Going the Distance: Season of Service Challenge 2

by Mom It Forward on November 15th, 2010 | No Comments »

When planning for a family vacation, one of the most important parts of the vacation is making sure everyone arrives at and returns from their destination safely. You may be wondering what that has to do with service, but as Safety 1st reminds us, taking care of our families and ensuring their safety is one way, as parents, we can give back.

Consider making your next long holiday road trip better by easing the difficulties of car seat travel for your children and others. The list below identifies 10 possible ways to go the distance during this season's family holiday travels.

Go to your state's DMV website (in Utah, it's DMV.org/ut-utah) to find out what your state's laws actually are regarding car seat safety.
Visit a child passenger seat inspection station to ensure your child's/children's seat(s) actually meet the requirements.
Make those seats as comfortable as possible for your children, since we all know that long hours in them can make them cranky. Try layering a thin blanket over your older child's booster seat, or wrap a small pillow case around the seat belt where it rubs his or her neck. Buy a travel pillow so your booster-seat-aged child can nap comfortably.
Make those seats as fun as possible. For your older children in booster seats, you might let them decorate theirs with stickers or markers. For your babies in car seats, buy a new rattle or hanging toy.
Move your child's car seat to a different spot. Although we all know that the back seat is the safest place, there is some leeway in exactly where that car seat is. If your son's car seat is normally on the passenger side, move it to the driver side.
Make frequent stops to get the wiggles out. For me, the best part of any road trip is the gas station food!
Play I Spy With My Little Eye, see who can find all the letters of the alphabet first, or listen to a book on tape together. For more activity ideas, as well as car seat reviews, visit www.travelingmom.com.
Make sure all of your nieces and nephews have car seats of their own.
Keep your eyes open for a needy family in your area, and give them a new or used infant or toddler car seat, either directly or anonymously.
Donate a new or used infant or toddler car seat to your local women's shelter or YWCA. Used seats must have been purchased in the last 5 years.

How Will You Go The Distance This Week?

What other ideas do you have for going the distance regarding your family's and other's safety?
How has giving your best made a meaningful difference this week?
How have others given to you this week and what difference has that made in your life?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Season?

Make a meaningful difference this season by taking the Season of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here's how you can participate:

Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week's challenge.
Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week's challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
Enter to win each week's giveaway. Check out this week's prizes from Dorel/Safety 1st by clicking here.
Join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.