WFMW — Life-Saving Tip for Children in Cars

Brand new mommies have lots of worries and concerns when their children are born. One of mine was that our son would remove his car seatbelt without my knowledge as soon as he was old enough to do so. Lots of children do.

I thought about what I could possibly do or say to keep him safe, and I remembered something my mom had once told me that my grandfather would do long before seat belts were even invented.

My grandfather would tell his five children that if things became rowdy in the back seat, the car could not drive. At the first child’s misbehavior, he would pull the car over and the car would not drive until the children quieted down. After one or two trips to the side of the road, my grandfather quickly found himself with a carload of quiet, well-behaved children who were helping the car to drive.

I told our son the same thing, adding the fastened seatbelt clause. I started him from babyhood. He tested the theory a couple of times by acting up or complaining that the seatbelt was not comfortable, but the car immediately pulled to the side of the road and refused to start until all was quiet again. By the time he was old enough to understand that the seatbelt did not have any effect whatsoever on the car, he was fully trained and used to his seatbelt. As a matter of fact, by that time he had become quite vigilant about mandatory seatbelts for everyone at all times, commenting on people who do not wear their seatbelts.

I never was more thankful I had done that all these years than when my worry became a real life nightmare and perpetual agony for our son’s swim coach. While returning home from a camping trip with her 10 children, she had a car accident. The coach and nine of the children were wearing seatbelts and were not hurt. The youngest child, my son’s age, on his swim team and a schoolmate, had taken off her seatbelt, apparently to sleep more comfortably. She flew through the van’s windshield, spent a short time at the children’s hospital with severe brain damage and other injuries, and is now a little angel in heaven.

So please make sure your children are wearing their seatbelts. Be a good role model to them by wearing yours as well, and I hope that my tip will help you to keep children and future children safe. This tip really does work, so please for life’s sake, spread the word.

On a happier note, please visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for a list of all the participants in this week’s Works For Me Wednesday meme.

If you missed my other WFMW tips, here they are:

Child’s haircut without tears

Homemade bread stuffing

plastic colander bath toy drainerholder

reuse plastic grocery bags in the car

How to increase Web site traffic?

16 Web site tips

Toy storage

And don’t forget to stop by Shannon’s Rocks in My Dryer for lots more tips from all the participants.

Toys Stored in Zipper Bags and Plastic Drawer Towers — Works For Me Wednesday

***************************************************************************** Be sure to check today’s following post for the recap of all the answers from last week’s WFMW question. Thank you all for your great comments!! *****************************************************************************

Our toy chest was always a jumble and neither children nor adults could find what we were looking for. Plus, toys these days come with small parts and it seemed we were always in search for the tiniest ones.

I came up with the solution of storing all small parts in plastic baggies with easy zippers and storing these baggies. We also put the toys in plastic bags and store all these bags in plastic drawer towers. Even younger children can easily open and close these baggies.

I started when our son was a toddler and still needed help organizing, but now that he’s older it’s become second nature for him to sort all the Star Wars toys, all the Playmobile toys, all the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe toys, etc. together in their individual bags. The toys remain together at the ready for play time and the small parts do not get lost or separated.

Additionally, when it’s time to go to grandma’s house, he just selects a few baggies and off we go.

This system also works extremely well with K’nex. Each type of piece is stored in a different bag for easier and faster building. We have one bag for miscellaneous parts where there are only one or two of each such pieces.

All these bags need a good home and I put them in plastic drawer towers. They are light and it is easy for a child to pull out. When done playing, the bags or the entire drawers go back in and there is no clutter all over the house or room.

But perhaps best of all, if you ever move, you will think this idea is a godsend because all the toys will already be packed and nothing will fall out. We have gone through two moves with this system and it worked beautifully. I only wish the rest of the house were as easy to pack as the pre-packed toys!

See these and other tips at Rocks in My Dryer.