Need Dad Mods

I need that BROG attic gear to come back in stock ASAP!!

 

This is our weekend ride and my wife’s rig. It’s so comfortable compared to the taco.

 

My wife and I agreed to that too. We got a Saab 9-5 sport wagon just before my son was born. He ended up getting that car to drive when he was about 17. I got the Taco and he ended up with the Saab. Keeping cars a long time and taking care of them saves tons of money.

 

Dude we use it literally every trip! One of my favorites mods.

 

Buy a 12 pack of pacifiers and keep a few in the center console. Those things get lost all the time, especially when you need one.!!

 

Before we have kids wife and I agreed that there will be no juice or any other drink that isn't just water in the car. That eliminated about 99% of the mess, besides, juice isn't the best for them anyway.

Cheerio really isn't a big deal.

Now that they are older, my kids would comment like why are our cars so much cleaner than my friends' moms' cars, or that they need to not make such a mess in their cars.

 

Some great advice in here already. I just wanted to congratulate you on becoming a dad. I was terrified when I found out, now I cant imagine my life without my daughter. Best of luck.

I would like to echo the point about having car seats for each vehicle. We started with one car seat and would swap between cars. HUGE pain in the ass. Spend the extra coin and buy one for each car. I also bought a CarHart seat cover for the back, Seat back covers for when she kicks the front seats, and I always keep towels and wipes for the inevitable spill.

Congrats again!!!

 

#FutureGirlDad I have added all these to my mod list and will continue! Thank you again and I can't wait to have her here!

 

100% this. I always keep earplugs in the truck because sometimes you have to keep driving through the crying.

 

Great picture. Congrats!!!

 

Lots of good comments in here. Many I agree with and some that I don't.

All of these. Definitely. The bigger the mirror the better. It will get kicked, so getting one that is concave (or maybe convex? whatever, ....rounded) will make it so that you have some room where the angle doesn't have to be perfect.

Yes to both of these. Our Expedition gets vacuumed weekly. The Husky liners (or Weathertech) make it quick work.

You'll want the earplugs when they get older.

I like the overhead rack idea. I saw one on Amazon that gets good reviews, was a lot cheaper, and allowed reattachment of the Oh Sh!t handles. I'm still contemplating this because space in the cab is at a premium.

I've used both and both work well. The biggest advantage to the actual seat pads is that they often have front storage. While I say that is an advantage, i don't know that we've ever actually used it. A used towel is probably cheaper as you should already have one laying around. Otherwise, the $10 on Amazon ones work well.

The pull down sun shades are a life saver. You never realized how much you care about sun shining into the car until it is bright and in the face of an infant who can't move. Get the biggest one that will fit the windows.

Multi-tool is a must in the truck. Not necessarily for the kids, but to have just in case.

Quoted for truth.

I had heard that too. They aren't trained for it. Before my first kid was due, I stopped by the fire station and they looked at me like I was crazy. Then shook it a couple of times and said, that seems good to me! So my takeaway from that is that if you can shake it more than an inch easily, it isn't tight enough.

It's uncomfortable for your back, but hunch down, plant your knee firmly in the middle of the carseat (or base) and push down on the seat and pull up on the strap. You'll get it as tight as possible and won't be concerned. Plus, it saves you a trip to the fire station.

This is really solid advice. The Graco click connect system is awesome and pretty universal. Being able to get the kid out of the car and into a stroller without having to move them or wake them up is huge.


And for some additions:

Get a daddy diaper bag. People made fun of me, but it came in handy way more than you think it will. Eventually, the "daddy diaper bag" became just the diaper bag as my wife got tired of the ginormous one that she had.

Pretty sure this is the one I have in Camo: https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-catch-all-gear-bag Got it on sale for $10. It holds WAY more than you think it should:

At least 3 extra diapers (try to keep 5), a pack of wipes and a change of clothes for each kid. A pack of disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer is good to have also. Kids crawl on the floor and then put everything, including their hands, in their mouth.
It'll also hold a couple of nicely folded sweatshirts. Have at least one that fits your wife in there.
Flashlight. One to hold, and/or one for your head.
I also kept a knife in there and on occasion a handgun and extra clip. <-- people give mixed reactions to that one, but you need to be able to protect your kid in the event of an emergency. Just look at Minneapolis during all the riots. Unlikely, but you never know.
Oh, and kid ear protection! These fold up nicely and you never know when you will be in an environment where you wish you had them. Though, truthfully, I'd get a slightly larger one that adjusts down to a collapsed size. I took my son (who is 2 and has a large head) to the monster truck show last year. I knew it would be loud, so I took his ear protectors and they didn't fully fit over both ears. I didn't even think about him outgrowing them. However, my hunting ones fit him perfectly and weren't too tight since they were designed for an adult head.

Get a good stroller. You think they are over priced, and they are....but the quality differences among them are astounding. We got a jogging stroller with our first kid and it was amazing. Folded up nicely, had good big tires, and was loaded with features. When #2 came along, we thought we could get away with a less expensive double stroller. Night and day difference. I've had to reattach the wheels on the cheap one more times than is reasonable (and that should never happen).

