The JavaKids and I have been on many long car trips together and I’m always looking for more ways to make the ride bearable for all of us. While my oldest has finally gotten to the age where he doesn’t drop everything I give him, my daughter still does. Enter, the answer to many of my car trip problems… the Snack and Play Travel Tray by Star Kids.
I actually own a few different travel trays, but this one has features that far surpass the others. First and foremost, it is a SOFT tray, which means that if we get in a car accident, it will merely softly collapse, posing less danger to my kids than hard trays which can either push into the gut of a child or become a hard, airborne object.
Second, it has a raised edge on three sides, so pencils, crayons and other objects will not roll off. For JavaGirl, this is key, as she is always dropping things, and with the tray, I am no longer listening to screams of frustration (or wanting to scream with frustration myself) about something that has fallen beyond her grasp while I am speeding down the road.
It passes the “wipe test” — it is pretty easy to wipe clean after eating a fast food kids meal with a damp cloth.
My daughter rarely rides in a stroller, so I did not test this out in a stroller, which is one of its advertised uses. In the car, I found it had the best fit in the Britax Marathon Convertible Car Seat
While a nice attribute, the pockets on the side are pretty deep and because the tray is so wide (a great feature for coloring), it makes reaching pencils, crayons that fall to the bottom of the pockets difficult. I get around this by encouraging using a pencil case in the pockets — it’s easier to grab the case out of the pocket than an individual pencil or crayon.
I questioned whether a soft tray would be sturdy enough for coloring, but it surprised me — it seemed to be sufficient for JavaGirl’s needs. In fact, during a long drive to the Outer Banks, I found myself jealously coveting her tray and wishing Star Kids made a larger version for moms who were stuck in the passenger seat up front.
Although initially I found the tray a bit wide and deep, I found that adjusting the strap and running it behind the back of the car seat rather than around my daughter made a difference and overall I found this tray to be the best solution of the various car trays I have tried — it offers the best in convenience, comfort, and safety of any other product I’ve tried. The fact that it cleans up well and can easily pack up and store nicely in the car when you don’t need it are additional pluses in my book!
This product retails for approximately $19.99 and is available at boutique stores, Amazon.com
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Disclosure: I was sent a Snack and Play Tray to review. I participate in the Amazon Associates Program.
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JJ, does it fit on a Graco booster seat?
Susan,
I just checked it on our high-backed Graco booster seat and it does! It fits it very nicely, in fact!
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