A toast to the toaster
By Erica Hill
CNN Headline News
 |
Story Tools
|
(CNN) -- One of the best inventions has to be the car seat warmer, more affectionately known as the "tushie toaster." I learned the term from my friend's mom growing up, and it always seemed a little warmer to me.
It's been chilly this winter. Sure, it's a lot colder in New England, the Midwest, the Plains states, and Alaska, than it is here in Atlanta, but sometimes cold is just cold. It takes a while to get the car warm, get the heat going and to get your fingers thawed so you can shift. One thing that doesn't take long to heat up, however, is the tush.
As soon as I turn the key, I hit the seat warmer button. I don't know how those little coils heat up as fast as they do, but I'm glad they do.
I'm also not sure who invented the heated car seat, but I'd like to thank them. Numerous Web searches turned up plenty of offers to buy heated seats -- most are pads that plug into your car lighter -- and a myriad discussions on the benefits and occasional shortcomings of my beloved tushie toasters.
Reading all the praise for these little guys got me thinking about other uses. Imagine heated airplane seats? I am always cold on flights. It could make the entire experience much more enjoyable. Trains could also benefit. I recall many a chilly train ride to and from Boston while I was in college.
The salad days of the heated seat are here to stay, and that's good news for us. Getting a car with heated seats was one of the best moves I ever made. I couldn't be happier ... or warmer.
