car seat covers for traveling
Why You Should Always Cover Your Child’s Car Seat While Traveling
Traveling with young children requires a lot of planning, especially when it comes to bringing essential gear like a car seat. One of the most overlooked yet crucial steps is using car seat covers for traveling to protect your child’s car seat during transit.
Though it may seem like an extra hassle, a car seat cover for traveling is a simple but vital barrier that protects your child’s car seat from exposure to truly filthy conditions along its journey.
The Hidden Filth Inside Luggage Bins
The inside of luggage bins is far from clean, with surfaces that have touched countless dirty items. Bags that have rolled through streets, been stored on dirty floors, or spent time in other germ-laden environments all end up in these bins.
Over time, this creates a breeding ground for bacteria and grime that you’d never want near your child. Covering your car seat before you place it in a luggage bin or cargo hold is the only way to keep it safe from this invisible but very real filth.
Every Step of the Checked-Bag Journey Is Dirty
When you check your car seat at the airport, it goes on a long journey through an unsanitary conveyor belt system, often being handled by multiple people and sitting on surfaces that aren’t cleaned regularly.
Even the luggage tugs that carry bags to the plane are dirty. These vehicles often carry heavy, greasy bags and containers, and their floors rarely see a wash. Once on the plane, your car seat may end up in another luggage bin that’s been in contact with dirt, spilled drinks, or even mold.
Covering your child’s car seat protects it from all of these contaminants.
Since I wrote a previous post about how you shouldn’t travel with your car seat, I thought I would show you some examples of how you could possible cover your child’s car seat when you are traveling.
The Airplane Environment Is No Better
Inside the airplane, checked bags are placed in overhead bins or stored in luggage compartments that aren’t thoroughly cleaned between flights.
Airlines focus on cleaning seats and tray tables for passengers, but cargo areas rarely get the same attention. This adds to the risk of your car seat picking up bacteria, dust, and grime during the flight.
Why a Simple Barrier Matters
Though a car seat cover is ideal, even a large, sturdy trash bag can provide a much-needed barrier from dirt. This single step can save you from needing to disinfect a car seat upon arrival, and more importantly, it helps ensure your child isn’t exposed to unseen bacteria and grime.
In the picture above the parents have covered the car seat with a trash bag. This seems to work very well as many trash bags are very durable.
And since most people have trash bags in their home, this isn’t something you will have to go and buy, it is probably already in your cabinet.
The one below is the more expensive option. This car seat cover has been purchased and totally covers the car seat. There is a zipper on this cover and the car seat is totally secure. These can be a bit more expensive but worth it if you will be traveling often with your child.
A big plastic bag can also be used to cover your car seat. I think this is the least effective one because if you look on the left hand side of the picture below, part of the plastic has come off.
The parents simply wrapped a large piece of plastic around the car seat and tied it off at the end. However, this is still better than letting the car seat be exposed to all of the dirt and filth found on a conveyer belt.
Whatever method you choose, please make sure and cover your car seat, it’s worth the effort.
