How To Make Seat Belt Covers For Your Baby's Car Seat

Seat belt covers are a must-have for anyone with a young child who has to be in a car seat or booster seat! They make traveling in the car so much more enjoyable.

This post is brought to you in partnership with Zulily. While I may have been compensated, as always, all opinions are my own.

Do you have young children or a baby? Then you probably have a car seat or two anchored into the back seat of your minivan or car! We all know how much children dislike being strapped into their car seats so they buck like a rodeo bull or arch their back while you are trying to secure the seat belt straps to buckle them in. (ask me how I know this!)

Can you blame them? Not only are they unable to move around freely but most of the time the seat belt straps rub or dig into the sides of their neck causing your child a great deal of agony. 

When my children were young enough to be in car seats I always felt so bad when I would take them out and see a little red line on each side of their neck where the seat belt rubbed. (Please know that I didn't over tighten the straps causing them any pain but when they moved their head back and forth to look around the seat belt would cause a light red indented rub mark that looked irritated) 

I wasn't about to compromise safety by loosening the straps too much - what if we got in an accident and their little body wasn't held into their car seat because of slackened seat belt straps? But I did want to find a way to make the car seat more comfortable for them without compromising safety. 

Seat belt covers changed our whole traveling in the car experience! I sewed each child a pair that fit snugly around their car seat straps and adjusted the seat belt covers so that the soft minky or fleece fabric rested between their neck and the seat belt. No more chaffing marks on their neck, and much happier travelers! Since the seat belt covers are made from fabric they are completely washable which I found out right away to be a huge bonus! I made several spare sets to keep in the car in case of an accident (spit up, drool, spills...) so I could change them right away. 

These seat belt strap covers are super simple to make and only require basic sewing skills. Today I'm going to walk you through how to make your own kid-size (infant & toddler) seat belt strap covers for their car seat straps. If you don't have a little one who is in a car seat anymore you can still use a seat belt cover for a regular seat belt when they transition to a booster seat. Follow along as I make a set of seat belt strap covers. 

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclaimer page for more information.

Seat Belt Covers For Infant & Toddler Car Seats

Materials list (I've included links to products I recommend):

•  cotton fabric 
• minky or fleece fabric 
• thin cotton batting (quilt batting) 
• thread
• sewing machine
• sewing scissors
• straight pins
• Velcro 
• iron & ironing board (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut 2 - 6" x 6" squares from the cotton fabric, minky/fleece fabric and cotton batting. You should now have a total of six individual squares. 

2. Place the batting square down on a flat surface first. Next place the minky or fleece square right side up on top of the batting. Lastly, place the cotton fabric right side facing the minky / fleece square (the cotton piece should be upside down so you see the back of it and not the pretty printed side). 

Pin or clip all three layers together in several places so they do not shift around when you start to sew them. 

Tip - I love these handy sewing clips to use instead of pins to hold the fabric in place! No more accidental pokes from a needle or a broken sewing machine needle because you sewed over a pin. 

3. Before you start sewing select one side and insert two pins one inch apart from each other. Starting from the first pin begin sewing around the square with a 1/4" seam allowance. Stop sewing once you get to the second pin. Clip all of the corners to reduce the bulk of fabric. Turn the fabric square right side out through the 1" opening and use a blunt pencil or this cool sewing tool (That Purple Thang) to push out the corners. Make sure your pencil or stick doesn't poke through the corners! 

4. Iron the fabric square to chase out any wrinkles and to press the 1" opening flat with a small amount of fabric turned inside. This helps with the next step - topstitching.

5. Sew around the entire seat belt cover with a 1/4" seam allowance making sure to sew the 1" gap closed with a straight stitch or zig-zag stitch. This is totally up to you but both stitches look nice. 

6. Now it is time to add the Velcro to each seat belt cover. The velcro will be sewn along one side of the seat belt cover. Cut a 5" strip of Velcro then pin the hook side along one edge of the minky side of the square with a 1/2" space above and below the Velcro. Flip the fabric square over then pin the fuzzy Velcro piece to the opposite edge of the cotton fabric. Sew all around the perimeter of both Velcro strips. 

