Traveling Toy “Safety Net”

When riding in the car, my toddler is always dropping his toys (sometimes by accident and other times, I’m convinced, on purpose) and saying, “Uh oh!,” which isn’t quite as cute as it is frustrating after having to reach back dangerously or stop the car safely to return his toys to him several times in a row (not returning them isn’t really an option for a reasonably peaceful drive). For the long drive home from my in-laws last summer, my father-in-law hacked a solution to the problem. He attached a net-mesh bag with an elastic strap to the back of the passenger seat and attached the base to the car seat, creating a “safety net” for fallen toys, making it much easier to just keep on driving.

If this and much more innovative parenting solutions interest you, check out Asha Dornfest’s Parent Hacks, our favorite “collaborative weblog of practical parenting wisdom.”