Our Safe Ride 4 Kids team features a Tip of the Week every week on FaceBook about car seat safety and safe driving while pregnant. Last week’s tip is so common sense and practical that if we were to actually neglect it as parents and child care givers, it’s only because we probably figure it takes care of itself! However, we must remind ourselves that when dealing with little ones, it’s not always the case! The tip last week was:
Dress Your Child Comfortably for the Whole Trip!
Seems kind of like a “duh!” type thing, but consider this: How often to do strap yourself into the car, turn the key and begin driving down the road when only five minutes into the drive, you find yourself too hot and needing to maneuver to remove your coat while driving. We’ve all done it! Well, your little one can’t do the maneuvering we can when in a 5-point harness… if they’re even able to dress or undress themselves in the first place!
Keep in mind that you’ll turn on the heat or the air conditioner in the car to adjust the temperature so make sure your child is dressed for that temperature. Too many clothes with the heat on makes baby hot and too few with the air on makes baby chilly. Having a blanket handy is a good idea as it’s an easy on/easy off option for your little one as the temperatures change in the vehicle.
Another Way to Keep Baby Comfy in the Car
Although, it’s not quite what your child is wearing, the child restraint system you have is certainly something your child “has on”. Why not make your child restraint system a comfortable one? RideSafer Travel Vests are made of light weight, high quality, breathable fabric and have the best padding! They’re so comfortable! And many children like them better than sitting on a hard (barely cushioned) plastic booster seat. Consider getting one today! Ready to buy? Go here.
Having had dozens of kids of all ages buckled in car-seats over the years including the ride safer travel vest I can attest that what they wear especially on longer trips is important. Typically soft loose fitting clothes are preferable to something like blue jeans. A soft plain shirt with a collar like a polo shirt can also be a good choice because the shoulder straps of a 5 point harness can be placed under the collar which can reduce agitation or chaffing on the neck and such. For hoodies make sure when buckling your child in that the hood is NOT between the child’s back and the car-seat back. This is uncomfortable for the child and also potentially creates an unsafe barrier. Pull the hood up from behind them first before buckling the child in and making the harness snug. Just a few tips there for things that most people might not consider. As for the RSTV itself, every kid I’ve ever had use it has found it quite comfortable. I even had one group of kids who kept arguing over who’s turn it was to use it. The big thing I’ve found however is making sure that the vest is pulled downward far enough so that it puts the shoulder and lap portion in the right place. If it’s up too high it’s not only less safe but also uncomfortable for the child and may actually pull up onto their neck. For version 2 I recommend simply taking up any necessary slack in the crotch strap to keep it down and in the right position. In any case the RSTV is a great product all around. I’ve yet to have any complaints from kids about it.
We agree about the soft clothes. Children seem to prefer them anyway. And having a collar is really nice to protect little necks from being rubbed by the harness strap especially for long drives. These are great additional tips. Thank you for sharing! :-)
Hey Amie..These tips are really awesome and I agree with Matt that loose fitting clothes are quite interesting and worth wearing.