Surviving Summer Road Trips with Children

Traveling with children and babies can be very stressful for the parents. Safety is the first and most important thing to consider when going on vacation with your children.

Be sure to have any age appropriate car safety seats securely placed in the proper seat of your vehicle. Safety for infants is probably the most crucial. You must be sure that the seat properly holds your child. You would not want a larger child in a seat that is too small for him and vice versa. Pay attention to your infant as he naps, a slumped head can lead to difficulty breathing. Make sure that their respirations are even and unlabored.

If you have an infant who's crying cannot be quieted, never take him out of the car seat while the vehicle is in motion. Pull off of the road to a complete stop before taking the baby out of the car seat.

Once you are sure that all of your passengers are safely buckled in, you need to figure out what to do with them for the duration of your trip. You need to plan ahead before you leave so that you bring age appropriate activities for each member of your traveling party.

Babies love any bright colorful object that is new to them. A small mobile with their favorite objects and colors could be fashioned above their car seat. Rattles and pop-up toys can keep an infant busy as long as he is able to stay awake.

For toddlers, older children, and teens, a built in backseat DVD player can be helpful. Be sure that any kids that will be watching it sit down together before the departure date and pick out some DVD movies that they can all agree on watching. You do not want them fighting over what to watch for the entire trip.

If your kids bore easily, as most of them do, then have a surprise for the natives when they start getting restless. Get some new, age appropriate books or magazines for each family member.

Children and adults will want something to snack on, especially for lengthy car trips. Popcorn, carrots, and nuts are all choking hazards and should be left off the snack list. You do not want your child choking in the backseat while you are driving. Fruit slices, nabs, cookies, chips, and crackers are good choices to help occupy a hungry crowd. Just know that whatever you take will have to be vacuumed out of the floor along with your beach sand.

Even with the best planning and preparation, you are bound to forget something. A "travel bag" is something that you could keep in your car at all times. This bag could contain things like extra clothes, diapers, sunscreen, and baby wipes (these also come in handy for spills or soiled hands).

Summer vacations are a fun way to spend time with your family. Be sure to keep all of your vacation memories happy ones, even the car ride to and from your destination.

Source:

http://mightymommyquickanddirtytips.com/tips-for-road-trips.aspx