My name is Sophie and I have two children called Freddie (6) and Elliott (4). I am a full-time mum who enjoys lavish walks and going on fabulous days out to places like the zoo, but don’t get me wrong, being a full-time Mum does have its difficulties. Taking a step into a new world where changing nappies and having endless nights of no sleep suddenly becomes the norm. But personally, my biggest difficulty at first was getting over the fear of driving with my baby in the car.
When I had my first child Freddie, I must admit I was quite scared of taking him into the car, and I almost felt as though my own confidence had gone with driving; let alone taking a new born baby in with me. A few weeks after I was out of the hospital and back to normal life, driving became a necessity in order to be able to do the most normal of things like going food shopping and going on days out, so I simply had to get used to it. The reason I have brought this up is because I came across a study the other day from national car leasing firm – All Car Leasing, which explored driving habits made by 1200 new parents called “Baby Driver”.
It was nice to know that I wasn’t alone in being slightly afraid of driving shortly after having Freddie because 716 of the 1200 parents took over a week before they took their child into the car, with 68 of which still uncomfortable and unwilling to drive. My biggest worry at the time was in case anything ever happened to Freddie or we ended up getting lost, which would result in the baby being distressed, which in turn would cause me to be the same! Reading the survey made me realise that I was right in being nervous, as surprisingly ‘1 in 4’ of the respondents have been involved in a road traffic accident whilst their child was in the vehicle. Not only did this statistic shock me, but it also made me want to publish a post with driving safety tips for new parents, based off my experience as a parent of course.
Safety Driving Tips
Use of an Isofix Car Seat
If you are stuck on deciding what kind of seat to install for your baby in the car; an Isofix car seat is never a bad idea. What it means is that the actual seat is kind of plugged into the vehicle as opposed to being secured with the seat belt. Although they are more expensive than normal seats, it means that there is no way that the seat will move and your baby will be safe.
Don’t Ignore Your Baby
This may sound obvious but making sure that you baby is content throughout the journey is important. Of course, do not take your eyes of the road, but make sure that your baby doesn’t need anything like their nappy changed or something to eat/drink, because an upset baby can take your mind off of driving, which can in-turn be quite dangerous.
Journey Time – Take Everything You Need
Making sure that you take your baby in the vehicle at the right time is also something you need to bear in mind when driving. For example, if you are going to do your weekly shop, make sure you are not driving in peak times so you can avoid driving longer than you have to!
Better Suited Vehicle
It may sound weird but having a better suited vehicle for your baby can also make a massive difference. All Car Leasing’ study also highlighted that 66% of parents bought a new car in preparation for their baby and most commonly for the increased safety. It may be for the ease of putting the baby in the car or making sure that there is less chance of a collision happening.
Baby Driver by All Car Leasing
Disclosure: This is a guest post.
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