For quite some time, I’d been looking for a travel tray for my children. After years of dropped toys and books and having to hand back snacks and drinks at inopportune times, I was glad to try out the Snack and Play Travel Tray by StarKids. According to the company press release, the Snack and Play “helps solve the stresses of family travel.” With a firm surface for playing and coloring and pockets for snacks and other special items, it’s a good way to keep everything corralled for travels with your kids.
Curious to see if it would hold up in a real-world situation, I tested it with both my 2 1/2 year old daughter and 4 1/2 year old son to give you an opinion of its features.
Look and Feel of the Snack and Play
When I first unpacked the Snack and Play from the container, I was surprised that it was made of a flexible fabric instead of having a hard top and sides. Of course its flexibility makes more sense for safety and storage. The surface laid flat and was firm enough to use for coloring and driving cars as well as eating snacks. It has three sides that are high enough to keep small toys, crayons and books from falling off the tray.
The tray was easy to clean (I had my son spill juice to test it–boy was he excited!) and the mesh pockets on the sides were strong enough to hold a sippy cup upright. I was a neutral black and blue in color.
Surprisingly it fit well over both my children’s car seats. My daughter uses an Evenflo Triumph, a rather wide carseat, and my son has a Graco Nautilus booster. The company also says it can be used over a stroller.
Usefulness of the Snack and Play
My young daughter was pretty excited to try the Snack and Play. Unfortunately, it didn’t work well for her. It has a strap that is to be buckled around the child using the Snack and Play and I found that it was much too big for my daughter even when I tightened it all the way. She kept leaning forward and it would slide off her lap, sending her crayons and sippy cup crashing to the floor. Not so fun for mommy, who was trying to drive at the time while hearing loud complaints from the backseat. It might be better suited for a child who is a bit older and taller than my small daughter!
My preschool-aged son tried the travel tray next and found it to be a perfect fit around his waist (when the strap is tightened) and booster seat. The mesh pockets held his cup, crayons and a few books with ease. He loved driving his cars around on it for a few minutes and then dug into his crayon box and used his activity book for quite a long time. It really was great for this purpose above all others because in the past he simply had to balance his book on his knees.
Overall Effect of the Snack and Play Travel Tray
I was glad to learn that the Snack and Play Travel Tray has been crash tested and is certified lead-free. It’s flexible top contains a foam insert that collapses on impact. The construction of the pockets and top surface look and feel well-made, making this a product that should last through several children. The Snack and Play has won several awards, including Mother of Invention and the iParenting Media Award. Star Kids also makes an Air Play Tray Table Cover for use on airplanes with children 6-24 months. Both are available at retailers nationwide.
I was very impressed by the travel tray. It was definitely reassuring to use while driving knowing that my son’s toys and snacks were within easy reach. He kindly keeps snacks in one of the pockets to hand to his sister too. My daughter will have to wait until she is just a bit older and then we may need two!
