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64

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ESCAPEES

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May/June 2015

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www.escapees.com

RVing with Children: Safety First

Traveling with children can be both fun and challenging. It

is fun to watch them experience first-time adventures, but

challenging if you can’t keep them occupied while enroute

or during an excursion fit for a 40-year-old.

Another factor when traveling with kids in an RV is their

seat location. If the child is under 40 pounds, or if you are

in, or traveling to, California, under the age of six or 80

pounds, your child must be in an approved car or booster

seat. RVs may limit the location of that seat since you can’t

place a seat in a side-facing or swivel seat. That means

the safest place for the child may actually be in the front

passenger seat if no other seats within the RV are fixed for-

ward. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations if this

situation applies. If your children are older, don’t fall into

a false sense of safety from being in a recreation vehicle to

think it is okay for the children (or adults) to run free and

not be seat-belted in while the vehicle is in motion.

I think every parent has a story about distractions when

traveling from sibling squabbles or sudden loud unex-

plained screams or other bodily functions that take us by

surprise. Remember that driving your RV is not the same

as your compact car, and sudden swerves or stops can be

more dangerous to your family than the impending doom

that you will administer to get the children to settle down.

If you are a grandparent and it has been a while since

traveling with under-age tikes, take a few minutes before

leaving to ensure you have child-proofed your cabin.

You don’t need a three-year-old to find that a spray bot-

tle of glass cleaner or another eye-stinging substance can

be “fun” for a time to kill the road boredom. Take some

precautions so you don’t have to locate an out-of-town

medical provider.

Along these lines, stow away in a safe location your

children’s current shot records and medical information

with your health insurance card and a list of any allergies

or other conditions that would be helpful if medical atten-

tion is required. The same is true for your pets. A small

You, too, may be

an avid RVer if:

1. A thorough housecleaning takes 15 minutes.

2. When you dislike your neighbors, you move away.

3. When you drive a small car, you have to be careful

not to make wide turns.

4. When you talk about “dry-camping,” you don’t

mean it’s boring.

5. When you hear the term “dump valve,” you don’t

think of a body part.

6. When a stranger asks how often you need to

dump, you’re not offended.

7. When the host on the nature show refers to toads,

it finally dawns on you that he’s talking about

frogs.

8. The best show you’ve seen in the past year was an

RV show.

9. When your RV is in storage for the winter, you visit

a different RV dealer every week to get your fix.

10. You had to repair 37 things on your new RV the

first month you had it, and you still love it.

11. Your home-sweet-home has a steering wheel and

gets really bad fuel mileage.

12. Your first cross-country trip with your new RV is a

tour of RV repair shops.

13. You’re in your 60s and still living in the first home

you purchased when you were 24, but you’re on

your ninth RV.

14. Your RV is less than a year old, and you’re dream-

ing about the next one you’ll buy.

15. When some people you meet hear that you are an

Escapee, they think you broke out of prison.

Terry Hager #48315

Terry Hager has been an avid RVer for 40 years and a full-time

RVer for 18 years. Besides his passion for travel, he also has a

passion for writing and has published numerous articles, many

in

Escapees

magazine, and three books with Amazon, including

one of RV humor.

Photo courtesy of

www.rvia.org .

Traveling with children? Connect with other RVers at

www.fulltimefamilies.com .

Different V iewpoints