Suggested Mods for Expectant Father?

[cosmec]

The JLU backseat is awful for car seats. My daughter is barely 2 and I already need to move my passenger seat forward for her to fit.

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[roaniecowpony]

Whats with you people ? This post should get a ton of "likes" ! What, are you all a bunch of freakin jack rabbits !

Exactly. Save the planet!

 

[Jjirish]

Def tint tint tint.
When I had my son (2 door jeep) I hung a cool lil mobile from the roof. It was a great at keeping his "attention" while driving. I also wrapped something thick (cant remember) around the sound bar near him and covered the floor speaker I had so the music was softer. Other than that.... this was like year 2000 so I had one of those clip on personal fans back there angled at him to help keep him cool (florida sun). Just make sure whatever can go flying wont go near the lil one!

Sleep now.... sleep now....

Congrats!!! (Imagining that baby head smell right nowww... such innocence and pure joy in a lil ones eyes... poop smiles are so funny!).

My wife and I are expecting our first in the new year. Outside of the baby's car seat + base, seat protector/cover, and mirror, are there any internal modifications that you all would recommend to make life easier with a newborn/infant? Fortunately we have a JLU Sahara with the extra space over the two door. I am thinking a rear cargo shelf or other cargo organization mods might be useful. Thoughts?

 

[BillG]

Fill cargo tub with cash. You’re going to need it.

 

[RubiSc0tt]

My wife and I are expecting our first in the new year. Outside of the baby's car seat + base, seat protector/cover, and mirror, are there any internal modifications that you all would recommend to make life easier with a newborn/infant? Fortunately we have a JLU Sahara with the extra space over the two door. I am thinking a rear cargo shelf or other cargo organization mods might be useful. Thoughts?

Congrats! We have our second on the way, due in May. Our son is 2 and Loves "dads Jeep". He knows it means adventure and fun, and loves playing in it/ "working" on it with me.
Biggest advice I can give, is to be present and engaged. You only get to do this once with your kid, and it goes FAST, so enjoy it. It'll be worth it for all of you, trust me. Sleep as much as you can so you'll be ready to handle anything, and go read "Diary of a 2 year Old" for perspective when you think you're about to lose it. That last one helps me quite a bit.

We have a Graco 4-in-1 car seat that's supposed to adjust and stick with him until he's older. It sucked when It was rear facing and stuck super close but when he hit the requirements we flipped it forward now and it's better. He likes to kick the MOLLE bags on the back of the seat sometimes, only real issue. I'll also second the no eating or drinking thing, but we were doing it because we were scared of him choking. Occasionally I'll give him a bag of cheerios/crackers and some water while the vehicle is in motion, but that's it. My wife handed him a Juice box on the way to Maine last summer (after I told her Water only) and I thought about leaving her at a rest stop (kidding, mostly), but that's it. Rules are rules. He does love to sit in the rear cargo area and eat lunch/ snacks when we are parked at the park or something, and that's pretty easy to clean. My rig has stayed pretty clean over the last year and I intend to keep it that way. Also: We haven't done (and I don't plan to do) any sort of DVD/ activity stuff in the back seat until he's much older (No lost crayons or toys, etc). He's usually good to sit, look out the windows, play with a toy (usually hot wheels or a big chunky truck- Nothing easy to lose), and listen to music- which is a good thing I think, we've done several road trips with him in the last year (5-6 hours drive time) and he's been really good. I've made him a list of my music that's caught on with him on Spotify, and he loves it- so no "Baby Shark/ Frozen Soundtrack" marathons for me. Plus, it's hilarious when he starts singing "Doyoudoyoudoyou wan dance?" or my favorite "DA ACE OF SPADES" or asking/naming bands he wants to listen to when we get into the Jeep and people start asking "What the hell is he singing/ saying?" and I have to explain it to them. We managed to fit all of our stuff (2-3 adults, plus him) in the back of my Jeep on 2-3 road trips we've done so far. We got a travel stroller which is pretty compact and stayed with family/ at a hotel, so that made some stuff a bit easier. Take only what is necessary and what is most useful. If you set that precedent now, it will pay off later. Despite being a minimalist my wife loves to cram crap into grocery bags for road trips and I always end up "optimizing" it.

