Car Trip with Children: What is Important to Know?
The birth of a child is associated with a number of restrictions. Of course, parents want to return to a usual life as soon as possible. For example, many dream of booking Thrifty car rental Albany NY to go on a family car trip around New York. Yes, a car trip is a simple yet convenient way to relax and gain fresh emotions. However, traveling with a child is still a new experience that can stop even the most inveterate travelers.
At the same time, young mothers have a lot of questions. At what age can you take your baby on a car trip? What do you need to take with you on a road journey? The list of similar questions seems endless.
In order for the first rental car trip with your kid to bring only pleasant impressions, you should carefully prepare for it. Here’re some important points to help you with this…
At what age can you take your child on a car trip?
It’s believed that you can only do this after the child is one and a half years old. Fortunately, we are in a hurry to debunk this myth. As experts say, if the child is healthy and the parents are confident in their abilities, then there’re no age restrictions on travel.
Children 0-1 years old. You can even take a baby on your first short vacation. Babies and toddlers under 1 year old turn out to be very picky passengers: they sleep for a long time, can travel in an infant car seat, and don’t require much attention.
Children 1-2 years old. It’s a little more difficult with children aged between 1 and 2 years old, since they still can’t walk, require space to crawl, can’t play and listen to fairy tales, and are capricious in terms of sleep. With such little ones, it’s better to limit yourself to very short journeys.
Children 2-4 years old. 2-4 years old children show an active interest in the world around them, thus they willingly endure the road trip and travel time. As a rule, they listen to songs, fairy tales, watch cartoons, play with toys and sit quietly in the car seat. As child psychologists say, the main thing for such babies is diversity and a frequent change of activities.
Children over 4 years old. If the kid is already four years old or older, then you won’t have any problems in your car rental trip. In comfortable conditions they can easily overcome daily road trips with their parents. So, it’s funny to travel with such a child because a long trip in a car is completely exciting entertainment for him.
What are the main safety rules on a road trip?
The main condition for transporting small children in a car is the installation of a special in accordance with the kid’s weight and age. Such a seat not only reduces the risk of injury to a child in the event of an accident, but also provides him with a comfortable ride.
Remember! If your rental car is equipped with airbags, the child seat should be installed in the middle of the rear seat.
Observe the following precautions when traveling with your child:
- Don’t clutter up the interior of the car, and don’t put bags on the rear panel. If you are cramped in a compact car, rent a car of a larger size.
- In case there’re no adults in the cabin besides the driver, adjust the rearview mirror so that the child is always in the field of vision.
- The locks on the rear doors of the car must always be closed.
- When stopping on the road, never leave the child alone in the car, even if he is sleeping.
How to entertain a child on a road trip?
A trip very quickly can bore a kid and it will be very difficult to keep him in place. To prevent this from happening, parents should take care of the baby’s leisure time in advance.
For the smallest children, take their favorite home toys. Surrounded by parents and familiar things, the baby will feel comfortable and safe. Older children can enjoy a variety of activities:
- drawing. It will be convenient for kids under 3 years old to draw with a stick on a magnetic screen.
- reading of books. Children will be happy to listen to fairy tales or look at colorful pictures in books;
- listening to music/audio recordings. Turn on recordings with fairy tales, musical pieces or just perky children’s songs, and this will entertain him.
What things should you bring with you?
- drinking water, light food for snacks in small containers, hot food in a thermos;
- plastic bags for garbage and food waste;
- drinking straws and disposable tableware, drinking bowl for babies;
- diapers or baby potty;
- baby bottle, pacifier;
- dry and wet wipes;
- clothes and shoes for the baby;
- first aid kit;
- electric kettle working from the car outlet;
- baby soap, cream, shampoo
What benefits do you get when traveling with children in a rental car?
- A trip with the whole family by car will be much cheaper than by other means of transport;
- The date and time of departure doesn’t need to be adjusted to the availability of tickets and the schedule;
- In a road trip, you don’t have to worry about the child causing inconvenience to others;
- The amount of luggage is limited only by the carrying capacity of the car rental vehicle.
