Car Seat MESSES

It shouldn't be necessary for him to do much eating in the car. It's one thing to offer water, but if he needs milk or a meal on a long trip, I'd stop for him to eat.

Well, we offer no food or drinks for our kids in the new car at all. Only water.
And it looks brand new and basically always will! They are baby, toddler, and 2 preschool age.
When we allowed crumbs in the other car, it went downhill so fast...it was gross. So now, no eating, no matter WHAT. Also, it means no choking on food.

I do not allow my toddler to eat in the car and I would suggest you continue to do the same.
Why?
Safety.
If my son (19mths.) were to start choking in the carseat there would be little I could do to help him.
It is just not safe.
So if it makes you feel better to tell yourself you don't let your LO eat in the car due to safety...but really you don't want the mess...that's cool. ;)
I do allow my older child (6) to have food/drink...and she has destroyed her $300 carseat. :(

I never allowed any of my kids to eat in the car. But my daughters do let their kids eat and drink in their cars so I know how messy it can get in a very short time! One daughter took a plastic (flannel backed) table cloth, and draped it over the whole back seat and the floor to protect it. The flannel backing helps it to stay where she puts it. She put holes in it for the seat belts. Once in a while (depending on how often her kids ate) she removes the car seats so she can take the table cloth out and shake it out. If it's sticky she throws it in the washer and dryer. It works great and her car is always neat and clean. And very inexpensive to replace if needed.

The great thing about doing this is if she has to transport adults she can roll the whole thing up (car seat and all) and toss it in the trunk and not have to worry about cleaning up a mess!

BTW They do make seat protectors to put under the car seat but they don't cover the whole seat or the floor.

I don't believe so. I have two kids ages 8 and 5. My 8 year old is a typical child who can have drinks and snacks in the car on occasion but she also understands how to not make a mess. My 5 year old on the other hand well he has autism, is nonverbal, and doesn't have the greatest fine motor skills so of course from time to time a mess is made on himself. However, eating or drinking in the car is rarity for my two so perhaps I don't know what it's like to have a crumby back seat?

It is your choice ultimately. I grew up never eating in a car. My kids on the other hand spend lots of time in the car and we have allowed them to eat in it. Careful about what, but it does get messy for sure. 75 cent vacuums at the gas station help... and I've just decided to live with the mess.

My younger two were raised in a car because of big sister's soccer schedule. I think you could survive for two weeks in that car with what ended up on the floor. :(

Mine 7 y/o and 3 y/o eat in the car quite often. We live about 30 minutes out of town and spend a lot of time in the car.
The carseat and booster....well, could feed a family of 5 for about a week!
Ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but they are messy!! I clean out food and toys at least once a week. I think every morning as we head out the door they each grab a toy to play with and for some reason when we get home in the evening the toy doesn't make it back inside the house.

The simple answer is yes, your backseat will have a life of its own. We were the family that took lots of long road trips so we established rules early on. Only water in the car, no milk or juice. As for food, only things that could be easily cleaned up- Cheerios, crackers, basically dry things that wouldn't melt into the upholstery. Considering the van had tan fabric seats, we did pretty well but expect to be amazed by what you find when you move the carseat.