Coming from a TJ, I was already pretty well versed at cargo optimization. Here are some mods I made for our son:
- Ratchet straps: Anything that isn't bolted down can become a projectile in an accident, so secure EVERYTHING. My tools and compressor are in 2 Fat 50 Ammo cans under the rear passenger seat, secured with a ratchet strap.They're not going anywhere.
- Rugged Ridge molded floor mats: Big chunky treads for traction and high sides to hold liquid from boots and anything that may spill in the meantime.
- Alien Sunshade 1 piece: reduces wind noise and sun for top down driving.
- Neoprene "seat only" cover I strapped behind his car seat (when it was rear facing) to protect the seat from his little shoes/boots
- 2 "wipe pouches" from Tactical Baby Gear on Amazon: one for napkins, the other for baby wipes. Super useful.
- "Dump Pouch" from Tactical Baby Gear on Amazon. Works great for garbage and is machine washable.
- A couple rolls of Dog poop bags. I usually have one in the Dump pouch as a liner, and I would snag one and tie it off for soiled diapers and wipes, etc.
- Molle First aid kit, strapped to the rear of the driver seat.
- Larger Molle pouch with a full change of clothes for him (I have another I'll be outfitting for #2)
- 20L Water resistant bag (used for camping and kayaking) with rain gear and and extra hoodie/ couple towels on the driver side fender behind the rear seat. snugs perfectly in there.
- I just added a tailgate table but I haven't had a chance to use it (yet). I'm guessing it'll be pretty valuable, but if nothing else, it secures most of the molle pouches to the rear tailgate better than the plastic.

Additionally I'd suggest some good seat covers if you don't already have them (saw you have a sahara). I have a Rubi with the leather and I spent a bunch of time cleaning the Rear after our beach trip this summer. I bought a set of those neoprene covers (like I mentioned using behind his car seat) for the front, and a "Dog blanket" seat protector for the rear for off road/ out door activities. I think that's it, I have pictures of everything in my build thread (Linked in my signature) if you want pics.

 

[oceanblue2019]

Move master bed so one side is along a wall. That is your side. That way when the baby cries at night you put one foot on the wall, the other on your wife's butt, and push gently to help her wake up to go calm the baby

 

[Gee-pah]

Especially since many roof variations on the JL can open, my vote's for rear ejection seats.

Kidding---actually, what has come I in handy--and this is much dependent on care giver height--are running boards.

Not needed prior to having kids, they came in handy to step upon and service some quick needs of the child seated kid, at least one seat away from the outside (i.e. center seat), rather than having to get into the rig, sit next to them, and address the "quick fix" they require to make them happy.

My $.02

 

[Quasimodo]

Congrats! We have our second on the way, due in May. Our son is 2 and Loves "dads Jeep". He knows it means adventure and fun, and loves playing in it/ "working" on it with me.
Biggest advice I can give, is to be present and engaged. You only get to do this once with your kid, and it goes FAST, so enjoy it. It'll be worth it for all of you, trust me. Sleep as much as you can so you'll be ready to handle anything, and go read "Diary of a 2 year Old" for perspective when you think you're about to lose it. That last one helps me quite a bit.

