Originally published July 8, 2013. Updated January 21, 2016
At CSFTL, we advocate for best practice when it comes to putting your Littles in car seats. That includes riding rear facing for as long as your Little’s convertible car seat allows.
A question that comes up quite often in our Facebook group is “how do I keep my rear facing child cool in the summer?” The companion question to that is how to keep a rear facing child warm in the winter. We’ve got one answer for both scenarios: The Noggle.
The design of the Noggle is pretty simple — it’s just a long, lightweight, flexible tube that attaches to your car’s vent, then funnels the air back to your passengers. It comes in a variety of colors and styles, thanks to some pretty creative fabrics for the covers. My young passengers selected a crib-themed print and a black zebra stripe that suits each of them perfectly.
The Noggle comes in a few sizes — the 6 foot model is suggested for forward facing use in a vehicle’s second row. The 8 foot model is suggested for rear facing passengers in the second row. The 10 foot model is suggested for third row passengers or pets who may be along for the ride.
Note: we’d suggest that pets ride in crates that are secured to the car. The Noggle can point right at the pet in question — it keeps my senior lab quite comfortable during trips to the vet or the dog park!
Installation
Installing the Noggle
Each Noggle includes 2 vent adapters, and 2 heavy duty fasteners that are similar to zip ties. Installation is quick and relatively simple — just use the zip ties to affix the vent adapters to your vent and lock the plastic end of the Noggle in place.
One small word of caution: make the loop on your zip tie large enough to spread the force of attaching the Noggle to the vent. I mistakenly made the loop too small and it ended up ripping the Noggle out of my vent. I was able to reattach it, though.
Another note: when you reach your destination, disconnect the Noggle from the vent adapter.
Activating the Noggle
Once the vent adapters are attached and your Noggle is locked into place over the vent, the final step is determine where you want the air to flow.
The end of the Noggle that will be near your Little has a series of fabric loops. Using the velcro strap that’s included with it, you can attach the loop to a hook or handle on your car’s ceiling, then point the Noggle right at your passenger.
These days, my Littles ride forward facing so they prefer to hold the Noggle themselves while we’re driving. Not only do my kiddos stay cool and comfortable, my oldest, who is prone to carsickness, has remained vomit-free in the car since the day our Noggles arrived!
If you’ve ever cleaned up an awful mess in a car seat, you can understand how grateful I am for the stomach-calming effect of the Noggle.
Projectile Risk
Securing the Noggle over a rear facing car seat
We advocate for securing all projectiles as much as possible so it’s no doubt that many of our users wonder if it can be a projectile in the event of a crash. Before I had mine, I wondered the same thing!
The Noggle is quite lightweight and can be secured on both ends. The soft fabric cover takes care of any exposed edges, making it a pretty minimal risk as a projectile in our book.
Overall Thoughts
The Noggle is a great option for keeping Littles both cool in the summer and warm in the winter when they’re riding in the car. We’re impressed by how well something so simple can work so well!
The Noggle is available in both the 6 foot length and 8 foot lengths.