This is one of those Amazon products where you see the brand name and ask, “Is this a real brand, or one of those ‘Amazon-only’ deals?”

I know. Because I do this all the time. I can also tell you that I bought this baby and loved it for more than 10,000 miles worth hard-core infant-toddler travel.

It’s a great option for under a heavy car seat, especially when your kid is still on the baby side of life and doesn’t toss Cheerios or kick your seatbacks, or do anything more offensive than puke up a thimble full of milk.

I liked the INFANZIA because it was affordable, padded and easy to wash down, and fit snugly and very intentionally under the car seat, so I could protect the rear bottom seat cushions without draping a cover over everything and anything within my daughter’s very limited reach.

Plus, it was super easy to install and remove, so it could travel with the car seat whenever we had to switch vehicles. (This, by the way, happened a lot more than I would have anticipated, especially when we were still using the infant seat and didn’t want her riding in her grandparents’ car in a hand-me-down Graco from circa 2007.)

The INFANZIA costs about $15, which is in the acceptable range for an Amazon-only-type product.

Is it Bougie? For 15 bucks, not much is these days. But it fits nicely under the car seat, so your leather is still what people see, which is a good thing if you’re trying to look like a professional.

I just bought this for our BMW X3 after having the one above for nearly two years.

My wife and I were hellbent on getting one of those reversible car seats that would allow us to keep our daughter rear-facing for as long as possible. Research indicates this is safer, apparently. (More on that.)

The smaller under-seat cover served us fine — for a while.

Until my daughter grew tall enough to reach the back seat with her dirty, kicky feet.
Needless to say, things went downhill quickly.

One hellish twelve-hour road trip to Michigan and our once-pristine Oyster leather (probably not the best choice for a toddler) was slathered in footprints and milk.

I hated the thought of fully covering the back seat — it felt somehow like giving in — but it was inevitable, and necessary.

We bought the Lusso because it had a nice plush pad that would keep the seat from getting creased under the 25-lb. car seat, it was water resistant and wipeable (a must for long trips) and provided full coverage for the backseat with a strap that could be looped easily over a rear headrest.

Plus, bonus — the Lusso has a great hang-down pocket for storing diapers, DVDs, toys and other kid stuff. Keeping things both clean and organized!

It cost us about $30. And, if you purchase on Amazon, you can usually get it for a discount. Plus, it’s eligible for Prime, which means you can put this purchase off and still get it fast, when you need it.

Is it Bougie? Car seat protectors are decidedly not Bougie. But this one will keep your seats looking fresh for that rare date night and it’s super easy to take in and out when you need it.

Still cringing at the thought of covering that pristine leather with a shiny black vinyl pad? We feel you.

This seat protector, from GIANT PANDA, will cost you about twice as much as the Lusso. But the diamond embroidery has a decidedly more luxe look and feel — and, properly installed, almost looks the part of a factory install.

The company will tell you these can be installed in your driveway in about 10 minutes. It took us twice that amount of time. We liked the way the Giant Panda covers looked in the car. Ultimately, we took them out, because we wanted something easier to install, especially after cleaning.

But it’s an interesting option, especially if you want something a little more upscale-looking.

Is it Bougie? Bougier than most. Keep in mind, it’s still a cover used to protect factory-installed — in some cases, hand-sewn — leather. But it’ll protect your seat bottoms and backs from You-Know-Who.

I wish someone had told me about the feet. No one told me about the feet.

When your kid gets tall enough to kick the back of your rear seat, you’re going to want to do one of two things — and fast. All it takes is one temper-tantrum on the way home from the ice cream shop to do lasting damage to your car’s interior.

Here are your options:

Swallow your pride and buy a cover that protects the full seat (see options above).
Turn that car seat around, so that it’s front-facing. (Safety PSA: make sure your kid is tall and heavy enough before doing this.)

If you choose the latter, you’ll eventually need a foot protector for the back of your front seat.
(So, you’re, literally, just kicking the can down the road.)

Here’s a cover option for the back of your front seat.

It isn’t pretty, but it may save you some aggravation, not to mention dirty footprints.

Yes, they still make DVDs. And, unless you’ve got a killer Wi-Fi hotspot that streams bufferless video from every corner of the federal highway system, you’re going to want a portable video player that is both durable and reliable. Most important: it’s got to play uninterrupted, to keep your newest passenger from losing his or her proverbial shit between rest stops.

There are a million of these players from both off- and household brands. Below is one we’ve used and really like, and why.

At a respectable 10.5” this capable player boasts a large enough screen to easily keep your kid’s attention, while still being small enough to fit comfortably on your rear-seat headrest. (Remember your kid is likely to be rear facing until at least age 2). The speakers leave more than a little to be desired, but you don’t necessarily want booming sound (or any sound), if you can help it back there.

The player itself mounts quickly with a simple-to-use bracket. *Dad Tip* You’re going to want to hide this thing in the trunk when it’s not in use. Fail to do this and your kid will be asking to watch a movie every time you set foot in the car. The words, “Daddy, I watch Frozen” or “Paw Patrol” might seem cute at first. But all the pining for screen time gets old fast. So the uninstall is as important as the install in this case.

