can keep restless wolves from the door with a multiple USB charging bay that fits in your car’s lighter port. GearTech advocates for several designs. Included is the Tollefe 78W 5-in-1 port — a device necessary today for those backseat charging needs.
Rear-Facing Seat Mirror
Ask any parent transporting an infant in the back seat what they wish for other than no collisions or accidents. Many will tell you they hate driving with their infant alone in the back seat. Thankfully, children enjoy sleeping in cars, but when they wake up, things may become unnerving for both the child and the driver.
An accessory lending itself to safety, convenience, and necessity is a rear-facing seat mirror. It isn’t only for the parent; these reflective devices allow great two-way peace of mind for the lone car-seat child. They aren’t complicated to install, and they can provide a cute addition — this First Cry owl-themed backseat mirror is a good example.
Power Inverter
Perhaps your passengers are not so young anymore. Now that they’ve reached their teenage years, a more powerful device like a gaming laptop is the road trip norm. In this case, a power inverter can provide a wattage boost from the car’s lighter port for slightly heavier energy needs.
What’s more, you may wish to power other large devices on a vacation trip — power tools or even small power banks for camping trips. Popular Mechanics gives the lowdown on the best inverters on the market. Conquering the great outdoors has never looked so foolproof.
Surround View Camera
Surround-view comes as standard with all U.S. cars built post-2018, though others were there already. These devices are incredibly useful for parking, safety, and road awareness — not to mention providing vital evidence in the event of an accident.
There are options for aftermarket cameras, though. TechRadar’s latest 360 camera reviews yield great prices and quality for any driver. Yet, doing some research on your car model and year will help you find an even better solution. Some surround-view camera systems might even integrate or augment your car’s current system.
Hands-Free Power Liftgate
Not all products need to be for the kids. Moms and dads on the local shopping run may need to bring their little ones with them. Enter the hands-free power liftgate, a smart or foot-operated device made for parents with full hands. This system opens and closes the trunk without any need for placing grocery bags — or children — on the ground.
Some cars, such as the Kia Telluride, the Subaru Outback, and the Honda CR-V, come with this included, as shown in Mobile Video Integration’s guide. Of course, aftermarket kits are available for those with a penchant for tricky installs. Nonetheless, you will be the last one laughing as you watch other shoppers wrangling multiple bags and keys.
Car Vacuum Cleaners
Cleanliness is next to Godliness, or so they used to say. Some parents might just agree that cleanliness correlates with sanity. These wily individuals most probably bought cars with integrated vacuum cleaners. Here’s Autotrader’s review of the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid to remind us that there is hope. All motorist caregivers have, at some point, encountered the aftermath of the child-car-snack triumvirate. It isn’t pretty.
To mitigate Twinkie wrappers being stuffed behind seats or seeing nacho crumbs embedded into the carpet, you could do much worse than buying one. MetroVac’s array of aftermarket vacs and blowers will provide a solution for your everyday car-cleaning needs.
Car Trash Can
Riding on the cleanliness coattails is a car trash can, which is much better than it sounds. One of the worst things about traveling long — or any — distances with youngsters is the accumulated mess and subsequent aromas.
Some families may prefer trash cans on the interior, but Rhino USA has created a spare-tire-mountable exterior trash bag. Keeping a car tidy inside is desirable; keeping the odors outside is now possible. Just be sure to empty it before you park in a wild space full of nocturnal critters.
Dinner Trays
We remain in car organization territory, this time starting at the source of most cars’ mess — car takeout. You can be the most fastidious car owner alive until your child spills their Happy Meal on the car seat. If you stop at the drive-thru diner often, you need backseat headrest trays.
The good news is that the market is full of them — the hardest part is deciding which is most suitable. Why not choose one that doubles as a steering wheel desk? This one from Xergur is roughly $30 and also serves as a steering wheel laptop desk. It is available from most online retailers, including Amazon.
Princess Passenger Steering Wheel
Many parents know the “are we there yet?” mindset that most children have — their sense of time and distance is not calibrated. Still, some of us love keeping our children bored, untethered from devices, and at the whim of their — God forbid — imaginations!
However, there is a middle ground for those kids whose boredom might lead to parental distraction. This Princess Passenger Steering Wheel can make long journeys a real-life driving simulator for your little one. In this TikTok video from _chantellelili, we see how even adults can enjoy the simple pleasure of virtual driving with this accessory.
Inflatable Sleeping Devices
Long distances inevitably come with long periods of sleep for those in the back seat. Tired dads and moms will welcome the silence when the kids snooze in the car. Still, nobody wants their child to wake up with a stiff neck.
The parenting site Mum on the Move has reviewed many kids’ travel pillows, choosing the BCOZZY kids’ neck-supporting seat belt pillow as its best overall. If that doesn’t bring the much-needed rest all children need on the road, add this cool inflatable footrest from HOMCA.
Seat Protector
Having children is never easy, but it is worth every minute. Each tantrum, meltdown, and argument pales in comparison to seeing them grow as a human. However, they can be messy. Kids can be so chaotic that you feel you can’t keep up with their trail of destruction — not least in the family wagon.
