Things to Check Before Your Baby's First Car Ride

Traveling with a baby for the first time can be a bit intimidating experience for the parents, but you know what? It doesn’t have to be like that at all, so stay with us and learn about four important things to check before your baby’s first car ride. Just keep on reading and enjoy!

Make sure to get a rear-facing safety seat

Babies under six months should be seated in a properly adjusted and fastened rear-facing seat, in the center of the back seat. In fact, it’s illegal (and extremely dangerous) to carry a baby in a rear-facing seat in a front car seat that has an active airbag, so stick to this rule and keep the baby seat on the back of your car. You should also know that rear-facing car seats do a great job when it comes to supporting a young child’s head, neck, and spine. This is because they distribute the force of a collision over the entire body, so be sure to get this seat as this is one of the most important aspects of your baby’s first car ride.

Use the harness in the right way

When it comes to buckling your baby into the car seat, you should use the harness in the right way. A car seat that features five harnesses is probably the best possible option as it contacts your baby in five important points – the shoulders, the hips, and the crotch, which are the strongest points of the body. Once your baby is buckled, the straps should lie flat in a straight line, without sagging or twisting. Besides that, you should never put a blanket between your child and the harness, as it can interfere with the tightness of the harness. Instead, place the blanket over your child and the harness to keep your baby warm and cosy.

Check your tires

Correct tire pressure indeed matters a lot – especially when it comes to your baby’s first car ride. Apart from helping you stay safe on the road, keeping your tires properly inflated also provides a range of performance benefits such as boosting your fuel economy, prolonging the life of your treads, and improving your handling. Basically, having the right amount of air in your tires will enable your vehicle to perform at its best, which is of the utmost importance when you have your baby in the back seat. On the other hand, if you need brand new tires and you don’t know which ones to pick, you can either browse some really good tires here, or find a local store near you and do your research. As simple as that!

Keep loose items in a safe place

Even though we believe that you’ll be doing your best to keep yourself and your baby safe on the road, you should bear in mind that a crash can happen no matter how cautious you are. The fact is that loose items can fly about in a crash, which is exactly why you need to keep them somewhere safe. A glove box is a great idea, as well as the trunk, so don’t forget to gather items such as water bottles, sunglasses, keys, and other stuff that can potentially hurt you and your baby and store them in one place. Apart from that, you should bear in mind that an empty baby seat or a booster seat can be hazardous, too, so fasten the seatbelt around it to prevent it from injuring someone while on the road.

There are a lot of things to check before your baby’s first car ride, and these four are undoubtedly the most important ones out there. All you have to do is to stick to our tips and everything will be more than fine. That’s a promise!