As we wrap up car week, we have noted that the car and car seats seem to be a necessary evil for many people. While it's so important to be safe when getting to and from point A and point B, it's also important for everyone to stay sane. There are tons of great car accessories on the market to keep babies, toddlers and preschoolers occupied. Between the two of us, we've run through them all at one point or another--snack traps, dangle toys, books, mirrors, etc. But when we saw this accessory--the Snack & Play Travel Tray--featured at Daily Candy a few months back, we were sure this was a winning Baby Bunching product.
So what is so fabulous about this product?
1) We love the whole concept of a collapsible tray which you can pack for an airplane journey, car ride or shove in the basket of your stroller. It's made of foam so it's light to take and store.
2) We love the idea of a tray. Linda used to profess that a tray attached to the stroller would have kept her kid so much happier (since her stroller didn't have one). This would have been a perfect add-on. The Snack & Play is perfect for toddlers who want to keep snacks in front of them, arrange them in fun lines and circles and eventually drop them on the ground. Hey, we're no fools. As kids get older, it's great for coloring, reading, mini games (as kids get older) or keeping sippy cups/lovies from rolling onto the floor.
3) It's adjustable. This is awesome because it will fit most car seats or strollers in some way. We love this for the airplane because if you've traveled with a kid and a carseat you know that no tray table is coming down with most of the car seats nowadays. It's a tight squeeze any way you look at it.
4) You can hose it down. Every product Baby Bunching endorses must be easy to wash and/or hose down. This one says to wipe down with damp cloth, but I'm guessing hosing it down would work, too, since glued on Goldfish were pretty much standard during the first two years.
So you love this product now, too? Really, how can you not?
We have one to giveaway to a lucky winner. Please go check out their website, and 1) leave a message here about why you need this wonderful car accessory for your Bunch. If you really super love it, we will add your name in an extra time if you 2) either go tweet this giveaway or post to your wall on Facebook (please come back and tell us if you posted to Facebook as we have no way of tracking that!). So you have double the chances to win. Please, please, please make sure you leave a way for us to contact you here (email address). You can't win if we can't contact you.
Congratulations to Marla for being our winner!
Wow, this is way better than sliced bread! I wouldn't even know which little one I'd let use it; I think they'd fight over it. :) My daughter loves to color, and it would be a super-bonus if she got to do it in the car. On the other hand, for those long trips, it would be REALLY nice to be able to give my 16-month-old cheerios and not have half of them end up on the floor of the car. With hubby out of work since Feb, this would be a VERY much appreciated prize.
Posted by: Jennifer Lieberman | Aug 10, 2009 at 10:19 PM
I would love to have this for my 18 month old daughter. She's so bored in the backseat, she drops her toys all the time and then is unhappy about it. If she had a tray she could play with her toys on it. And also she could eat her fries on it without worrying about losing it if she drops it. She'd love this!
Posted by: Lisa | Aug 10, 2009 at 11:27 PM
Oh my goodness, that thing rocks! It would be great for either of my kids because we go on 2-4 vacations a year, always by car, and usually 14+ hours each way! :)
Posted by: JessPond | Aug 10, 2009 at 11:43 PM
Great product, I'd love to try it.
Posted by: royann | Aug 11, 2009 at 07:10 AM
Where was this on our vacation? 35 hours total travel time...this could have been a lifesaver! Of course, my boys would have fought over it, but we could sure use one! Love to win one so that we could test-drive it and see if it's something that I need to buy 2 more of!
Posted by: Shell | Aug 11, 2009 at 07:28 AM
I have looked at a few different versions of this, but this tray seems to have it all. My daughter is very active in the back seat and this would make my life and my shoulder (from stretching back to try and pick up crayons, etc) so much easier. We travel plenty over the year to our relatives on long weekends and it would be the perfect addition to our family car trips.
Posted by: Donna Vandegrift 8/11/09 | Aug 11, 2009 at 07:57 AM
what a great concept! we go to visit relative's frequently and i would be great to use this on the longer trips. we have tried coloring in the car, but it only frustrates my older one because the paper will not stay still.