Youth-driven wear-and-tear often extends to car seats, where chocolate smudges, unexplained blood stains, or the inevitable Sharpie doodles appear. Prince Lionheart has heard your pleas and designed the SeatSaver, a last line of defense between child mess and car seat preservation.
Back Seat Organizers
There comes a time when two or more children can present all kinds of car travel-adjacent problems. Keeping your back seat uncluttered sometimes feels like a lost cause when youngsters enter the equation. The Unclutter Angel answers the stressed parent’s needs with reviews of backseat organizers where kids can store the journey’s necessities. “Keeping a sense of humor is a must for me when it comes to organizing the family,” reads their review post.
They believe choosing the right backseat organizer will “keep your kiddo motivated to keep picked up and take pride in their space!” Selected models include a twin-pack backseat hanging organizer with kick pads for added driver sanity.
Air Purifiers
Those of you born in the analog age might recall long road trips without air purifiers, whereby Dad’s solution was to open the windows. If “nature’s air conditioning” doesn’t work for you, there are other ideas. Modern cars come with great filtration systems, but the aftermarket is the way forward for others.
Danny Ashton of air quality hub HouseFresh deems this IQAir system (an above-modest $400) the best on the market. Considering how many different bacteria or mold spores can reach a car’s interior, it is worth the investment. Air purifiers are a great way to keep pollutants from the car, which can build up and become very toxic, argues the American Lung Association.
Drop Stoppers
Who hasn’t gotten into their car only to hear keys or other items disappear under the car seat? Worse still, hearing your little one in anguish when losing a Barbie accessory can be a stressful encounter. There is nothing positive to stem from this scenario.
There are some good products on the market, but very few have an impact, like the Drop Stop, a seat-mountable gap-filling Godsend. This American-made, Shark Tank-famous product solves one of the motorists’ most irritating problems — losing items down beside the seat. It forms an impermeable wedge between the floor and seat belt buckle, preventing stressful car floor searches.
Bluetooth Auxiliary Jack
The Comsoon Bluetooth Auxiliary Jack Adapter is another child-friendly (and parent-friendly) device. We can thank Autoweek for reviewing this tool, and parents will thank anyone they can. No longer will siblings need to squabble over what is on the car speakers — they can plug in headphones at will.
This scenario might save precious stress for any parent of kids, who we all know can be like chalk and cheese. One child’s Bruno Mars is another child’s car audio torture. At least now they will have no reason for complaining — until another reason comes along, that is.
Window Shades for Sunshine
Living in hot climates can be especially dangerous with kids in the backseat, even with air conditioning. UV rays can penetrate windows, so investing in window shades is a no-brainer, even in colder climates.
Tanya Edwards and Ambrosia V. Brody of the childcare website Parents have done exhaustive work on discovering the safest sunshades for infants. Citing research from pediatric experts and using a clear methodology, they assessed products based on type, features, and value. The conclusion? This Kinder Fluff four-piece set was voted the “Best Overall” car window shade pack.
LED Cup Holder Lights
Who grew up with, literally, nothing to look forward to on a long-haul car journey? Anyone north of 40 years old would never turn their noses up at LED cupholders, would they? Can you imagine the joy of knowing where your drink was at all times? As hard as we had it, we can only rejoice at our latest generation’s luck.
A simple yet mesmerizing invention is the LED cup holder light. This invention comes in many colors and will transfix children for hours. It really is a win-win for parents because visible drinks on night trips mean fewer spillages. Of course, there is no shortage of products on the market — just ask eBay.
Cooling Seat Covers
We’ve looked at seat warmers for the cold, but what do you do when the inverse scenario presents itself? Driving in hot weather may be somewhat alleviated by air conditioning, but only on the front side of your body.
Anyone who lives in Florida or Arizona will attest that getting into a hot car isn’t pleasant, not least with kids. Imagine plugging in an aftermarket seat cooler to bring instant relief to your overheated torso. Now you can with Sharper Image’s Cooling Car Seat Cushion, which emits cool air jets across your back. It works on the car lighter port, offering 18 ventilation holes to cool the body. That’s pretty cool.
Car Mattress
Road trips into the wild have never been so easy for families. Smaller families or single parents and kids might benefit from the next entry, a complete car mattress. Instead of pitching a tent and struggling with five instructional languages, why not make the car the tent instead?
Luno’s AIR vehicle mattress will fit most vehicle model interiors and can fit into a sleeping bag-sized storage area. It works for two 6″ 2′ sleepers — even two parents and a small kid. All you need is the included electric pump and a few minutes. If you have a sunroof, you have just made a perfect starlight sleeping experience.
Final Thoughts
We love aftermarket car products here, but there are so many to choose from that it might get overwhelming. By conducting your own research, you can find great ideas that will fit your needs. Furthermore, if children are going to use these devices, it makes sense to involve them in the selection process.
Some of us may feel jealous that this current generation gets to travel the automotive equivalent of first class. Maybe it is just time to accept that we had it tougher, which should make driving with today’s modern comforts even more enjoyable.