Hot Time in the Ol' Car This Summer
by Elaine M. Gibson
Traveling with children can be difficult and
demanding, but advance planning can take some of the
lumps out of travel.
Seat Belts
The most important consideration is seat belts,
otherwise known as safety restraints. With
automobile accidents claiming more children's lives
than any disease, the risks are not worth the
gamble. If you put your children in a car for two
blocks or two thousand miles, use the appropriate
safety restraints. Besides protecting the child,
auto restraints protect the sanity of the driver.
Children who are buckled in behave better in the
car. That is reason enough to make certain everyone
is wearing a seat belt.
Summer Temperatures
Traveling in the heat introduces some additional
cautions. The interior of a parked car gets HOT! A
surface that seems just "hot" to an adult
can actually burn a child's tender skin. The plastic
on infant car seats can really heat up and then a
parent is faced with burning the child or not using
seat belts. With advance planning, you can avoid
either unacceptable choice.
- Carry a few bath towels in the car to cover
seats (and the steering wheel) when you park
your car for any length of time. An old
towel can be cut to fit a child safety seat
if doesn't have a cloth liner. Cloth is much
more comfortable against the child's exposed
bare skin than the plastic of the car seats.
Make certain that the cover does not
interfere with the locking system of the car
seat.
- Always have shoes available in the car, even
if the kids are not wearing them. A minor
accident or car problem could necessitate
leaving the car and walking. Hot pavement
can burn feet.
- Have water available. It is a good idea to
carry a gallon of drinkable water in the
car. With children, water and paper towels
should always be in the trunk anyway! You
never know what or who you will have to
clean up. In the summer heat, drinking water
could become a necessity, especially on
trips.
Motion Sickness
- If you have a child that gets car sick,
consider a conference with your family
doctor. There are many over-the-counter
drugs for the disorder but most caution
against giving the medicine to a child under
six. Since the drugs are basically
antihistimines, you may already have a
suitable alternative for your child. The
anti-motion sickness preparations work best
if taken before the trip, not after the car
sickness begins.
- Motion Sickness bands are available that can
be worn on the wrists. Small nodules press
against a trigger spot that prevents motion
sickness. Self Care and other mail order
catalogs carry them. They work for our
family.
- To prevent or at least lessen the condition:
let the carsick person ride in the front
seat with eyes straight ahead. This helps
most people.
- Eating small, light meals and cutting out
sweets. A pancake breakfast and reading a
book in the back seat is a sure way to bring
on a severe case of motion sickness for
anyone with the tendency.
Take a breather!
Nothing improves car travel like getting out of
the car. Children cannot be expected to sit in one
position hour after hour just because the adults
want to get some place in the least amount of time
possible. Depending on the child's age, a break is
necessary every one to two hours. The children need
to get out of the car and run around. A rest stop of
only five minute will help. Plan the trip to take
advantage of historic sites or special attractions
and the travel breaks can be fun.
Meal Breaks
Stopping to eat in a restaurant where the childrn
must remain seated is a very bad idea. Most children
prefer roadside picnics where a jump rope or Frisbee
can help them stretch their bodies. If a stop must
be at a restaurant without a playground, stop before
or after for a good stretch.
Short distance; long trips.
With children, it is better to take a long while
to go a short distance. As the children get older,
it is possible to drive for longer periods of time
but the breaks are still necessary. By making
frequent stops for the children, everyone will enjoy
the trip more.
