Best Car Related Holiday Gifts for Your Kids and Pets

Best Car Related Holiday Gifts for Your Kids and Pets

WhyThisRide.com’s Picks:  Best Car Related Holiday Gifts for Your Kids and Pets 

by James Hamel and MaryAnne Wendt

Now wait a minute here, no doubt you are all sitting aghast reading the headline to this article in a state of shock as it would be quite brazen to claim a person might afford their family pet’s car riding enjoyment on a par with that of one or more of your very own offspring? Well, that of course would never be true surely. Oh, who are we kidding, if you have a pre-teen or teenage child in your house no doubt there are many days that if it weren’t for their incessant, embarrassed eye rolling after your every word and movement you couldn’t be sure if they were even aware that you still existed. Hmm. Sometimes dogs do that too but surely that’s coincidence.

daisy

What isn’t coincidental, however, is that both the family dog (come on, who here has a cat who sticks their head out of the window during car rides because they are so happy?) and your kids love what getting in the family car usually (vet trips notwithstanding) represents. It represents the unlimited possibility of the mall or of a giant, green park which might be in their immediate futures. It means even if just for a brief time, they will enjoy a short respite from the monotony of non-stop eating and sleeping (without having to contribute in any real way or lift a finger) back at home. Poor dears, it sounds like they might need some fabulous Holiday Gifts!

But what will please both your family pets and the kids during those times the whole family is together on the open road? Well, we at WhyThisRide.com feel especially capable of answering this question because Founder and Editor-in-Chief MaryAnne Wendt has been nicknamed “Supermom” for all of the amazing things she does for her daughters Marissa and Jessie and because the author of this piece has an ex-rescue dog Roxy (see her profile on our “Crew” page) that is so spoiled now that he calls her “Doggie Dearest.” But only behind her back. Demanding doesn’t begin to explain it.

So if you have anyone who is tough to please on your shopping list who walks on either two or four legs, read on for our gift ideas!

Monopoly Junior Game Frozen Edition

It’s the year of Disney’s “Frozen” and everyone on the planet has heard a kid (or grownup) singing the tune to the most popular track from the movie “Let it Go.” The movie and songs are forever ingrained in our minds. You’ll see all kinds of Frozen merchandise flying off the shelves this holiday season. How about the all-time classic board game “Monopoly” featuring all your favorite Frozen characters? Your kids can learn all about taking over the real estate world with Elsa, Anna and Olaf. Take this one on your next road trip and have fun in your hotel room with the family! (Amazon.com $16.99)

frozen-monopoly

 

HedBanz (for kids)

HedBanz is a popular game for kids and has an adult version available as well. You wear a band on your head with a card on it, unaware of what’s on the card. Others have to give the person wearing the head band hints. It’s a fun “Who am I” guessing game! This is great for road trips. Since it’s just cards and bands on your head, you can play in the car! (Amazon.com $10.30)

Hedbanzhedbanz-marissa-jessie

 

(Tile Locating System for iOS)—Have you ever gotten the family and the family dog (or cat if you live in a fantasy world where cats love cars) together for a nice family trip and not been able to find the keys to said vehicle? Or you “misplaced” your wallet with your license no doubt due in some small way to all the time you spent not studying in college killing brain cells? And your dog misplaced their favorite safety harness for the car?

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Well, this can be a problem no more with the Tile System for iOS (Amazon.com-$25-$70 depending on number of transmitters) which quite simply put lets you locate those lost car keys or any easily lost object you own thanks to tiny Bluetooth transmitters you attach to them which allow you to use your iPhone or Android phone as a locater via a free app. Either that or you can make the Tile chip emit a beeping noise so the dog can find them. Because even though Roxy is loath to admit it, she doesn’t know how to use a smartphone. Yet. To learn more about Tile, click here: thetileapp.com

(Heated and/or Cooled Seat Covers)—No, we are not recommending that you ever leave your kids or dogs alone in a hot or freezing cold car alone while you go shopping for five hours at Neiman Marcus. But it can take what seems like an eternity for your car’s climate control system to warm or cool thhe interior for your passengers so that’s why it’s relatively easy online to find seat covers which offer not only a heating but also a cooling function. And from the looks the cover we saw for sale on Amazon.com and at Hammacher.com, installing one is no doubt much easier than retrofitting rear air conditioning into your Suburban. Prices range from about $35-$140 so shop around although in this case you will get what you pay for.

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(AutoCool Solar Powered Fan for Your Vehicle’s Interior)—Again, this does not mean that you can lock your kids inside your SUV on a hot day while you pop into Starbucks for an iced latte. What this little device (Amazon.com-$7.95) can do, however, is give your family a more comfortable interior temperature whenever they hop back into the family ride.

car fan solar powered

This goes for your dog too. Dogs don’t like being left in hot cars either and to them even a 75 degree day can prove deadly without proper ventilation and a water bowl. No, it’s not that hard to carry a plastic bowl and water with you. Just like it’s not to much work to safely buckle and restrain your kids in car-seats, boosters or belts and your pet in a harness, crate or other safety apparatus. We only lecture because we care.

james-dog

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