Posted by: Marla | Aug 11, 2009 at 08:02 AM
We're going on a looong car trip in September and my toddler (and his parents) would love this! Since it's typically my job as the non-driving parent to entertain the kids/pick up any lost toys/snacks/cups that fall, I think this would make my job on the ride much easier- maybe I could even read a magazine while we drove. That would be awesome!
We also make a 2 or 3 hour drive about once a month going to visit our parents, so I know it would get tons of use.
Posted by: Kelly | Aug 11, 2009 at 08:07 AM
I would love this! My 2yo is totally entertained by the DVD player, but my 1yo is so NOT... he constantly wants something to do or play with - this would be perfect!
Thanks for the contest :-)
Posted by: MommyNamedApril | Aug 11, 2009 at 09:31 AM
Why have I never seen this before!!?? I have a 13 month old & a 27 month old. It is often neccessary for me to drive while they snack or whatever or I would never leave the house! My poor hubby just vaccuumed out my car yesterday & there were french fries, goldfish crackers everywhere! I was so embarrased! This would help my life so much!
PLEASE pick me!!!!
~Deena
Posted by: Deena | Aug 11, 2009 at 09:48 AM
Do you think something like that would word in a double side-by-side stroller, or would it be too wide?
Posted by: Ariel | Aug 11, 2009 at 10:13 AM
I have three reasons why I need this...Lauren 3 years-old, Allison 2 years-old and Nolan 10 months old!!:)
Posted by: Megan | Aug 11, 2009 at 01:02 PM
First of all, I have to say that I love your website! I am new to baby bunching (20 month old and 5 week old) but started checking out your site frequently when I found out I was preggo w/ #2. This tray would be so perfect for my active toddler, esp. with an upcoming 8-hour car trip and our frequent visits to the grandparents, all of which live hours out of town. Thanks for all the helpful info. for us bunchers!
Posted by: Brianne Brown | Aug 11, 2009 at 01:28 PM
I posted this great item to my wall on Facebook!
Posted by: Brianne Brown | Aug 11, 2009 at 01:31 PM
My daughter just graduated to her "big girl" car seat and would love a tray to hold all of her goodies in the car.
Posted by: Emily | Aug 11, 2009 at 02:02 PM
We sooooooo need this! We regularly take 8 hour car trips (each way) to visit grandparents and I've recently started taking our 29 month old and 11 month old on these trips alone. Anything that keeps them busy without me having to stop (or endanger us on I-95) is a winner in my book!!
Posted by: Holly | Aug 11, 2009 at 05:42 PM
I don't just want this, I *need* this. I have a 12-month-old and a 26-month-old... shouldn't that be enough said?? :) Seriously though, what a fantastic contraption and aren't you ladies smart for writing about it (wink, wink...).
:)
Posted by: Amanda | Aug 11, 2009 at 11:46 PM
I'd love to try this with my 4 and 2.5 year olds! Now if I could just keep my 6 month old entertained in the car we'd be set for the drive to the grandparents.
Posted by: Suzanne | Aug 12, 2009 at 10:50 AM
Thanks for the suggestion. I just bought one for my 13 month old. Hope this makes car travel easier... FYI - I have a blog with relationship advice for new parents and expecting couples. www.expectingwords.com I highlighted your blog in one of my entries.
Posted by: Laurie | Aug 12, 2009 at 12:09 PM
i know either of my girls (1 yr & almost 3) would absolutely love this. our youngest has gotten to the point that she ejects anything that she's done playing with.. and it would be nice for her if she had a surface to put it on. and my older girl is an organized soul who loves to put all her toys in a row and then take them out and put them in and count them. this would definitely be easier for her with a flat place to put all the toys.
Posted by: Mama Cas | Aug 12, 2009 at 12:12 PM
and i posted this to my FB wall as well.