7. Repeat these steps with the second seat belt cover. 

Congratulations, you are all done! 

PIN this post for later!!

Tip - If you want to make an adult size seat belt cover adjust the size of the cut fabrics to measure 6" x 12". The velcro should be attached to the long 12" sides. 

No time to make your own seat belt covers? No problem! I have several sets for children's car seats listed for sale in my Etsy shop Sapucha. I also love custom orders and can accommodate custom orders via Etsy too. 

If you love to sew here are some more fun sewing projects I know you will enjoy making as much as these seat belt covers!

How To Make A Fabric Banner

Improve Spinners & Hourglass Quilt Tutorial

How To Make A Rag Strip Quilt

What have you been sewing lately? Make sure to check back often to see what I'm working on! 

Also, check out the 10 Sewing Projects For Beginners I shared on the Zulily blog The Find. I'm sure you will be able to find something to inspire you! 

How a Vinyl Tablecloth And A Pair Scissors Saved My Day

Car trips with infants and toddlers can, at times, be tricky. Timing your departure around nap time, feeding them before you go, making sure the diaper bag is stocked with all the necessary supplies and packing for yourself can be so overwhelming!

There are always the unexpected events that happen along the way especially if your child is in the early stages of potty training or an infant who has regular "blow outs".

I remember a trip we took when our oldest was about 10 months old. We were only going an hour away to visit grandparents but you wouldn't know this if you looked into our trunk! I thought I was totally prepared - I had the stroller, the pack-n-play, extra diapers and wipes, extra outfits and a million more baby supplies. I was prepared!

At the start of our trip she fell asleep cozily strapped into her car seat but when we were about half way there I started to hear a little noise coming from the back seat - little grunts, then a big rumbling sound (we all know what that means!) followed by an awful smell.

Of course we had to pull over and assess the damage. What I hadn't expected was the massive blow out my little angel would have as we were halfway to our destination. Yikes, it was bad!

As rookie parents we didn't know what to do so we made due with what we had on hand. After plowing through two boxes of wipes I felt as though my little princess was adequately "clean" and could once again go back into her car seat and we could hit the road. WRONG! Oh my word, the car seat was destroyed - covered in it! Wipes were not going to solve this problem.

we love this car seat (via: Walmart)

My poor hubby took the car seat out, pulled out the cushion liner and we shoved it into a plastic bag. Knowing she couldn't sit on the cold hard plastic we spread a few blankets over the bare seat and strapped her safely in. Needless to say we arrived at Grandma's with a bag of dirty laundry and a baby that desperately needed a bath.

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please see my disclaimer page.

Have you ever lived this story before? All I knew is I didn't want to do that again. Fortunately the ride home was uneventful but by now my wheels were spinning as I thought about how to avoid this problem in the future. Little would I know how important this brainstorming session would be for the future when my child was beginning the journey of potty training!

The "light bulb" moment came when I was wiping off our picnic table after a meal with friends. I had a pretty vinyl tablecloth over our picnic table and one of our guests had spilled a little water on it during the meal. I thought to myself "Look how that water just sits on that vinyl without soaking through" - and this is when I ran back into the house, grabbed a pair of scissors and started hacking away at the tablecloth!

via: Walmart

I cut a long rectangular shape piece first then bolted out to the garage to see if my crude hack job fit into the baby's car seat. To my surprise it did! After doing a little more thinking and cutting I was finally satisfied with a piece of vinyl tablecloth that extended up to the shoulder straps of the car seat, just down to the center buckle and up a few inches along the sides.

via: Walmart

Since no one, including babies, likes to sit on sticky vinyl I flipped the piece I had cut out over so the soft fluffy cotton side was against the baby's legs and the vinyl side was against the inside car seat liner. I cut up the rest of the tablecloth so I had spare pads and stored several in the car and a few in the diaper bag. Time to road test this new little invention! Guess what? It worked! And the best part was that these little pieces of table cloth were washable! I could re-use them or toss them (depending on how bad the damage was) and to replace them was pretty cheap, just the price of a vinyl tablecloth.

