Do you let your kids eat in their car seat?

Do you let your kids eat in their car seat?

  • Sure! Why not?

    Votes: 70 60.3%
  • No way! Never!

    Votes: 12 10.3%
  • Only if it is absolutely necessary.....

    Votes: 34 29.3%

  • Total voters
    116

MustangMama

Active member
I was looking at the 3-Across thread and there were some DIRTY car seats! LOL

It got me to thinking: How many moms/dads let their kids eat in their seats?

ETA: Maybe this is some inspiration to take them seats out and wash them this weekend.........:whistle:
 
ADS

Namegirl

Senior Community Member
No, not unless we're on a very long road trip and it's just unavoidable. We keep water in the car, but that's it.
 

MustangMama

Active member
Wow you were quick!

I let DD eat in her seat but she is older now (5) so she isn't messy. When she was younger, I only let her eat in her seat if she was crying, fussy, etc.
 

emandbri

Well-known member
I do let my kids eat in the car but they don't seem to make much of a mess. I also have lots of covers and extra seats so it isn't a bother to wash them! lol
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
None of the above. Not all the time, occasionally, and it depends on circumstances (how much time we have, how cranky the kids are from not eating, what the food is...)
 

PinkSander

New member
I don't have my car yet; but when I do, Audrey will only be allowed a sippy with a no spill stopper with water or maybe clear juice.
 

minismom

Well-known member
A girl I know from another board has a friend who's 2yo died after chocking in the car. The child was FFing, the mom saw him choke but couldn't pull over fast enough (freeway). Very sad. So no, no food in the car, EVER! (unless another adult is in the back, and only if dd begs for it)
 

Holly

New member
None of the above. Not all the time, occasionally, and it depends on circumstances (how much time we have, how cranky the kids are from not eating, what the food is...)

:yeahthat:
Same here!
They can have their sippy cups back there if we are going somewhere far away, but if it's just a short trip to the store or something, they don't.
If we need to eat on the run and don't have time to sit down somewhere, we let them have food back there, but nothing too messy.
The messiest of foods they can have back there is french fries and chicken nuggets (no sauce or ketchup). They can have bread, or crackers, possibly a granola bar too, but thats about it. Nothing sticky or goopy.
 

southpawboston

New member
we let our kids eat. we try to keep to a regular eating schedule, so if we happen to be out of the house we let them eat on schedule. they're not too messy, and we also don't give them really messy types of food in the car. also the towel under my carseats goes a long way to keep the car clean ;).
 

Pixels

New member
DD is only 7 months old, but so far she has had bottles and once "solid" food in the car on road trips. We did a 4 hour (without stops) trip when she was 2.5 months, and got pumped BM and formula in bottles while DH drove. At 5.5 months, we drove 7 hours (again, without stops, with stops it was closer to 9) twice. I was lazy about pumping at that point, so bottles of pure formula, and one meal of baby food was offered but she was too hungry and impatient so she didn't even eat it. This was when I started to suspect a formula intolerance/allergy - one bottle, she ate slightly more than half of what I expected, rejected the rest, then a few minutes later threw up the whole bottle. She was sitting in a small lake in her carseat until we could pull over and clean her up, ewww. DH cleaned up DD and the lake, and then we put a plastic grocery bag over the wet carseat cover so DD wouldn't get all wet and nasty as soon as we put her back in. Luckily it stayed in the carseat, and didn't go through to the vehicle seat below.

Since DD is still so young, we don't really have car food rules for her yet. It will probably be something between what I was raised with, and what DH was raised with. DH was raised with no food/drink in a vehicle, ever. I was raised with food and drinks in the car on road trips only. Nothing messier than crumbs food-wise, and pop (soda, cola, carbonated beverage, whatever you want to call it).
 

unityco

Ambassador - CPS Technician
DS's allowed snacks in the car - usually dry things. Most commonly he'll have a bagel (untoasted, no spreads.) Nothing too messy (but my SIL did give him ice cream once in her car, but in *MY* carseat. :eek: Did you all know the Radian harness is irremovable? ;))
 

pastrygirl

New member
Nope. I don't want the mess (even though he's incredibly tidy), but I'm also terrified that he'll choke on something.
 

NVMBR02

New member
Pretty much only water. A few times on a road trip I have given them crackers. The only other time they eat in their seats in on an airplane and all the crumbs gross me out.

Dh and I don't eat in the car either.
 

thepeach80

Senior Community Member
I do let them eat in the car, but I almost daily think about NOT letting them anymore, it's such a mess in the van. I took Evan's seat out to vacuum the other day and I was SHOCKED at the mess underneath. Sigh. Maybe that'll be something we work on harder in 09.
 

tiggercat

New member
I do let my kids eat in the car, when it is unavoidable. I do take the seats out to clean them and the covers regularly in the summer, and vacuum around them. In the winter, I don't look too closely. :whistle:
Honestly, there is more mess in my car from winter boots, slush and salt/sand than from food.
(I do clean up before taking pictures to post on the board. Notice I never show pics in my husband's car, he's much worse than I am :eek: )
 

skiersnowboarder3

Senior Community Member
When I first got my car 4 years ago I didn't allow any food or drink in it. (Well after one of my friends got fried chicken crumbs all over the back seat the FIRST night I had it. :mad:) But then one of the kids got finger paint (or something- I never really found out for sure who did it or what it is- it's still there) all over the back of the driver's seat, I gave up trying to keep it uber clean ;).

Now I let people (and kids) eat in my car but nothing messy. Every time I pull out the carseats though I find new crumbs.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
I let the kids eat in the car. Sofi spends too much time in the car, and often needs a snack (dry cereal, crackers, bagel, sippy of milk). Last summer, the kids went from an am camp to a pm camp and they HAD to eat lunch in the car or they wouldn't get to eat. But it's never messy things, and never ever ketchup. Though..... they do sometimes take their left over breakfast if we're late for school (apple, bannana or bagel w/ cream cheese is the messiest), and they always have a baby wipe :) But they are 5 and 8 so they do pretty well with not making a mess.
 

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