📝 Step 1: The Basics
Child’s name
Car seat type and model
Child’s height and weight (check the seat limits)
Class day, time and length
Drive time home
Adults who drive my child
🧺 Step 2: Dry, Dressed and Warm
Towel off completely. Change out of wet swimwear before the car, as the school’s changing rules allow.
Dress in thin, warm layers. Add a hat and dry socks in cold weather.
Keep towels, robes and coats out from under the straps. Lay them over the buckled child instead.
Offer water and a snack. A fed, warm child buckles more easily.
Pack dry clothes and a spare towel. Keep them in the swim bag, not in the car seat.
🔒 Step 3: Harness Check
Buckle first, then add warmth. The harness goes on the child’s dry, thin layers.
Pinch test at the shoulder. If I can pinch a fold of strap, tighten it.
Chest clip at armpit level. Check it every trip.
Strap height and direction. Follow the car seat manual; stay rear-facing as long as the seat limits allow.
Ask a technician if unsure. A certified child passenger safety technician can check fit and installation.
😴 Step 4: The Sleepy Ride Home
Keep my child buckled the whole trip. Never unbuckle to comfort a child while the car is moving.
Check head and chin position. When it is safe, glance at a sleeping child; use a second adult for a baby.
Plan for arrival. Move a sleeping baby to a flat, firm sleep surface rather than leaving them in the seat.
Keep a comfort item within reach. A buckled child can’t reach a dropped toy, so plan ahead.
🚫 Step 5: Look Before You Lock
Never leave a child alone in the car. Not for a minute, and not with a window cracked.
Look in the back seat every time I park. Make it a habit, even when the child is not with me.
Put my swim bag or phone by the car seat. It reminds me a child is in the back.
Keep keys out of reach and lock the car. Children should not be able to climb in.
If I see a child alone in a car, call 911. Get help right away.
📈 Step 6: Ride-Home Log
Look for a pattern. If the harness check keeps getting skipped, move the routine earlier or ask for help.
✅ Step 7: Our Family Plan
Who buckles and who carries the bags
Where the dry clothes live
Adults and relatives who need a copy
Changes after the first month
Safe at the pool, safe in the car. Never leave a child alone in a vehicle, and keep a child buckled whenever the car is moving. If a child is in trouble in the water, get help and call 911 or my local emergency number. Lessons do not make a child drown-proof, at any age.
