Kay Green owner of www.mypreciouskid.com provides a great resource to any parent wanting to know more about child safety.  But that is not all!  The site is packed full of articles and resources to help us mothers learn about baby sleep, potty training, first aid, and much more. Kay visited our show to teach us a little about Baby Travel and Vacation Safety.  Whether it’s to Disneyland or Grandma’s house, we all go on vacation. But how do we keep our children safe in an environment unknown even to us? Kay says you must PLAN AHEAD not just the day before.  Familiarize yourself with the environment as much as you can prior to leaving. 

Child Identification

Part of planning ahead entails making sure your child wears a physical ID at all times.  Your children should be wearing these on a daily basis and not just the day before your vacation.  Wearing something new for a child is just like teaching them how to keep their shoes on.  Any chance they can, they will take anything new off and play with it, right?  What good is an identification tag/bracelet if your child is going take it off and leave it somewhere?  Practice makes perfect! www.mypreciouskid.com has many ID options to choose from.  Check it out! 

Can we trust the car seats that can be rented from airlines and car rentals?

Not recommended.  You cannot guarantee that the car seat has not been in an accident or has not expired.  Best thing to do is to trust what you know.  Your own car seat!  Besides a little bit of home might make them feel better about being outside their comfort zone.  If you are interested in a car seat that is not only GREAT for everyday use, but also great for travel check out the Radian65.

For everyday car seat safety, did you know that 4 out of 5 car seats are installed incorrectly? How can you be sure your child’s is installed correctly? One way is to read the instruction manual that came with your child’s car seat and your car’s owner’s manual. That will give you some good clues. You can also have it checked by your local fire station or car seat safety clinic. On www.mypreciouskid.com we find some common mistakes made with car seats.

Mistake #1: Seat Too Loose
The seat should not move more than one inch right to left. Mistake #2: Harness Too Loose
You should not be able to pinch the fabric of the harness belt.Mistake #3: Facing Wrong Way
Forward facing can not happen until the child is 1 year old AND more than 20 pounds.

Mistake #4: Wrong Angle
Rear facing infant seat should be at a 45 degree angle.

See Kay’s Car Seat Safety page for more common mistakes and car seat guidelines. 

Miscellaneous Vacation Travel Ideas

• Have a photo ID of each child in your wallet. In case of separation, you have a photo and description to help others looking for the child.
• Teach the child to drop to the ground and scream loudly, “He is not my daddy/mommy. HELP!” if someone tries to take them.
• If you have a happy wanderer, think about using a child safety harness.  It only takes a few seconds for you go to look for something and turn around and find they are gone.  If you have a ‘happy wanderer’ you will know what I mean!
• When you arrive at your hotel, do a quick check of windows, balconies, railings and door locks. Balcony railing posts should be 4 inches or less apart, about the size of a clenched fist. Move all chairs and furniture away from railings and windows to prevent a child from climbing up to these danger areas.
• When at the pool, stay covered in the sun with shirts and hats. Use SPF 50 sunscreen and reapply every two hours. It’s a hassle, but not so much as a sunburned infant.
• If you feel the need, bring along a baby proofing kit.  This kit might include electrical outlet covers, a safety gate, netting or other protective screening for hotel balconies, a toilet lid latch, doorknob covers, table corner covers for blunting sharp edges, and pipe cleaners to secure any loose drapery or electrical cords. Or, if you don’t want to carry a full array of supplies, pack a roll of masking tape. It can cover an electrical outlet, fasten a washcloth to a sharp table corner, attach an electrical cord to the floor, and secure cabinet doors so tiny hands can’t open them.
• Check out what babycenter.com says about cribs in hotel rooms.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 5th, 2007 at 11:24 am and is filed under Inspect-a-Gadget, Podcasts/Shows. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.