Frugal Road Trip with Kids Series: Frugal Road Trip with Kids – Be Positive – Plan Your Route – Safety First – What to Bring – Food and Snacks – Fun Stuff – Fun in the Dark – Fun in the Heat – Classic Games
In the weeks following up to the trip we work on practicing emergency info for each child, depending on what is appropriate for their age. Preschoolers can learn their name, address, and phone number. Also what to do if we get lost (approach a police officer, an employee, or a mom with kids).
Also we have a family contact that everyone will call if we can’t reach each other, in our case usually the godmother of my children.
For older children I make sure they have the following contacts in their phones: emergency contact, each parent’s contact, a relative near the destination or place we are staying, a relative or neighbor near home.
Whenever we stop somewhere we discuss before we start where we will meet if we get lost, usually something tall that the kids can see from most of the area we will be in. For example at the fair this is almost always the Ferris Wheel, you can see that from the entire fairgrounds. At the flea market it’s the old silo in the middle of the lot.
Some families will color code the whole family. I don’t have tshirts made, but I might have everyone dress in the same color if we are going somewhere touristy. If you go to Niagara Falls in the summer you will be glad your 3 year old is dressed in red.
Before we leave I print up an id sheet (straight out of my household management binder) that has pertinent info for each person (adults too), including updated height and weight, doctor info, and three recent photos, at least one of which is our property and the police can distribute if someone becomes lost. I print a copy of each to keep in my Binder of Doom, put a copy on a USB drive I keep in my purse, and email it to the relative that will be closest to our location (or their godmother). If you are paranoid enough to do this then you already watch your kids like a hawk and most likely won’t ever come close to needing it, but I feel better if I have it. If I lost one of my kids I would not be in a good place to remember how much they weighed last time we checked. You could use the Personal Information Page template here and just paste photos on it, or here
I also fill out an updated Permission to Treat for the relative that will be closest to our location, or their godmother. I copy/scan the front and back of everyone’s insurance cards as well. These are mailed with the child id sheets, and put on my USB drive. You can download a template from here.
I put the child’s name and two emergency numbers on an index card and make them put it in their pocket, just in case they are incapacitated. If they had any medical issues or allergies I would put this on there as well. Make extra cards for when they lose them and put them in your Binder of Doom. I will take some painter’s tape and fold it in half so it sticks to itself, and write info on the inside of that to use as an identifying anklet on little ones. You could also stick this on the inside of their shirt. You can get cute child id bands off of eBay for cheap. You can make a printable child id here and laminate it.
The dollar store should have a tiny little Mini First Aid Kit that will fit in your purse, which you should already have stashed in your diaper bag, or this is at WalMart for a couple bucks. You also need a decent sized first aid kit. If someone sprains an ankle hiking around the Grand Canyon and swells up you want to be able to wrap it up. Make sure you have pain reliever and fever reducer for every age group you have traveling with you.
Grab a boo boo buddy from the dollar store, stick it in a zip bag, and stick it in the cooler. Or make your own. If the three year old skins her knee she will stop crying faster with the comfort of a boo boo buddy, regardless of the severity of the injury.
I get a book light from the dollar store (actually I get a bunch, sometimes they don’t work right out of the package) and wrap it around the hook on the car seat so I can check on the baby without turning all the interior car lights on.
What’s your best travel safety hack?
We hope you enjoyed our Frugal Road Trip with Kids from a Mama Pro
Photo credits:
Lego police photo by Rob Young on Flikr
First Aid Sign photo by ed and eddie on Flikr
Frugal Road Trip with Kids Series: Frugal Road Trip with Kids – Be Positive – Plan Your Route – Safety First – What to Bring – Food and Snacks – Fun Stuff – Fun in the Dark – Fun in the Heat – Classic Games
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