Travel With Your Kid Tips
Read these 10 Travel With Your Kid Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Child Safety Products tips and hundreds of other topics.
Keep An Eye On Your Baby While You Drive
Traveling in the car with your infant can be a nerve-wracking experience -- especially when you can't see him/her! Craning your neck around to check on the baby while you are driving is not only inconvenient, it's terribly dangerous. A baby car mirror is a great solution. It works as a second mirror that attaches to your car's sun visor. Simply angle it so that you need only peek into and peek in on your baby in the back seat.
Children and Parked Cars Don't Mix
When it's vacation time, there are a number of guidelines parents should follow for safe family travel. One of the most basic rules is never leave a child alone in a parked car, even for a few minutes. From 1996 to 2000, more than 120 children, most aged 3 and younger, died from heat stroke after being trapped in a car. In the summer of 1999, an average of one child every four days died after being trapped in a car parked in the searing heat. As a general rule, it is best not to leave a child unattended in a vehicle -- even if the windows are rolled down.
Secure Your Child's Seat in a Moving Vehicle
Make sure your child's infant seat or booster seat stays secure in any vehicle. Often, adult seat belts don't hold anchor the seat properly. A loose seat spells trouble. Consider purchasing a tightening tool -- basically a sturdy clasp -- which will remove dangerous slack from the adult car seat belt. The tightening tool can be used in any vehicle and in any seat position. This means it is perfect not only for your family vehicle, but friends' cars, taxis to airports, and more!
Safe Food For Traveling
Especially on long trips, it is important to have plenty of healthy, nutritious snacks on hand for your kids. Pack fruits and vegetables like celery and carrot sticks, grapes, orange and/or apple slices. Okay, that's the ideal. But kids like more fun snacks, too. Offer items like licorice, pretzel rods, popcorn, dried fruits, and cookies. All these snacks are safe to eat in moving vehicles, although you should keep an eye on the children as they eat to be sure they don't choke on the drier items. Peanuts, gum, or small chewable items should not be offered as they are more easily choked on.
Travel Fun in the Sun
If you plan to any place where there is water -- a pool, ocean, adventure park, etc. be sure you never leave your child unattended. All kids should wear a life jacket, even if they know how to swim. Especially in natural bodies of water like the ocean, find out ahead of time what is in the water. Jellyfish, pollutants, and other unfortunate things can put a damper on good times! Always bring a hat with a wide brim and sunscreen of at least 30 SPF to shield children's skin from the sun's harmful rays, avoiding sun poisoning.
Infant Car Seats
Every parent wants his/her baby to be safe during travel. So does the government. It's the law to have your baby travel in an infant car seat. There are many varieties of infant car seats on the market. Some offer the adaptability of doubling as a carrier and feeding seat. Nearly every model is padded to keep baby comfortable on long and short journeys. The fabric is almost always easily removed for quick washing. Be sure to chose an infant carrier seat with harnesses that are comfortable for your baby and also easy for you to adjust and remove.
Car Trips Made in the Shade
You know how uncomfortable it can be to ride in your car with the sun beating down on you. Imagine how a child feels! When traveling with your small children in the car consider placing a sun shade in the window. Sun shades cling to the passenger windows, and are removable and reusable. They do a great job of keeping your children comfortable while also protecting them from the sun's harmful UV rays. Shades are made with a see-through material, so that driver's view is not obstructed.
Who's That Kid?
Whenever you travel out of town with your children, Make sure they have identification on them. There's no need to carry valuable passports around, however. Simply write on an index card each child's name, your name, hotel address and phone number, as well as the phone number of a close friend or relative back home. If you are traveling with a cell phone, that number should appear first. Always have a recent, clear photo of your child with you. If you do get separated, the authorities will want an up-to-date picture.
Hotel Safety Guidelines
Taking your kids to new locations is a great opportunity for fun and education. If your travel with kids involves staying in a hotel, here are a few important tips. Upon arriving in your room, review hotel fire escape procedures and locate exits. If there are matches, glasses, alcohol (as in a mini-bar), or any other dangerous item in the room, make sure these items stay far out of reach of the kids. Also, never let kids play in the hotel hallways or on the balcony unattended.
Bicycle Safety When Traveling With Your Kids
Kids love to take their bikes on vacation. But what if you are visiting an area where the terrain is unfamiliar? Travel with kid fun and safety in mind! Consider buying a handle push bar for your child's bike. The easy to use push bar allows parents to safely control their child's bicycle near busy streets, intersections, hills, and over rough terrain. The child can also be pushed with little effort. Mounting and assembly is easy.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Susan Sayour |