A decent headphone system and external HDMI port is probably a great feature for older kids. Our daughter is honestly still too young to care about Playstation or Xbox compatibility, thank God. But it’s nice to know it’s there, in case we need it at some point.

The included battery-powered remote lets you easily control things from the front seat. Trust me when I say you’re going to want a way to turn this thing off while you’re driving. Along those same lines, the included chargers and cords work well in just about any car. Plus, a wall adapter lets you disconnect from the car and bring the distraction of video with you to your final destination!

Don’t have a collection of animated DVDs on hand? Who does?

Fortunately, we found that the included adapter cord was just long enough to plug into your phone from the front seat, so you can stream from there. Though you may need a dongle or adapter, depending on your choice of smartphone. It’s worth noting that spotty Wi-Fi results in inconvenient buffering.

Fangor advertises a 12-month money-back guarantee that should provide peace of mind. Though we’re fortunately 13,000 miles in and haven’t had to use it — yet.

Like most of the other items on this list, these things weren’t necessarily built to be Bougie. But absent a few thousand extra bucks and a trip to West-Coast Customs, a portable player like this one by Fangor gets the job done when you need it and disappears for a cleaner aesthetic when you don’t.

When you’re on the road with a kid under three, a seven-hour trip will take 10 hours on the conservative side.

If you’re someone who likes to drive straight through and get where they’re going, those days are all but over, Kemosabi.

Fortunately stopping unnecessarily doesn’t have to mean losing your mind. Provided you have a cool bottle of milk and/or juice within arm’s reach, you can pacify the crankiest of kiddos and still make decent time.

This little cooler is the anecdote you’ve been searching for. Compact and tidy enough to hang over the front-passenger seat, or whichever side doesn’t feature a cart seat, the High Road SnackStash features a deepish lined and insulated center cooler to keep snacks and a bottle or two, plus a pouch for baby wipes and one for a thermos of water or coffee.

Before we bought the SnackStash, our idea of road ready was to simply wedge a junky styrofoam cooler in the narrow space between the center console and the rear seat. This tactic failed spectacularly for a host of embarrassing but largely predictable reasons. Not to mention the inconvenience of not being able to quickly reach your crying child from the front seat.

The SnackStash solves these problems and more by moving the cooler from the floor to the front-seat headrest. Now everything stays upright on even the bumpiest stretches of road and we have a clear path to our daughter if and when — always when — she needs our help.

Plus, it’s tidy and slick and, while not entirely Bougie, looks a lot better than a boxy styrofoam cooler wedged in the backseat.

Want something a little larger, but that still looks nice sitting in the back seat in the footwell of your car? The Lifewit Soft Cooler Bag comes in a range of sizes. (We tried the one linked here that carries approximately 32 cans.)

At 15 inches wide, the Lifewit fit snugly in the footwell of our BMW X3. It also looked nice and modern resting in the backseat, next to the car seat. It’s got a durable look and feel and the gray color that we chose looked like a modern gym bag.

It’s worth noting that this cooler is larger than the SnackStash (above), by a wide margin, a must for longer trips. When not in use, it folds flat, so that it can be packed inside a suitcase or travel bag. A range of pockets and different zippers give it some versatility. If you want something that looks good sitting in your car, keeps stuff cold and holds more than the average travel cooler, the Lifewit is the choice for you.

Not big on screen time? Worse, has screen time somehow stopped working to pacify your screaming child?

There are a few worthwhile alternatives to a headrest DVD player.

Before a long road trip down Interstate 95 from Virginia to Georgia, my wife and I invested in a couple of so-called “activity pads.”

My wife was horrified at the prospect of our daughter watching Frozen on a loop for twelve hours. For my part, I was horrified at the prospect of our daughter not having something to distract her while I was trying to plow my way through beach traffic!

So, we bought a couple of these pads. And they honestly worked well for stretches.

Keep in mind, most of these drawing devices are made for kids who are two and up.

This LCD writing tablet from Orson comes in a range of colors.

My wife liked the LCD component compared with some of the other devices, many of which use magnets, because we’ve read a decent amount of literature about the harmful effects of magnets (when swallowed) on children.

Since our daughter would mostly use the pad in the backseat (and her car seat is rear-facing), we wanted something she could use relatively safely without a lot of supervision. The Orson proved a safe and capable alternative to similarly priced magnet-based pads.

The pressure-sensitive technology was easy for our kid to draw with. Plus, because it’s LCD, it gives off no glare or potentially harmful radiation, making it a great alternative when you’re on the road and need to offer up a worthwhile distraction, but want to limit that screen time.

I liked the Orson for the car because it fit easily in the pouch on the back of the driver’s seat and didn’t make the mess that chalk or markers make in the car. It’s impossible to clean that stuff up.

One note: These devices typically come with a stylus that kids use to write with. The version we got from Amazon came in a cool dinosaur motif (which we loved), but didn’t have a tether on it. Meaning, if our daughter dropped the stylus, we had to pull over and help her find it. There are several versions of these devices online — the one we link to in this guide includes a tether for the stylus. But double-check if you’re shopping elsewhere.

