Driving and Children
Driving with children in your car can prove to be a challenge, as it is to most new parents. However, this task is not impossible. What you need to be aware of when you are traveling with children is that they tend to get bored easily. This is why it is important to make sure that you always bring something entertaining to keep your children occupied. By distracting your children in this way, you are helping to prevent them from distracting you from what you need to do: drive.
Depending on the age of your child, you might try to bring a couple of toys with you on the car ride. The amount of items that you bring will also depend on where you are traveling to as well as how long the car ride is going to be. For instance, a car ride from Florida to New York might require more toys than a car ride from Baltimore to Pennsylvania. Again, parents need to exercise caution as well as discretion in the kinds of toys they choose to bring as entertainment for their kids. A toddler might accidentally or unknowingly throw a toy towards the front of the car, striking the driver and/or passenger. Therefore, softer toys that won’t cause damage may be in order. However, if your child is older and has an appreciation for holding onto their toys, you may consider allowing your child to choose one or two of his or her favorite toys to bring along on the car ride.
Within the past few years, one of the biggest lifesavers to parents everywhere has been the invention of the DVD player in cars. Not only this, but you can now purchase portable DVD players to take with you no matter where you go. Videos are one of the greatest distractions towards keeping your children safe because movies are engaging for children at certain ages. Important to remember here is to choose the age appropriate movie for your child. Especially if you have multiple children in your vehicle of varying age ranges, always opt for the lowest level DVD or movie to keep everyone happy and appropriately entertained.
Besides DVDs and movies, some parents get creative and come up with fun games that kids can play when they are in the car for long periods of time. Singing songs or leaving it up to the child’s imagination can be a lifesaver.
