School Carpool Ideas for Busy Parents: Follow these tips

School carpool ideas to help this school year go great.

Carpooling to and from school and activities is a popular choice for saving time and money. Other reasons to carpool include saving on the environment. It can be a viable option for some people without good busing or who deal with unsafe walking/biking to school areas. If you are new to carpooling, these tips will make it less stressful. If you are a seasoned carpool driver, please leave your tips on our Facebook page.

School Carpool Ideas to Maintain Your Sanity

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention checking over your tires, and doing proper vehicle maintenance, right?
Get all kids’ and parents’ cell and work numbers in your cell phone.
Keep your phone charge in case of emergency.
Determine your carpool route and schedule.
Clearly communicate your rules; wearing seat-belts, no drinks, etc.
Leave early and give yourself plenty of time.
Pack healthy, travel-friendly snacks so you aren’t dealing with hungry and crabby kids.
Assemble a Sanity-Kit; band-aids, wet wipes, plastic bag for who-knows-what, aspirin for the driver?
Sunglasses for the early morning and late day “sunny drive”.
Extra booster seats to avoid too many transfers. If you are unsure of booster seat laws, check out an article we did a while back on Minnesota Car/Booster Seat Laws.
It’s ok to rely on good maps and current road conditions/status updates.
Anticipate delays, road construction, detours and have a plan B ready.
Create the “no trash” rule at the end of the ride. Have a designated place or bag, or ask that everyone takes trash with them out of the vehicle.