The experts continually tell parents how we should handle car travel with our kids, and most of us know the drill very well:  always use approved car seats, no riding in the front seat, no sharing seat belts, etc.  With summer travel upon us, a little reminder never hurt anyone.  This article from ParentCenter is a good refresher course on why little Johnny really needs to stay in his carseat, even though he is screaming his head off to hitch a lap ride in the car.  It is tough to resist when kids throw a fit and you need to transport the crew from A to B, but this is one of those times to be strong and possibly even find a good set of earplugs. 

It is difficult to manage safe car travel, especially if you have multiple children who need to be belted in and out with each little errand. ParentCenter reminds us why cutting corners is a bad idea, even though many of us have heard countless times from our parents how we survived childhood without carseats.  In our family, we have found that getting comfortable seats is a big help.  When the kids like their seat, it is much easier to keep them happy and belted in during a long trip or short errand.