We have a Graco 4-in-1 car seat that's supposed to adjust and stick with him until he's older. It sucked when It was rear facing and stuck super close but when he hit the requirements we flipped it forward now and it's better. He likes to kick the MOLLE bags on the back of the seat sometimes, only real issue. I'll also second the no eating or drinking thing, but we were doing it because we were scared of him choking. Occasionally I'll give him a bag of cheerios/crackers and some water while the vehicle is in motion, but that's it. My wife handed him a Juice box on the way to Maine last summer (after I told her Water only) and I thought about leaving her at a rest stop (kidding, mostly), but that's it. Rules are rules. He does love to sit in the rear cargo area and eat lunch/ snacks when we are parked at the park or something, and that's pretty easy to clean. My rig has stayed pretty clean over the last year and I intend to keep it that way. Also: We haven't done (and I don't plan to do) any sort of DVD/ activity stuff in the back seat until he's much older (No lost crayons or toys, etc). He's usually good to sit, look out the windows, play with a toy (usually hot wheels or a big chunky truck- Nothing easy to lose), and listen to music- which is a good thing I think, we've done several road trips with him in the last year (5-6 hours drive time) and he's been really good. I've made him a list of my music that's caught on with him on Spotify, and he loves it- so no "Baby Shark/ Frozen Soundtrack" marathons for me. Plus, it's hilarious when he starts singing "Doyoudoyoudoyou wan dance?" or my favorite "DA ACE OF SPADES" or asking/naming bands he wants to listen to when we get into the Jeep and people start asking "What the hell is he singing/ saying?" and I have to explain it to them. We managed to fit all of our stuff (2-3 adults, plus him) in the back of my Jeep on 2-3 road trips we've done so far. We got a travel stroller which is pretty compact and stayed with family/ at a hotel, so that made some stuff a bit easier. Take only what is necessary and what is most useful. If you set that precedent now, it will pay off later. Despite being a minimalist my wife loves to cram crap into grocery bags for road trips and I always end up "optimizing" it.

Coming from a TJ, I was already pretty well versed at cargo optimization. Here are some mods I made for our son:
- Ratchet straps: Anything that isn't bolted down can become a projectile in an accident, so secure EVERYTHING. My tools and compressor are in 2 Fat 50 Ammo cans under the rear passenger seat, secured with a ratchet strap.They're not going anywhere.
- Rugged Ridge molded floor mats: Big chunky treads for traction and high sides to hold liquid from boots and anything that may spill in the meantime.
- Alien Sunshade 1 piece: reduces wind noise and sun for top down driving.
- Neoprene "seat only" cover I strapped behind his car seat (when it was rear facing) to protect the seat from his little shoes/boots
- 2 "wipe pouches" from Tactical Baby Gear on Amazon: one for napkins, the other for baby wipes. Super useful.
- "Dump Pouch" from Tactical Baby Gear on Amazon. Works great for garbage and is machine washable.
- A couple rolls of Dog poop bags. I usually have one in the Dump pouch as a liner, and I would snag one and tie it off for soiled diapers and wipes, etc.
- Molle First aid kit, strapped to the rear of the driver seat.
- Larger Molle pouch with a full change of clothes for him (I have another I'll be outfitting for #2)
- 20L Water resistant bag (used for camping and kayaking) with rain gear and and extra hoodie/ couple towels on the driver side fender behind the rear seat. snugs perfectly in there.
- I just added a tailgate table but I haven't had a chance to use it (yet). I'm guessing it'll be pretty valuable, but if nothing else, it secures most of the molle pouches to the rear tailgate better than the plastic.

Additionally I'd suggest some good seat covers if you don't already have them (saw you have a sahara). I have a Rubi with the leather and I spent a bunch of time cleaning the Rear after our beach trip this summer. I bought a set of those neoprene covers (like I mentioned using behind his car seat) for the front, and a "Dog blanket" seat protector for the rear for off road/ out door activities. I think that's it, I have pictures of everything in my build thread (Linked in my signature) if you want pics.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I too have the rugged ridge floormats (1st mod in all of our vehicles) and they work great. I also bought the Tactical Baby Gear 3.0 Full Loadout Backpack Set. I think that's going to come in handy.

 

[RubiSc0tt]

Thanks so much for the feedback. I too have the rugged ridge floormats (1st mod in all of our vehicles) and they work great. I also bought the Tactical Baby Gear 3.0 Full Loadout Backpack Set. I think that's going to come in handy.

Man, I'll tell you. I was goofing on all the "Tactical" stuff with some friends and all the people who buy it and aren't military but I'm guilty. It's useful as all hell. If my wife didn't get me a Jeep Diaper bag backpack, I'd probably have gotten that too simply for the utility and adaptability.

 

[spenat]

Get this tube that redirects the backseat air conditioning.

https://www.amazon.com/Noggle-Backs...able-Traveling/dp/B00LXT23RA/ref=cts_ba_1_vtp

Kids in the rear facing seats don't get any airflow and get hot pretty easily. I route mine under the seat and up and around the rear headrest so it points into the rear facing car seat. Makes all the difference in the world to them.