If you think the "buy once, cry once" saying applies to truck parts, you won't believe how much it applies to baby stuff.

Sign up for the buy buy baby emails. You'll get 20% off coupons constantly.

As for the grab handles, I got some paracord ones that matched my seat covers from a member on here. You can find them on amazon for around $15 IIRC.

Oh, and DON'T BUY A MINIVAN!!!!

The 4Runner we had was great for 2 kids. When we had #3 on the way, we traded it in on a one-year-old certified pre-owned Odyssey. It was a 2018 purchased in 2019. Worst decision ever.

It got traded when it tried to kill my kids. The sliding doors could only be closed automatically (no manual option) and would get about halfway closed and decide to reopen. This is supposed to be a safety thing, but it happened with no interaction and the track was closed. On more than one occasion it started to close on it's own and would hit whichever adult was trying to get the kids strapped in. <-- that part was annoying.

One time when leaving the pool in the middle of summer in the GA heat, my wife put the kids in the van and closed the door while walking to the other side to get in the driver's seat. Key in hand. The doors locked and the driver door would not unlock without her disassembling the key fob to use the manual unlock. That's right. Van that is hot inside because it has been sitting in the sun trapped 3 small children inside and would not unlock the driver door for the person holding the key. That was when I decided it would get traded in.

Then, the final straw, my daughter had her arm sticking in to grab something as the door was closing. It didn't sense her arm and continued to try to close. Thankfully, I was right there and was able to pull it back open. Piece of shit got traded either that weekend or the following.

Oh, and one time we came out from the grocery store and the sliding door was wide open. Best guess is that it got almost closed, to where we thought it would finish, and decided to reopen itself.

We traded it on an Expedition. The EcoBoost engine gets close enough to the minivan gas mileage, is also loaded with features and has none of the problems that the van did. Granted the van was less expensive, but I have confidence in the Ford...where I had none in the Honda. Let that sink in a moment. I never thought I'd buy a Ford, but the Expedition has changed my opinion of the brand.

Oh, and one last hatin on the van comment. It sucked trying to pull out in traffic. You'd think you had room to pull out into a lane and the stupid thing would hesitate in eco mode. So then you'd panic thinking you pulled out just enough to get broadsided before it would start to actually move.

I tried to find a Sequoia or Land Cruiser, but they were at least $10k more than the Expedition and got significantly worse fuel economy.

 

Probably already mentioned but I keep/kept the following behind the backseat:

Small throw blanket, spare diapers & wipes, paper towel roll, wet wipes, carpet/upholstery spray, air freshener.

For trips: small storage containers with pre-packed snacks for long trips:

Rubbermaid - Mini Food Storage Containers, (0.5 Cup), (6 Pack)

https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-1803522-Mini-Storage-Containers/dp/B008SQTQJY

Small travel neck pillows.

Some type of kickpad for the back of your seat:

$14 Enovoe Kick Mats Protector for Child - 2 Pack - Premium Quality Car Seat Back Cover Offers Waterproof Protection of Your Upholstery from Mud and Scratches - Seat Back Kick Protector for Kids

https://www.amazon.com/Kick-Mats-Wa..._1?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=8YPN2246V4M24Y1GEAZ5

 

Def seat covers under the car seat.

 

When I was a kid, my mom rearended a school bus in her minivan at like 10 mph, hit the brakes right before impact so the nose dove down. School bus bumper was damn near in the windshield. Dad had her driving a new Sequoia by the end of the day.

 

Wow i didn't know this existed! My 3 year old has to cover her eyes or borrow my sunglasses occasionally because the sun is just in the right spot on certain trips, this will help! Thanks for this

 

I used to do that, clean up weekly after extended rides, sometimes even after they get out of the back seat, i'd spend an extra 5-10 minutes cleaning. I've since given up. Its never ending, always finding shit. Now, a few times a month, i just unhook the seat, take out the leaf blower and blast the shit to hell. Re-attach and carry on livin'!

 

Without question the best truck modification I did was get a camper shell. Photo is from 2011 of my 2010 Tacoma. I have a camper shell on my current 2018 Tacoma as well. Plus I got the wife a Sienna and now a 4runner. She wants to go back to a Sienna.

 

So, i'm going to piggy back off this thread. Currently I have one of those Mac Daddy Graco car seats that grow with the kid. It's damn huge. so much so, I have to put it in the middle, because it cant fit behind either of the seats, otherwise my girl's knees are in her chest.

Any recommendations on a slimmer car seat, that I can actually fit behind one of the seats? Preferably a convertible one that will grow with her. Thanks.

 

Depending on how old you are, this is a great album thats sure to annoy the wife and create a monster of a child. My wife hates every song on this, and I love them all.

https://www.nowmusic.com/albums/now-dad-rocks/

 

I second this. I got a soft-topper and it's perfect for keeping our overnight bags, toys, pillows, etc dry on road trips. Frees up space in the cab and we don't have to worry about pop-up showers.