Hot Summer = Hot Toddler in His Carseat

[AnnaNova]

Every time I take out my 17 mo from his car seat, he's sweaty and hot. on any ride that lasts over 15 min. i have air conditioning on, but it doesnt seem to help, and i dont want to turn it on full blast - dont want him to get sick from the sudden drop of temperature and ice-cold blowing wind. its usually set in the middle.
any possible solutions?

[Jamie*]

You can keep a white towel or a light colored blanket over the car seat when it's not in use, it'll keep it significantly cooler. Can you give him some ice water to drink while in the car? Also try to start your car a few mins before you get in and let the a/c run and point your a/c vents toward the ceiling so the air bounces back down on to your little one. You can use the sticky window tint to shade the back seat, but don't use the roll down screens- they can become a projectile in a crash.

[LCBMAX]

I do all of the above and I let my son play with ice packs while we're driving. (Firm containers or small chips that won't choke him when he eventually breaks the plastic.) He gets wet and cool and happy. I keep them in an ice chest which doubles as a good way to transport groceries in the summer.

[AnnaNova]

thanks for the ideas! i am planning to tint my windows, but just hasnt gotten around to it money-wise. we had the creens for a while, but they were such a pain in the ***, i just took them down, and yes, they are a hazard in an accident.
the idea of white blanket has not occured to me, so thanks for that one! i dont know how much he'll like playing with icy stuff, but i think we could give it try. thank you!