If you’ve ever hit the road with a fussy baby in tow, you know how stressful it can be when the cries won’t stop. Evenflo, maker of car seats and other baby gear, on Wednesday announced a product aimed at turning down the chaos during those less-than-peaceful car rides.
Introduced at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Sensory Soothe is an app-connected feature that’s built directly into the handle of the company’s newest premium standalone car seats and travel system strollers. You, the frazzled parent, fire up the app and choose from a selection of sounds and lights to entertain, and hopefully calm, your pint-size passenger. You can also activate the smart handle with buttons located on the unit.
If you’re already on the highway when your little one starts losing it, you can fire up Sensory Soothe with Siri and Google voice commands. An introductory video for the product shows a stressed-out mom saying, “Hey Siri, turn on Sensory Soothe handle.” Her crying baby instantly turns into a peaceful angel, but your mileage may vary.
Sensory Soothe lets you mix sounds and lights to create new combinations customized to your little one’s preferences — perhaps a mini mobile disco will do the trick? Sounds include white noise, lullabies, bird chirps and upbeat tunes.
It’s easy enough to load up a car seat with toys, of course, but Evenflo touts safety as one of the big draws here.
“The built-in lights and sounds right on the car seat’s carry handle eliminate the need for parents to feel like they need to attach or add on after-market soothing toys for their child that could become potential hazards or projectiles in the case of a crash,” Sarah Haverstick, senior manager of safety advocacy and consumer care at Evenflo, said in a statement.
The smart handle is powered by four AA batteries, providing battery life of more than 15 hours, Evenflo says.
How Much Will Sensory Soothe Car Seats Cost?
Car seats with Sensory Soothe are suitable for preemies and infants between 3 and 30 pounds, start shipping in mid-February and will be available at online retailers including Babylist, Amazon, Target and Walmart. Sensory Soothe products will start at $259 for a car seat and $649 for a travel system, according to Mashable, though I know a few parents who’ll get wind of this product’s promise and probably say, “Take my money,” no further questions asked.
The Consumer Electronics Show runs through Friday and is featuring plenty of car gadgets for grown-ups too. Dolby, for example, wants to turn your car into a home theater on wheels. Come to think of it, today’s tech-savvy kids might get just as excited about that one as their parents.
