Life on the Road

I must be getting old…  I keep discovering things that are far “cooler” than I expected them to be.  I suppose it’s something about how much progress there has been in the last decade or so while I have been submersed in parenting and other assorted dramas.

Anyhow, in case anyone else hasn’t found out about some of this neat stuff, I thought I ought to share.

I know Child Safety is an issue, but somehow it just doesn’t get me all excited.  I mean, what are you going to do, use one of those “kid leashes”?

Several suggestions have come up on my daily read Parent Hacks about things like writing your cell phone number on your kids’ bellies with a Sharpie marker…  But I also stumbled across some safety stuff that really impressed me (yeah, I had to get some in hand to try it out - you can’t tell anything about anything just from a website!)

Check out the Child Safety Products page at Chicks & Cubs.  Here’s some of the good stuff - and some really surprising stuff - that I tried out:

• Just reading on the website, I wasn’t sure how useful the “Car Seat ID Card” and “wallet ID card” would be.  After all, couldn’t I just as easily write it on an index card, or print it out on my printer, and tape it on there?  Well, yes, of course… But these were among the “cooler than I expected” products.  The cards are well laid out, with a space for a photo, a fingerprint, and all the important info.  And the site says they come with “self-sealing pouches”, which doesn’t come close to the heavyweight self-laminating covering that is actually included.  And velcro to stick ‘em to the seat…  For the price, I think the ease of use factor here is well worth it!
• The biggest surprise for me was the “Shoe Sticker ID.”  You write your contact info on a sticker, and stick it in your child’s shoe.  Then you teach them that if they get lost, they can take off their shoe and give it to someone to ask for help (Chicks & Cubs suggests looking for a mommy).  “Oh, Right!” I thought… As though that’s going to hold up.  Well, surprised again!  They are cleverly designed with a laminate top that you peel the lining off and stick down once you have written down your info - removing the “sweaty feet make the writing bleed” problem.  And Jewel ran around all day in her newly stickered shoes, and they look just like they did when I put them in (not crumpled in the bottom of the shoe, crumpled up, etc.).  Wow! 

Chicks & Cubs has also got ID bracelets and other goodies, PLUS they do Baby Shoe Bronzing and other kinds of stuff…

And a funny/not funny thought:  Is your luggage better identified than your children?