As a parent of school aged children—we’ve all been there. You’re either in the car line waiting for the school bell to ring or at your child’s soccer practice. You’re stuck in the car with nothing planned to pass the time and a cell phone running out of battery. Listen up fellow parents, this is prime time to take care of some neglected business or make the most of your downtime. Here are some top tips to pass the time while waiting for your kids. With a little pre-planning, the kids’ practice times can become your best friend!

• Bring your laptop or tablet—most indoor training facilities and schools offer WI-FI or find a nearby coffee shop. Catch up on work, grocery shop online, create monthly family budgets, organize photos/create photo books, plan a family trip, read blogs and the news and spend a little guilt-free time on Pinterest or Instagram.

• Run errands—there’s usually a local Target, Walmart or Walgreen’s nearby. This is a great time to grab stuff for dinner, do your grocery shopping or simply browse a favorite shop.

• Enjoy “me” time—find a nearby nail salon for a mani/pedi, meet a friend for coffee or finally finish reading that book you started months ago.

• Return/make phone calls—keep your calendar and pen handy and use the time to book family appointments, organize playdates or return calls you haven’t had time for.

• App Time—the downtime just might be the perfect time for downloading the apps you’ve been meaning to install. Find learning apps for your kids’ tablets or install apps that make life easier for a mom such as shopping apps, family calendars, etc.

• Get in a workout—bring along your running shoes and use the time to walk around the soccer field, track, sports complex or neighborhood where your kids are practicing. It’s a great way to get in your exercise in a new environment.

• Sneak in a snooze—how often to moms get a chance to relax? Don’t feel guilty! If you’ll be waiting a specific amount of time, set your phone’s alarm, lay back your seat and turn on light radio music, a book on CD or iPod or NPR. You’ll be surprised how great a little downtime is for your spirit.

• Podcast away the time—these days podcasts are all the rage and what a perfect time to listen to some you’ve been wanting to check out. Download them on your tablet before you leave and listen away the time.

• Take a class—use your spare time to learn something new or get a little smarter! Armed with a tablet or laptop and WI-FI, you can be learning a new language or taking a free online class while your kids are at practice. Just don’t forget your headphones.        

MyBuckleMate Founder Meghan Khaitan invented MyBuckleMate to make buckling up a snap. It’s perfect for carpooling and fitting three kids in the backseat. MyBuckleMate is an award-winning product that’s the first of its kind. It promotes safety and independence for kids booster seat age and up. MyBuckleMate makes it easy to buckle up every time, every ride. Available in black, tan, gray, beige and red. Retails for $14.99. www.mybucklemate.com

The post GOT DOWNTIME WAITING FOR YOUR KIDS IN THE CAR? appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

In a society where accidents are occurring at every moment, many being fatal, it’s a wonder why such a large group of parents do not buckle their children up properly. This neglect opens your child up to be being hurt, or worse, killed on impact.

According to the law, children need to be restrained properly. Babies are required to be in a car seat, buckled up sufficiently and children over the age of 3 need to be in a booster seat or restrained with a safety belt that must not go over the child’s face. In addition, children under 12 years are required to sit in a back seat and also are to be restrained. When you look around at cars driving, you will often see children playing around in the car unrestrained. Parents need to realize that this is illegal and extremely dangerous.

There are so many reasons and excuses that both children and adults can give for not being restrained in the car appropriately. Whatever the reasons are, they are invalid as nothing is more important than protecting your child, especially when it is easy and uncomplicated to do so. It is your sole responsibility to keep your children safe: at home, on the go and in the car.

4aKid has many products to assist parents in this duty. We have a Secure-A-Kid for Safety Belts, which acts as a replacement to a booster seat and pulls the seatbelt away from the face and neck of the child. There are car seat strap clips in order to ensure that toddlers cannot get out of their car seats. We also have easy sleepers to keep the child’s head straight in the car.

Next time you get into your car, take this information into consideration, and please ensure your children are all buckled up safely. You can save a life, and have peace of mind during your trip. Let’s keep our children safe as children are extremely vulnerable, and we have to take action to ensure that child safety comes first.

The post Keep your child safe with 4aKid! appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.