What length did you get. I have a JLUR and need to get some airflow back there. 8foot enough?

 

[TheWingman]

What length did you get. I have a JLUR and need to get some airflow back there. 8foot enough?

Yeah I think the one we have is 8’.

 

[spenat]

Yeah I think the one we have is 8’.

Thanks.

 

[emptyminded42]

I have a 2 year old and I find the JLU is a great family hauler - the higher ride height makes it a lot easier to secure the toddler in her rear-facing Britax Marathon car seat. I really recommend the Marathon - it's heavy as hell but easy to install/remove using the seat belt, easily adjustable for tilt/shoulder strap height, and pretty easy to strap the kid in.

I could see issues with the sub 1-year infant car seats - the tall ride height would make it a little harder to lift the bundle of joy in, but there's not much you can do about it unless you lower your Jeep, haha. We used a Chicco KeyFit30 and it was awesome. Highly recommend.

For the non-carseat stuff, here's what I recommend:

• A car seat kick guard - but you don't need it until they're in a toddler rear-facing, IMO.
• Rubber floormats for spills - I really like my WeatherTechs, but they're pricey.
• Baby bag
  • Personally I find the Tactical Baby Gear tacky and way overpriced. You can honestly get away with any old backpack or small duffel/sachel. We've used a canvas bag and a Osprey day pack and it fits just fine. You really don't need to buy any baby-branded/marketed baby bags, etc.
  • Get a mirror - we have a Chicco one in both of our cars and works great.
  • You do need a changing pad/diaper/wipe thingy - any old one works.
  • Bring plastic bags for tossing dirty diapers - dog doo-doo bags work great and are cheaper than the diaper disposal bags which are the exact same thing.
  • Put changes of clothes in a ziploc bag to keep them clean and dry when they're in the bag - formula/milk spills are annoying and sticky.
  • Personally I'd just use a small, soft insulated lunch bag/cooler to store pre-mixed formula/milk for the kid that fits in the overall bag. You really, really don't need to overpay for baby-related marketing.
  • If you're doing formula, get some little bags or containers to pre-measure out the formula powder so you can dump and mix quickly. If you mix it ahead of time you need to keep it cold, but you don't need to worry about that if it's separate powder and water.
  • Generally, the more pockets the better.
  • Bring wipes. Lots of wipes. Just leave a pack in the diaper bag 24/7. Leave another in each of your vehicles that you'll transport the kid in 24/7.
  • Little bottles of hand sanitizer - one in your bag, one in each car, too.
• A small, battery operated fan works fine for air circulation. The JLU already has rear HVAC outlets so you just need to make sure there's air flowing around the back of the Jeep to keep your kid cool. But I honestly didn't have one for the first year and a half and seldom use it now - just crank your A/C or heat and keep an eye on your kiddo.

 

[Toycrusher]

Especially since many roof variations on the JL can open, my vote's for rear ejection seats.

Kidding---actually, what has come I in handy--and this is much dependent on care giver height--are running boards.

Not needed prior to having kids, they came in handy to step upon and service some quick needs of the child seated kid, at least one seat away from the outside (i.e. center seat), rather than having to get into the rig, sit next to them, and address the "quick fix" they require to make them happy.

My $.02

This one hurt. I had to lose my sliders for real steps 'cause it's impossible to buckle in a baby carrier in the middle seat without them

I also got XG Cargo Gamma rear bags and they are fantastic for storing tons of baby necessities and other recovery gear. Only downside I found is that I have to remove them to run my bimini top. Now I'm considering swapping to the XG Magellan bags to free up the mounting slot for my shade.

 

[KCC_703]

Not sure if this has been mentioned....

Rectangular blind spot mirror mounted over the rear view mirror. Allows you to see what's going on in the backseat. Not so good with rear-facing infant seat... but when they get to be 2 or 25+pounds and start to sit in a front facing seat.

I bought this one and zip-tied it over the rear-view mirror.

A small rectangular non-convex mirror would probably be better if you can find it.

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