Posted by: Mama Cas | Aug 12, 2009 at 12:22 PM
I just found out I am PG again and my children are going to be 22 months apart. I have been freaking out lately about how am I going to manage to find a double stroller that fits my carseat and has a tray. The one that matches my set doesn't have a tray. I can't live without having a tray on the stroller because my 15 month old eats lunch out of here and snacks. Then plane rides to Dallas to visit SIL would be so much easier to manage. I am sold and I haven't even tried it!
Posted by: Kim H | Aug 12, 2009 at 01:51 PM
4 weeks from my due date, I am just starting out on my bunch (big boy will be 18.5 mo). I can't come up with any reason better than the ones you mentioned - easy to cart around, keeps things clean, provides one more layer between the hands and the floor... totally awesome! Thanks for the tipoff, and for the chance to win. :)
Posted by: Della | Aug 13, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Okay, seriously I neeeeeed this. After having shoulder surgery, my one arm no longer has the flexibility to twist into the pretzel imitation dimensions that it takes to keep my 20 monther occupied (entertained, fed, wiped, etc...) since I have had to put the 3 monther on the reachable side of the backseat just so I can keep my sanity (i.e. pacifier).
Posted by: Ariella | Aug 13, 2009 at 10:02 AM
Cool - I'm posting on Facebook for all my bunching (and non-bunching) mommy friends!
Posted by: Desirée Spenst | Aug 13, 2009 at 04:09 PM
Oops - and the reason I NEED it is because we have an airplane ride in our future with a 2 yo and a 6 mo!! The 2 yo is definitely going to need some entertainment close at hand while we deal with the 6 mo!
Posted by: Desirée Spenst | Aug 13, 2009 at 04:11 PM
WOW! What a fantastic concept! This product would make our lives so much easier. We have a just-turned 3 yr old, a 20 month old, and baby #3 due in two months. We travel by car every weekend from April through October to our family cabin 3 1/2 hours away. Needless to say I have spent almost the entire trip turned around handing sippys, snacks, hot wheels, books, stuffed animals, lovies, etc. to the boys to keep them busy (and not screaming in our ears!), and then picking them up off the car floor and starting all over again as the attention span resets. Of course the item most-wanted is almost always the one thrown back between the carseat and the door, requiring Mom to unbuckle and climb back to reach it. By the end of the trip I am a tangled, sore, **grumpy** mom... and my chiropractor is getting rich off of me! You might ask why we continue to take on such daunting road trips. My husband spent every summer at this same cabin since he was 5 yrs old. A few years ago his father passed away and the cabin is our place where we still feel his presence strongly and it is so meaningful for us to have our kids experience the wonders of life at the lake. So, this product would get use at our place for YEARS to come! Thanks for sharing the info!
Posted by: Alley Ohe | Aug 14, 2009 at 06:17 AM
I'd use it for my 14 month old - he's a bit "slow" when it comes to snacking on the go in the car (bags get dumped, bowls are a mess...) - this would expand his no-dumping zone!
Posted by: Emma | Aug 14, 2009 at 09:33 AM
We recently moved 13 hours from family so this would be so great to keep my daughter occupied during the long trips home (and then I'd have to buy one for my 2yo as well since all things have to be equal!). What a neat idea. We've definitely perfected tossing cups and snacks to the back for her since she "graduated" to the back of the van once the baby was born. Anything to make those long trips easier with three kids under 4!
Plus today is my daughter's 4th birthday so we'd love to win (and its actually my birthday too...we share the day!).
Posted by: Jessica | Aug 17, 2009 at 01:13 PM
What an awesome little contraption! Of course, if I win I'll just have to buy two more to keep them from bickering over it! ;P
Posted by: Emily | Aug 17, 2009 at 10:24 PM
Many children tend to eat frequently through the day as their bodies require. One should not force children to eat more and more like adults do. A child under the age of four or five might eat six to seven times a day. One can give fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain crackers, cheese cubes, peanut butter-cheese sandwiches into daily snacks. Try to avoid pre-packaged snacks because its unhealthy. One can go for milk-based drinks because it rich in proteins, calcium, iron, also fruit juice will be good.
Posted by: Fun healthy snacks for kids | Aug 20, 2009 at 06:16 AM
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