Summer vacations mean that busy moms spend more hours than ever traveling to and from activities and visiting with children in tow. While long hours go into planning vacations and trips to make sure everybody has a fun and safe time, one of the most often overlooked areas is in the safety of your children while traveling to and fro. Careful supervision and planning will prevent accidents and mishaps at the beach or at the park but while traveling to and from such places you are relying on the good judgment and abilities of others. You cannot control how carefully the other people on the road are driving or how attentive they are but you can control what steps you take to ensure the safety of your children while on the trip.
Five practical tips:
1. Keep children comfortable during the drive. All cars are designed with the comfort of the driver foremost in mind. Air conditioning heating in most cars concentrates on the front seat passengers. If you do not have multi zone climate control place settings when the idea of keeping the rear of the vehicle at the appropriate temperature.
2. Give the children distractions they don’t distract you. If children are properly entertained movies, games, or books then you will be of the concentrate on driving and watching the road instead of trying to play with the children. As well as being safer, you’ll find the drive much less stressful.
3. Take frequent breaks. Frequent breaks will allow you to keep the maximum concentration on driving and prevent the children from becoming uncomfortable or upset. It does no good to arrive 30 minutes earlier and then spend the first hour with grumpy unhappy children.
4. Use safe toys and snacks on the drive. The choking hazard when driving should not be underestimated. When a child is truly choking there is no sound to alert you. Since properly restrained child has no other way to get your attention while you are paying attention to the road use care. Many of the small pieces and travel style games and things like hard candy are serious safety hazards for younger children.
5. Always use safety belts, booster seats. And infant carriers appropriately. Modern vehicles have multiple passenger safety systems including airbags pre-stressed crush zones to aid in passenger protection. It is essential that all passengers are in a position that makes best use of these systems or the very things are designed to protect your passengers will become a danger. Proper placement and installation of child safety seats is a critical factor.
A word on child safety seats-nothing protects your child more in the event of an accident in the proper use of an approved safety seat. It is strange that a mother would spend $50-$100 a pair on designer sneakers every six months but try to save a few dollars on a safety seat that the can save her child’s life. While budget is important to everybody that should not be the priority choosing a child carrier. Britax UK safety center offers important safety pointers to consider when choosing travel seats and carriers for children of all ages.
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