Over the years as our family grew, this little homemade pad was a lifesaver on many trips. From blowouts to vomit, spills and sticky food, the car seat was kept relatively clean. When the time for potty training came I knew that if my kiddo had a little accident in their cars seat I didn't have to panic, rip out the car seat liner and spend time washing it. Instead I just replaced the tablecloth liner with one from my stash and we weren't stuck at home waiting for the washer to clean the car seat liner and for it to dry.

via: Walmart

Oh, and I didn't stop there! I used these handy tablecloth liners in the stroller as well. It saved the stroller seats just like it did the car seat. No more scrubbing sticky crumbs from the cracks in the stroller seat, just take out the tablecloth liner and replace with a new one.

I hope these helpful tips & tricks will save you some sanity as you walk through the seasons of infant blowouts and potty training toddlers. I know it saved me on many occasions and for that I am very thankful.

Do you have any tips you use to keep your sanity as you journey through the early years of parenting? I'd love to hear from you - please leave your comments below.

Looking for more great parenting tips & tricks? Here are some posts I think you might find interesting:

click to read more

click here to read more

click here to read more

Must-Have Gender Neutral Baby Supplies Every New Parent Needs

This spring has been a wild and crazy time for our family! My sister, my sister in law, and my cousin's wife all had newborn babies. What a blessing these little ones are! 

Since my kids are no longer babies, I miss the baby gear - cute outfits, sweet little toys, and the super-soft blankets. Fortunately, with the arrival of these new bundles of joy, I get to do a little shopping for some cute baby gifts. None of the moms found out what they were having, so when I was looking for a gift, I had to keep it gender neutral. 

This post and the photos within it contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a commission at no extra charge to you. See my full disclosure policy under the disclaimer tab.

Advice for New Parents

As a new parent, sometimes you can become overwhelmed by all the options available for a new baby. So you might be asking "What do I really need for a newborn baby?" I remember asking myself this during moments of feeling overwhelmed. After having my first baby and then, preparing for my second (and third and fourth), my list of "Must Haves" became much more simplified and practical. I approached the newborn stage with a mindset focused on survival and the "less as more" mantra. 

Here are my recommendations for what a newborn (and rookie parents) will need as they welcome their bundle of joy home.

"Must-Haves" for Newborn Baby

1. Diapers (lots and lots of diapers) 

In the early days, you are supposed to track wet and dirty diapers to make sure baby is getting enough nourishment. Newborn babies go through a LOT of diapers. Also, some brands of diapers worked better for my girls and not my boys and vice versa. The best diapers for my girls were Pampers and I used Huggies for my boys.

2. Onesies / Bodysuit 

My babies wore onesies all the time! They wore a onesie under everything from jammies to jumpers. My pediatrician always recommended dressing newborns in one more layer than what you are comfortable wearing. 

My daughter was born in the summer and wore a onesie by itself on hot days and seemed quite comfortable. A new mom needs a collection of these since babies tend to go through them quickly! I didn't go through their onesies quite as fast as diapers, but still be prepared to change your baby's onesie 3-8 times per day. 

Here are some cute gender neutral bodysuit (onesies) I recommend from Burt's Bees:

3. Infant Car Seat 

Obviously, safety is your number one concern when bringing baby home from the hospital. The right car seat that is installed correctly is so important. If you have never installed a car seat I recommend checking with your local fire or police department to see if they have a certified car seat education program. Many times you can just stop into the police or fire department, and they will check to make sure your infant car seat is installed correctly at no charge to you. 

We used Graco brand car seats with all four of our kids because they had good safety ratings, were easy to lug around, and worked with our stroller. We also bought additional car seat bases so we could use the same car seat in multiple cars or give one to grandparents to install in their car. 

4. Sleep sack or layette 

Newborn babies don't need a lot of clothing at first since they spend a lot of time tucked into mom's arms, eating or sleeping. I found that having a good supply of sleep sacks or layettes handy was what my babies wore for the first few months outside the womb. 

The advantage of the sleep sack is that you can change the baby's diaper without disturbing them too much.

Hopefully, these suggestions will help reduce your anxiety and help prepare you for a new baby! Remember that becoming a new parent is a process that you will learn to grow and adjust to. Enjoy your new baby and all the cuddles, snuggles, and time you get to spend with him or her!