When you’re on the road, your phone is like mission control. It feeds you directions, plays carefully curated playlists and podcasts, directs all manner of smart devices and even helps you manage video and movie selections for your youngest passenger, all from behind the wheel.

Translation: If you don’t have a good phone holder in your car, it’s way past time to get one.

Here’s one we like — and why.

Ever see those guys walking around the mall with a bluetooth stuck in their ear, or a smartphone clipped to their belt?

These are undoubtedly the same lame dudes who install those ridiculous mechanical cell phone mounts on their dashboards.

You’re a man of style and dignity. The last thing you need is a robot arm sticking out of your car.

That’s why we prefer the cupholder version. Sure it takes up some extra space. But it doesn’t insist upon itself — and it’s easy to remove and toss into the center console when you want a cleaner look.

Plus, it sits lower, near your hands, so you can easily access your apps on the road. It might seem like an insignificant piece of plastic, but if you spend any amount of time at all on the road with your kid, it’ll change your life. Trust us.

With all the USB ports pre-installed in luxury cars these days, you might be inclined to ask, “do I even need this?”

If you were on the road by yourself with simply your own phone to charge, you’d have nothing to worry about. But the demands on your mobile energy grid increase exponentially the minute you hit the road with a family of three, or four, or — God help you, more.

The answer is more power and more ports. And the best solution is an easy-to-use adapter that plugs into the open lighter — are these still called cigarette lighters? — just below your stereo panel.

Here’s our pick:

This little piece of charging magic is great for two reasons: (1) it’s ultra compact and portable and (2) it turns one antiquated lighter slot into four powerful USB ports.

Need to power a pair of phones and a DVD player, while juicing your bluetooth speaker for a trip to the beach or a picnic up north? The Aduro can do it all and then some. And its fast-charging ports with smart-charge technology mean you can plug in all your devices and still power-up fast. Blue indicator lights are a handy and reliable way to verify that your device is getting a charge.

A full-body aluminum casing and an anti-overheat feature help to keep things safe, while a lifetime warranty provides assurance that the company stands behind its product.

Before you hit the road with your family’s gadgets, make sure you’ve got a plan to keep things humming. If it’s fast charging and multiple ports you’re after, give the Aduro a shot.

If you go out to dinner with your kid and want to choke down a cocktail or two, and maybe a full plate of food, a portable battery pack is a must.

Prior to investing in one of these, my wife and I were lucky to make it through an appetizer and a handful of broken restaurant crayons before the wheels came off on dinner with our two-year-old.

Now, the three of us can reasonably expect to sit through two full courses and an entire showing of Disney’s Luca before things really start to fall apart. It’s all thanks to a little battery pack that keeps our smartphones operating at full strength, no matter how many hours we’ve been out on the town.

Our pick:

The mophie is hands-down the coolest wireless charger we’ve seen. Not only is it fast-charging (USB-C) and wireless (just rest your phone on the pad to charge), but it folds out to form a handy tabletop stand for your mobile device.

Simply slide this thing out of your pocket and place it on the table in front of your kid, set your phone on top and press play.

And viola! Dinner is served! I’d write more. But I hardly have to.

You can thank me later.

Fortunately, a good organizer is just a click or two away.

Here’s one we tried and liked:

When we first had our daughter and started leaving the house, I was horrified at the amount of stuff that I was suddenly required to load and unload for a simple trip: diapers, wipes, bottles, snacks, toys, books, DVDs, clothes, stuffed animals.

The list was seemingly endless — and the worst part? Most of it ended up scattered in disorganized heaps in the rear-seat footwells.

Not only did it look objectively terrible — I love and mentally need a clean car — but I found myself at rest stops digging around for what seemed like hours to find what I needed.

The CarHop changed my life. Literally.

Held in place with a standard shoulder seatbelt, this deep and versatile organizer includes an insulated container for warm or cold items. Removable cardboard panels keep the organizer upright when installed, but also fold down to flatten for easy transport and storage.

A wide and convenient assortment (see picture) of side mesh and zipper pockets provide untold storage options. Plus, a detachable shoulder strap allows you to pack up everything and take it with you. Load the CarHop once and you’re done! If that’s not music to every dad’s ears, I don’t know what is!

You know that mystery gunk that collects in your cupholders and air vents and in the seams of your seats? It gets worse when you add a kid to the mix — way worse.

Cleaning the interior of your car after a roadtrip can seem impossible.

That’s what I thought. Until I found this cleaning putty. Just wow! Not only is this thing cool to look at, but it actually works.

Rub it inside your cupholders and change trays, stick it in the hard-to-reach crevices around your gear-shift or in those pockets along the rear doors where your kid dumped that bag of cookie crumbs you totally forgot about until just now.

Quick PSA: make sure to put the putty back in the jar when you’re done — and keep it in a cool place, because it will dry out. We used ours about a dozen times before we felt like it needed to be replaced and bought another one.

The standard-bearer for people who love clean cars and shiny interiors, Armor-All’s cleaning wipes do not disappoint.

After you get everything cleared out and back inside, give your car’s interior a once over using one or two of these handy cleaning wipes.

You’ll be glad you did.