Road Trip Rules!
Especially during COVID-times, families are taking more (and longer) car trips. I remember taking 13+ hour car trips with my family as a kid - we only stopped when completely necessary, we slept in some crazy positions, and there were projectiles all over the backseat! Needless to say, things have changed since those days. We have new guidelines about how to travel safely with kiddos. Just like with any car seat safety-related topic, this is all about good - better - best. I’ll share the most up to date best practices so that you can make educated decisions for your family about how to travel most safely.
Any unsecured item in the car can become a projectile during a crash (even pets!). Do your best to secure projectiles (especially heavy ones) by using your trunk, strapping them down with cargo netting, and by nesting smaller items inside of larger items to minimize the possibility that they may fly around the car during a crash.
Pets should always be secured in the backseat using a pet seatbelt harness or a secured pet carrier. The Center for Pet Safety crash tests pet harnesses and carriers for use in vehicles. Visit their website to make sure your pet’s harness or carrier has been crash tested and will protect your pet (and you!) in the event of a crash.
Offer kids soft, lightweight car toys that won't become dangerous projectiles in the event of a crash. Things like soft cloth books, silicone toys (like pop-its), fabric busy boards, or stuffed animals are great choices!
Especially when you have a long drive ahead, it's very tempting to just push through and drive as long as you can before you have to stop for gas or a bathroom break. I know this is how road trips went when I was a kid! However, the latest guidance is to stop every two hours to get the kids out of their car seats and let everyone stretch their legs. This also conveniently coincides with when most infants and toddlers will need to eat anyway!
If you can avoid it, don't let young children eat solid food in the car. Choking can happen in the blink of an eye (at any age) and if you're going 70mph on the highway it will be really difficult to pull over and quickly perform CPR. Since many episodes of true choking are silent (or nearly silent with the sound of road noise), you may not even hear that the child is in distress. If you must offer foods to kids during a car trip, try to offer only liquids, pureed foods, or smoothie pouches to minimize the possibility of choking.
I know road trips can be stressful - especially with kids in tow. Hopefully these guidelines can help you plan appropriately so that safety concerns are not one of your stressors!
