Projectiles aka stuff in the car

Sum1Else

Senior Community Member
What do you do with the stuff in your vehicle?

Is there any fail-safe way to secure things in a minivan or SUV?

What kind of toys do you allow your children to have in the car?
 
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What kind of toys do you allow your children to have in the car?

My sixteen month old still has a couple of the toys that attach directly to her carseat. I also give her small books as we're driving. Recently, I put some magnets in a small cookie tin and she loves playing with those. Sticking to the tin, and whatnot.

HTH...
 

MyLittleTyke

Senior Community Member
I'm not sure if there is any "fool" proof way to secure things in a van. The open design makes it hard. I use bunji cords and these cambuckles (http://www.cargogear.com/TieDownStraps/straps.htm) to secure things the best that I can. My son just turned 3 and likes to walk, so I only carry the stroller with me when I have too (and then it is bunji-corded down). Someday I want to get one of those cargo/grocery nets for my van. Right now, I just put my groceries in the back and pray for the best. It's the only option available to me. The way I look at it is, for the groceries that are in a single level on the floor to go up and over the seat back during a crash, it would have to be a pretty serious crash, and I'd probably have more to worry about than flying groceries.

As for toys, I do not allow anything hard in the car. We stick to soft toys and vinyl type books.

HTH,
Sara
 

mamamia

New member
The only thing that is regularly in the back on my minivan is a single stroller, although soon it will be the double (come on baby, it is time to come out!!!). It is bungi corded to two cargo hooks. I also keep a cargo bag in the back that sticks to the carpet via velcro, but I also bungi it to cargo hooks since I can't imagine velcro holding in a crash. Grocery bags, etc. I usually put on the cargo hooks as well.

Generally speaking the girls don't have sippy cups in their seats with them. I either put them into the diaper bag (usually seat belted in the front passenger seat) or take Capri Sun style juice pouches.

We don't usually have any toys in the car, except for maybe a soft baby doll every once in a while.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
We have a carseat protector with a zippered bag that has plastic hooks as well as velcro to keep it in place.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
I have a cargo barrier & carrier in the trunk of my Blazer -- the carrier zips & velcros to hold the contents inside & it hooks onto the headrests through the barrier, helping to hold the barrier in place while the barrier helps to hold the carrier in place. I hope that's safe because without it I'd have no where to hold eveything I need in the truck for our frequent trips with the dogs. Under & behind my daughter's rear-facing seat I have a backpack that I've secured onto the bar under the seat with rock climbing gear -- that's where I put my own own personal stuff. My daughter has a musical plush doll hooked onto the head rest in front of her [more so just to keep it from getting dirty] & I store her mini books in the pocket of the front passenger seat behind her car seat -- she's allowed to have 1 book at a time & I don't give her another till she gives me back the first so I can put it away. Our umbrellas & rain/snow boots are stored under the back bench seat. I often wonder how in the world I'm gonig to hodl all this crap if/when I can afford to buy a newer car ... because when I do it will have to be smaller for financial reasons. As much as I love the easy space in my Blazer I do not like the gas mileage let alone the crash test results!
 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Generally, seat protectors are NOT recommended. They are aftermarket products that could interfere with the performance of the seat. They may also void the warrantee of the seat. To protect leather seats, it is acceptible to use a single sheet of thin shelf liner. Anything thicker should be avoided.

Presure mounted barriers may cause more harm than good as well. Crash tests showed that many of them shattered, sending dangerous shards flying through the vehicle. There are two good posts on this topic on the CPSP list here. Reader's Digest article: gates for SUV and vans and Crash tested dividers

I have a cargo net that I use for groceries in the back of my SUV. I use ratcheting or cam buckle tie downs to hold down my stroller. I try to limit toys to smaller or softer items, but that doesn't always happen. Both front seats have nice mesh pockets for holding the kids' toys, maps, etc when not in use.

Many companies make trunk organizers, which may be useful. Here are a few examples:
Folding Trunk Organizer
Case Logic® Folding Trunk Organizer
Lewis N. Clark Trunk Locker
Lewis N. Clark Trunk Organizer
Coleman Collapsible Storage Organizer
Of course, just buying one isn't enough. You need to make sure that the organizer is attached to the vehicle securely (for example, with cam buckle tie downs or a heavy duty cargo net).

