Tips for Road Trip with Children
Are you planning to go on a road trip with your family? A road trip is a fantastic opportunity to explore new idyllic places in the country and spend more time with the family. Here are five tips to help you and your child have a safe and enjoyable trip.
1. Check the installation of the car seat
Before you start you journey, always check the installation of the car seats. Studies show that more than 50% of all car seats are to some extent incorrectly installed, which can risk the child’s safety.
If you have a seat belt attached car seat, always make sure that the tether straps are tightly secured. If the straps are slightly loose, they must be tightened. With the Axkid Minikid though, this will never be an issue since it features self-tightening tether straps and can just be “wiggled” into place.
Any risk of incorrectly installed car seats is also eliminated by the unique and innovative rear-facing car seat Axkid ONE. Within 30 seconds you can easily and securely install the car seat with its 6 self-explanatory installation steps. And after that, just within a second, easy adapt it to children of all ages and sizes. (up to 125cm/23kg approx. 7 years of age)
2. Make your child sit comfortable in the car seat
If your trip is going to be a long one or just around the corner, it is important to give your child full comfort and support for optimal protection. The headrest should be in the correct position and the safety harness firmly attached over your child’s shoulders.
Ensuring your child sits comfortably in their seat can be tricky when trying to find the right angle if your backseat is very tilted, an angle wedge can help you achieve the correct angle. When your child can sleep in the car seat without their head falling forward onto their chest, you know you have it right! By sitting more upright you protect your little one’s spine by spreading the force of impact across the entire body. And as a bonus, you will get more space in the car. Axkid ONE provides a step less reclining system, that we call Sleep Well System, giving you a lot of flexibility regarding your child’s comfort and position. Exactly how much recline you should have differs depending on the child’s age and size.
3. Keep a good temperature in the car
Since smaller children and infants are more sensitive to heatstroke, it is important that they remain cool. For a much easier and more comfortable journey for your child (we all know that complaining children can ruin even a short trip), we suggest using sunshades. The sunshades will avoid sunshine exposure and slow down the toasting. There are also great products to use in the hot car seat to reduce the risk of overheating, such as a summer cover or cooling pads. It is also possible to place a summer cover on the seat to reduce exposure from the sun. The summer cover is just as it sounds—a cooler cover for the car seat to reduce the heat in the seat. The cooling pads work differently and use unique 3D technology to ensure that the child receives constant air circulation. The Axkid cooling pads fit all Axkid rear-facing car seats.
Today, there are also digital products on the market to ensure your child is extra safe in the car seat. The safety pad, Axkid Connect, helps you stay close to your child and alerts you when the car temperature needs adjustment, when your child has been seated in the car seat for too long, or if you accidentally leave your child alone in the car. Axkid Connect is a unique product designed to save lives and protect children from hyperthermia or heatstroke, as well as from being left alone in the car. With its highly sensitive integrated sensors, the safety pad helps you as a parent stay close to your child throughout the trip and detect unsafe circumstances.
4. Maintaining a clean seat
Stains and mess is part of family life. To avoid annoying stains from all those ice creams and snacks use a seat protection which is easy to take off and wash. The seat protection protects your car upholstery from wear and dirt. Most of the seat covers have storage compartments and an Ipad holder, which can be useful for entertainment, but watch out for car sickness! Apart from the seat protection, it is always a good idea to keep spare towels and baby wipes to clean up both small and bigger messes. Do not forget to bring a spare outfit for your child since spills and accidents do occur!
Also do not forget an extra change of clothes for your child, can be good if (or when) the accident occurs. If you need to clean the car seat, read more about our tips for cleaning the car seat here.
5. Avoid car sickness
If your child experiences nausea and dizziness it is important to travel as comfortably as possible. A number of ways will minimize the risk of car sickness. The feeling of unwellness will diminish when you adjust your child’s car seat to a more tilted and relaxed position. Also, make sure your children sit higher up so that they can see the horizon through the windshield. Playing video games or using tablets can trigger car sickness. Therefore entertain your children and keep them busy with activities that stop them from looking downwards. It will also help a lot if your child is eating less heavy content meals as well as getting some fresh air. Also, install a baby mirror to stay in contact with your child during the ride.
Here is a longer list of tips to avoid car sickness in the car.
Keep in mind that young children should not travel longer than a few hours in a row when sitting in a car. Therefore stop often and have plenty of patience.
#arrivesafe
Greetings from The Axkid family
