How to have fun and be safe when you travel with Baby!

Choosing infants restraint, it's a good idea to choose a restraint well before baby is born.

This gives you time to make sure the restraint is fitted correctly and securely. An infant's restraint must be correctly installed in your vehicle and adjusted to fit your child.

A rear facing baby capsule is recommended from birth to when the baby weighs about 9kg. Before the baby is moved into a safety seat, the baby should also be able to sit, and control her head.

Infant's restraints are suitable for babies weighing up to 9kg-12kg. These restraints face rearward, supporting your babies back and neck in the event of an accident. Convertible restraints are also face rearward until the baby weighs 9kg-12kg then the restraint is turned facing forward.

If you use a bunny rug, put it on the baby after you have fastened the restraint. All baby capsules, safety seats and booster seats should be correctly and securely fitted to the car and straps adjusted to fit the child.

The type of restraint used depends on the child's weight, size and development.

Car Baby Seats

If you plan to travel a lot with your baby, you should consider adding a baby car seat to the list of equipment you definitely need to have. Having a car seat for your baby is the only way you are going to keep your baby secure as you drive your car.

Not only is it a requirement by law but it is also an investment in the safety of your child. Babies are not safe when being held by another person. The person's arms will not be strong enough to hold the baby in an accident.

Typically, car seats are miniature seats that snugly secure your baby as you travel about in your car. The seats are firmly and safely attached to free seats in the vehicle. There are hundreds if not thousands of car seat designs you can select.

When looking for a baby car seat you should consider the following:

Comfort:

Some car seats are roughly made and it will show in the craftsmanship. Rough edges and tough padding will make travel uncomfortable for your child.

It would be best to find seats with a comfortable build. Padding that is soft yet firm is an added bonus. Make sure there are no sharp edges around and within the seat area. This could cause a bruising or gouging hazard so keep all those edges blunt.

You want to consider designs that support your baby's back and neck. Babies can't hold their neck up, so they will need a seat that will make sure that his or her head is kept in a comfortable position. This should be all the more important considering how babies love to wiggle and squirm.

Quality:

Check the seat for any irregularities in its design. Look for areas that are susceptible to breaking and wearing out. The baby seat should be lightweight and easy to manage, yet tough enough to ensure the safety of your child.

Remember that the most important aspect here is safety. So keep a parent's eye out for any design flaws that could contribute to such.

When attached to a car seat, the baby's harness shouldn't wobble to and fro. It should be stable and secure to ensure that your baby does not get rocked violently.

Stay away from second-hand car seats as they could already be damaged or worn out. This will compromise your child's safety, so it is best to refrain from even considering such equipment.

Complexity:

Does the harness take too much time to secure? If so you might want to consider other models that allow for a more straightforward approach to securing and removing your baby from the harness.

Of course, even if this is the case do not forget that the most important aspect of any car seat is its safety.

If you were to choose between a harness that was a little complex but safe, and one that was easy to secure but comes off on its own, go for the former.

However, you will still have to worry about how hard it is to detach such a harness. Go for baby car seats that allow for maximum safety and easiest securing of children. Also try reading the manual for each baby car seat to find out the guidelines and functionality each one offers. This will give a better idea on comparing each baby car seat by make and function.

Size:

The size of the car seat will generally depend on how large your baby is. Make sure, however, that the harness goes over the pelvis of your baby and not over his or her stomach. If the harness goes over the stomach instead, you should consider getting a different baby seat.

The baby's hands and feet should also fit snugly within the car seat to avoid getting injuries to these parts. If the seat is too big for the child, it will show since you will notice that he or she does not fit the seat snugly.

Choosing the right car seat for your baby is important in assuring a safe and comfortable ride for the both of you.

Sometimes, the choice of baby car seat you make depends on the needs of your baby - size, comfort, and durability. Use the guide above to get a better understanding and idea of how to choose the right seat for your baby.

Learn more about car seat safety here: Infant Memories

Car seat belts are not one of our children's most favored choices in life, but little known to them are the dangers associated with not wearing them.

They look at this procedure of strapping them in as some kind of punishment, not understanding why they must endure this.

What they must understand is the rules involved in traveling in the car; the Childs safety is first priority, not to mention it is against the law not wearing seat belts while traveling, it is up to the adult to ensure the child also understands the dangers without a seat belt.

The leading cause of death in children is road trauma

Room To Stretch:

Our children need to be safe in the car, but also making sure they still have free movement of their arms and legs while buckled in.

Find the right seat belt tension for each child, for a safe and more comfortable trip.

Making The Rules Stand:

If we pursue the rules with wearing the seat belts from the time our children first get into the car, it will become second nature to the child.

Remember, the car doesn't move, and will go nowhere until everyone is safely buckled in.

Upgrading Seats:

When our child moves from the baby seat to the bigger seat in the car, we need to tell him how proud we are of him for the great job with wearing his seat belts in the previous seat, and when he is old enough he will be able to sit in the front with mum or dad.

Quiet Up Front:

If our children hear us saying to others how we hate having to wear seat belts, as little ears often listen, they will feed off this comment and begin to resist wearing their seat belt.

Training Program:

Letting our children know how we expect them to behave when in the car and sticking to it, is the only way.

Praise them when they are doing the right thing, staying in their seat belts and sitting safely, but also make them aware of what could happen if things went wrong.

When other members of your family live in another state, or you're planning a family summer vacation out of town then a road trip is in store for this.

If it is and you are traveling with a baby or preschool age children you will need to be well prepared for the distance with small children.

When organizing your trip it's easy to forget a few things, Make a list a couple of weeks prior to your vacation. Here are top tips for having a fun and non-stressful driving vacation.

Baby

Good Supply of Baby Formula and Baby Bottles

Extra Nappies - Disposable Nappies are ideal for the journey

Baby Wipes, Nappy Change Creams, Change Rug, Plastic Bags with Ties

Babies favourite toys, Teething Ring

Extra clothes, bibs, booties and babies comforter (Pacifier)

Preschool Children

A 'bag of tricks' should be the first and foremost on the list with the planned trip. Grab your child's favourite blanket, pillow and toy for sleeping.

Pack colouring books, dot to dots, find a word; letter and number books are an excellent activity for long trip too.

If the children are to the point of total boredom, sing songs. Play I spy, Simon says is also a fantastic way of family entertainment while travelling. Its heaps of fun!
There are also many cheap hand held games kids love to play while travelling.

When you stop for a break or need to attend to the baby, offer your preschooler to stretch his or her legs while you tend to other matters.

Enjoy your journey!