Lewis N. Clark actually makes an entire line of vehicle organizers. As far as I know, none of them are crash tested (the products listed above are not crash tested, either), but if used wisely, they may be better than nothing.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
THANKS ULRIKE
I have wondered about the barrier & posted about it in this forum a couple times to see if anyone had info about why they are/aren't safe.... I really only have it to keep the dogs from climbing up on the seat where my daughter sits, but I think I'll just find some shorter leashes to secure the dogs to the farther tie-down hooks!
I'm pretty sure the trunk carrier I have is OK, though, but I couldn't remember where I bought it & have been looking for other similar things to replace my backpack -- I'll need that for school at the end of the month & then where would I put my other things? [I have a chronic illness & carry around some meds & food & such just in case].
Still wondering if there's something acceptable to secure groceries inside ... am thinking of buying a Toyota Matrix [instead of the Subaru Impreza] because the crash test info I have seen is better [can't find any side impact results for the Impreza]? Hopefully there's something in those links you gave :)
 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
I use a Ruff Rider Roadie harness for my dog in the car. One of my technician friends just ordered one for her Newfie pup, as well. She called and spoke to the company owner before ordering and was very impressed with what he had to say. I don't think an ordinary leash would withstand crash forces, either.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
That looks nice! So far I've been using thick link chains with leather harnesses & a rock climbing hook that locks -- my dogs have powerful jaws & will chew through almost anything before I even get around the block @@ I'm sure they'd be less likely to want to chew this kind of harness off if they were sitting on the seats with us [seperation anxiety to the max with these guys], but they are extremely protective of their vehicle ... no matter how lovingly affectionate & careful they are with my daughter outside of the car, I know she'd get scared by their barking & lunging at the windows if she was between them in the back & I know I can't put her in the front -- one could be in back [dog & kid on opposite sides] & one up front, but when my stepkids do ride with us the dogs would both have to share the front & that may or may not be possible.
Does anyone know if a minivan can hold a snow plow? ;) We get really bad snow days here [many in a row] & my daughter & dogs all come to work with me [family owned business] about 20-30+ minutes away. I was thinking of keeping the Blazer for the plow on just those bad days & getting something smaller with better gas mileage & better safety ratings for the rest of the time, but I'm just not sure what.... If I could hook up a plow to a minivan then I could trade in my Blazer to help me actually afford the minivan! Although, I'm liking the idea of separate trunk space more & more -- just much easier for keeping groceries & my other necessary items out of our way. Is there such a thing as a 6 seat car that will hold a plow??? {LOL} How else can I fit 3 kids [1 in a carseat/booster], 2 dogs & myself, not to mention all our junk [toddler items, dog items, emergency items, etc.] & still feel safe to drive in the snowy, icey wind?! I get real tense driving in the winter since I learned how to drive in southern California *SIGH*
 
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MyLittleTyke

Senior Community Member
Well, I really don't know if a plow can be attached to a minivan. Sorry. I just wanted to mention that as with children, it is unadvised to put animals in front of an airbag, for the same reasons you wouldn't put a child in front of one. Dogs have more "play" and will move more, putting them right in front of the airbag as it deploys.

This may sound absolutely crazy, but do you know someone who is a really good driver who can teach you to drive in the snow? The absolute best thing my dad did for me was when I got my license, he took me to the large, empty school parking lot. There was absolutely nothing I could hit. He had me get the car into a spin and practice getting it out. One time I was driving down a huge hill and started spinning out of control. If I didn't have those lessons, the ending might not have been as good as it was.

Sara
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Well, I grew up here -- moved to a warmer climate in highschool & then back here again after graduation.... I have since taken various drivings courses/lessons here in the winter months, but still it is no less scarey for me.
As for the dogs, though, unless I buy an older minivan the only option when my stepkids ride with us is for them to sit in the front seat -- trunk space to hold all our various things is looking more ideal to me now that I've removed the trunk barrier [I didn't mention before that we go to sport practices/games as well as music & dance lessons, too & haul around a good deal of loose items for all that].
I'm now thinking that a large family car would be best so that the dogs could fit on either side of my daughter [secured rear-center in the Wizard or Bodyguard] with room to spare so that they wouldn't have as much chance to accidentally jump on her. My requirements are good crash test results, head rests & autmoatic locking shoulder/lap belts [no lap-only] ... the older minivans didn't have all that.
Maybe now that I think about it my stepson could sit in the front [he's bigger than many of the 12 year olds around!] & my stepdaughter could sit behind him, my toddler in the middle with the dogs behind me? It would have to be a bigger family car & I would not be able to go without AWD.
Darren recently posted a good link for me to browse through somewhere else ... it's a work in progress, figuring out what car will be right for us!
This place is great for working through the kinks & I value everyone's input!
THANKS
 

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