Car Seat Too Hot

I have 2 kids. when my second was born (July 18th, middle of a PHX summer) my first was 15 months old. To be honest, I avoided going out anywhere with the 2 of them after 11am because it was just too hot. As far as ahte carrier, I don't think there is a suggestions. Most carriers are made of a vinyl like material, which causes the baby to sweat. So unless you can buy a new carrier made with more of a cotton type material, I say avoid going out after 10-11am in the morning with both kids. And if you absolutely have too, take the baby in a carrier/baby wrap instead of the carseat/infant carrier.
Good luck and welcome to the oven we call summer here in PHX! And in case no one told you....it lasts until October out here (sometimes even in Novemeber we are still wearing shorts)

I would suggest getting your baby carrier back out so that the carseat is only for the car. There are a lot of studies coming out now showing that it isn't that healthy for baby to stay in a carrier for long amounts of time; also, I've noticed that my baby is a lot happier shopping while in the Moby than in the car carrier. Good luck!

My summer car-seat cooling advice:
1. Freeze a few reusable blue ice packs (I have the "weekender" ones that are about the size of a typical hardback book). Put them in an insulated bag/cooler in your trunk.
2. Put a water-filled spray bottle in the cooler bag.
3. When you park the car, put the ice pack in your child's car seat and cover the seat with a light color lightweight towel (I still have my 8YOs' old hooded towels and find they're a nice size for car seats). Put reflective window shades up in the windshield and windows. (I also have a lightweight car cover that I'll put over the car if I'll be out for an hour or more)
4. When you get back to the car, put the ice pack back in the cooler, put your child in his seat, and if he likes, give him a 'mist' of cool water from the spray bottle.

Bonus: the insulated bag with ice packs will help keep your groceries cool on the drive home :-).

if possible point the ac right on the seat/child

When we lived in PHX when my now 10yo was born. I always kept a couple of large heavy beach towels over the carseat when we weren't in it to help keep it from scalding the seat, and made sure I had all the sun shades in the windows and crack the window to keep the internal temp down while your not in the car. Honestly, short of sitting icepacks in the carseat there isn't much you CAN do in Phoenix. :( You can try the mini car fans though too, that will help circulate the air to the baby while you are driving. I know with my little guy we also put the little fans in to pull air from the front seat to the back, and put his seat in the middle so it got more air.

Hi. Welcome to Phoenix and very hot cars. I have three small children, and the temps have now gotten to where their carseats are hot, too. Just yesterday, I assembled my "tools". Three gallon-sized plastic milk cartons filled with water and frozen, and three beach towels. Just before we leave somewhere that I know the car will heat up, I put them inside. When we exit the car, I plop one of the giant ice blocks into each seat, making certain to pull all the buckles and metal parts down into a pile so they are covered with the ice, then cover the whole seat with the towel. A bit of a hassle, yes, but the seats will be nice and cool (chilly, even) when you put the baby in the car. Good luck!

yes with his age it is best to leave car seat for just driving...get one of those grocery cart covers for him to sit in when you shop and use the sling, whenever possible:) when he can sit up.
it is way to hot and he gets sticky and sweaty.
we use the bjourn and sling and no car seat unless he is sleeping, but as soon as he wakes up we put him in the sling etc.
This heat is crazy and you have to find ones to keep the kids from getting too hot! Park in shade whenever possilbe and cool the car off before getting in...I even bought a clip on fan and plug adapter for the car so there is more air circulating around the back of the car since our son faces backwards still.
We also tend to not go out much during the day or save shopping for at night or husband does it so the kids are not out in that heat.

If you leave the car seat in the car, put a heavy blanket or towel on it to keep the sun from heating up the different parts. The metal parts can become so hot in the sunlight they can actually cause burns...

As for keeping your child cool, set your AC high when you drive and point it to the back. When you are not driving you should remove your child from the car seat. Don't let him sleep in it.
It may seem like a pain, but there are several reasons why babies should not sit in car seats for prolonged periods if not necessitated by driving. One is container syndrome and another one is that it may interfere with your child's oxygen levels.
Once you practice it a little bit you will be able to take him out without waking him...

Good luck!