Car

Car with Small Kids

A car with small children in it fails in a predictable order. First the seat under the car seat goes dented and sticky and the back of the passenger seat turns grey from being kicked. Then you realise you cannot see the baby, who is rear-facing and silent in the way that makes you look over your shoulder at sixty. Then the snacks start, and the floor becomes a geological record of crackers. Then there is a long drive, and everything that was tolerable for twenty minutes is intolerable for three hours — including a car that has sat in the sun. This scene follows one month of fixing those problems one week at a time — the car seat, the snacks, the first long drive, and the Sunday clean-up that has to happen whether you like it or not. Nothing here needs tools or a bigger car. Expect to spend between $80 and $180 for the full set, with the vacuum and the air duster taking the biggest share.