The 4th of July holiday weekend is here and many of you are probably heading out of town for some part of the weekend. Safe traveling is doubly important when traveling with children in the car, so I’ve put together a few suggestions to help you make the most of your holiday.
I’m sure you do the car check before a road trip; checking tire pressure and fluids in the car, checking windshield wipers and making sure the lights work. While you’re at it, check the children’s car seats; infant car seats and booster seats for toddlers. If you have time throw the car seat covers in the wash and wipe down the straps of the seat. Check the straps to make sure they fit your child comfortably and make sure the seat is properly strapped in. Active toddlers in and out of the car can accidentally or intentionally undo a fastening.
It’s more convenient if you’ve got supplies both for children and adults and it’ll avoid extra stops along the way. Stash water in a small cooler, maybe a few snacks packed in cute little snack bags and baby changing accessories. You might want a changing pad as well as a bag for soiled diapers.
We never want to talk about worse case scenarios but… make sure you have contact information and emergency phone numbers with you. If any of your family have special needs or medical conditions are they noted somewhere? Blood types? In the unlikely event that there is an accident of some sort or an unexpected trip to the ER having the information at your fingertips makes things convenient. If you don’t have an emergency kit in the car this would be a good time to buy one, they’re available at most drug stores and large chain stores.
One way to ensure that your emergency contact information is with you is to put it in your cell phone’s address book, under the letter “I”. ICE, In case of emergency. I have 2 names with ICE in front of them, ICE-1 and ICE-2. And, in a less obvious place (and I need to remedy this) I have my medical records number and my blood type recorded.
These few steps will only take you a little time, less than 30 minutes. You’ll feel more comfortable knowing you’ve done this and your families will too. Happy Fourth of July!
Walker
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Travel safety tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics
photo source: Alan Fangor at Flickr.com
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