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Soon to have a small back-seat co-pilot, parenting experts, what do I need?

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As per title, we’re soon to have a small back seat occupant in the car with us.

First child, so having fitted an isofix car seat, I’m wondering what I’m inevitably missing. Planning some longer trips, and whilst we’ve got plenty of room, it’s all new territory!

Any advice on must-have additions or any pointers would be much appreciated from those with experience. I’ve got a waterproof full boot liner as we have dogs, but I’m torn on getting a full cover for the back seats, and maybe the all weather mats for the back of the car, but is it worth it when the seats are so easy to clean?
 
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As per title, we’re soon to have a small back seat occupant in the car with us.

First child, so having fitted an isofix car seat, I’m wondering what I’m inevitably missing. Planning some longer trips, and whilst we’ve got plenty of room, it’s all new territory!

Any advice on must-have additions or any pointers would be much appreciated from those with experience. I’ve got a waterproof full boot liner as we have dogs, but I’m torn on getting a full cover for the back seats, and maybe the all weather mats for the back of the car, but is it worth it when the seats are so easy to clean?
First off, congratulations!!! Having survived two "back seat occupants" my advice is not to worry .. neither the cloth nor leather seats suffered any major issues on our cars (not Teslas, that was before they existed), and once things settle down you will realize there are much more important things to worry about (and enjoy). Fortunately, you are driving one of the safest cars on the road (as per IIHS tests), and that in itself should give you much peace of mind :)
 
You likely need to research you car seat to see if you can "legally" put anything under them. Most will say the "warranty" or whatnot is voided in the event of an accident if a seat protector or something is underneath them. At least what I can recall from reading in the last two years when we had our first and now second.
 
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Started in the Tesla world with my Model Y (white interior) and twins (born November 2019) and now they are in the Plaid (white again)
I didn't do anything under the seats and have had no indentations or stains that I couldn't literally just wipe away with a wet rag.
Makes me feel so much better knowing they are in the safest car on the planet and streaming music and white noise is a must for them.
Now that they are forward facing - we watch Elmo on the rear seat entertainment on the way to school!
Good Luck!
 
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Thanks for all the suggestions. What a great forum this is!

As youre saying, it does feel fantastic driving him knowing he’s so safe. Taking him home from the hospital with some music on, he went out like a light and seems to love being driven! (Zero complaints from me 😂). Thumbs up for Tesla air suspension.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. What a great forum this is!

As youre saying, it does feel fantastic driving him knowing he’s so safe. Taking him home from the hospital with some music on, he went out like a light and seems to love being driven! (Zero complaints from me 😂). Thumbs up for Tesla air suspension.
Yeah when mine were young the SURE way of getting them to sleep was a night-time drive around SF in the car ... they always go out like a light. So get your routes planned now :)

Oh, and congratulation on the arrival of your new son :)
 
Congratulations! I guess we'll be seeing you a lot more in the midnight hours for the next few months 😃

A few musts (parent of 2 here):
  • Seat cover, hard is better because the car seat will leave marks on your seats (from its + baby's weight), so hard covers reduce the marks
  • Mirror so you can see the baby
  • Window shades - both side windows and top, although the new MS top window is well tinted but still...helpful on longer trips if you want the baby to sleep well
  • Portable changing station (the kind you fold and holds a few diapers and wipes) so you can always keep it in the trunk/frunk, just in case.