This time of year, even quick trips into the grocery story or gas station give your car plenty of time to transform from refreshingly cool to an unbearable inferno.

Everything from the seat belt to the gearshift to the steering wheel is sizzling. No doubt, so are you. The sweet breeze from the air-conditioner can't come quick enough.

Imagine if you were sitting in the backseat. Facing backwards.

In the summer, it's a toasty car ride for tots, whether they're old enough to face forward or still too tiny to turn around.

Suzanne Clinton, who teaches a class for new parents at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Ariz., always warns new parents to be aware of hot seat buckles during the summer. Clinton says she tells parents not to leave the infant carrier in the car.

But if the carrier does stay in the car, it won't get quite as hot if it's covered with a towel. Clinton also suggests that parents carry a small spray bottle in the diaper bag to squirt hot buckles before snapping in baby.

Shari Griffin, 43, of Ahwatukee, Ariz., used to freeze water bottles and put them in her kids' car seats when she ran errands. It cooled off the buckles, but it ended up being a mess.

That mess got her thinking, and those thoughts have turned into a successful business. Three years ago, Griffin invented Cold Seat, a freezable car seat cover. She introduced the seat to Australia this year.

"It redirects their attention," Griffin says of the Cold Seat. "Now, you have just put them in a nice cool environment. My kids weren't letting me leave the house without it."

Although options are lean in this department, here are some ways to help keep kids cool this summer in the backseat.

• Cold Seat, $49.95, available online at www.coldseat.com. The seat uses freezable ice packs tucked inside a kid-designed cover to cool off car seat buckles before your kiddo hops in. Just drape the cover over the seat when you run into the store, or wherever you are, and take it off when you get back to the car. Pop it in the freezer when you get home so it's ready for the next outing.

Christine Rogers, co-owner of Mesa baby boutique Room 4 Baby, said her shoppers are loving it. "That's our No. 1 seller right now," Rogers says. "It's a very cool, cool product."

• Sun shades for car windows, between $10-$20, available online at www.walmart.com, www.amazon.com and at stores such as Babies R Us and Target. Yes, the "Baby On Board" shades are a little played out and cheesy, but they significantly help cut the heat and glare from the sun.

Fisher-Price has a color-changing sun shade that sticks to the window and gets darker in sunlight and lighter at night. Eddie Bauer has a rear-window shade, available at Target, which keeps the sun off of your rear-facing baby.

• Fisher-Price snack tray, about $12, available at www.amazon.com. The tray snaps onto strollers and car seats, and makes it easy for kids to cool off with a sippy cup of cold water or juice, or a snack of cold fruit. If nothing else, it at least distracts the little guys, and isn't that half the battle?

• The Insulator, by Playtex, about $8 for a two-pack at Babies R Us. The next generation of sippy cups, the Insulator keeps drinks cooler longer than other spill-proof cups. It's also sweat proof.

• Pacifeeder by Savi Baby, $16.99 at www.pacifeeder.com. The hands-free bottle can hook onto car seats and strollers so baby can get a cool, refreshing drink of formula or juice even if she can't feed herself yet. The liquid in the straw will only go up, and will not go back down, so baby doesn't have to work to get the drink back up the straw after taking a break. Babies need to be at least three months old to use it.

• Evian mineral water spray, $5.50-$16.50 depending on the size, available at www.amazon.com or warehouse stores such as Sam's Club. The small bottle easily fits inside your purse, the bigger in the diaper bag. When you get back to the car, squirt the buckles and your toasty tots. They'll think it's fun and refreshing.

• Drive-thru. If all else fails, breeze through your favorite fast food joint, where kids who are old enough to complain about the heat will be satisfied by a cool milkshake, juice box, or slushy.

TIPS FOR KEEPING KIDS SAFE IN CARS

• Plan ahead when making trips. More places are accommodating busy parents by adding drive-through services, including upscale restaurants, dry cleaners, libraries and grocers. Look online to find such places.

• Call ahead. See if you can have a salesperson bring your purchases to your car rather than leave your children unattended for a quick trip inside. Also, ask babysitters to bring your children to the car if you're in a hurry.

• Ask supermarket clerks to load your bags into your car and return the grocery cart.

• Pay for gas with a debit or credit card.

• Never leave keys where children can get to them.

• If your child is inadvertently locked in a car that you cannot open, call 911 immediately.

• Teach children not to play in cars. Search vehicles (especially trunks) up and down your block in addition to calling 911, when a child is missing.

• Leave your children at home with a responsible adult if all else fails.

Source: Kids in Cars