When the school year starts, so do busy schedules. From drop off and pick up at school, to the endless trips to and from sports and after school activities-your weekly calendar quickly fills up. Since we haven’t figured out a way to be in two places at once, carpooling with friends is the easiest and best way to get your kids where they need to be and to save a little of your sanity. So how can you rock the carpool this year? Here’s five tips that every carpooling parent needs this school year.
1. To keep you and the other moms in the carpool on the same page, download a carpooling app like Cozi or Manage Carpool. These apps let you create calendars and schedules for everyone on your carpool list, and if there is an emergency, the apps will let you send a text message to everyone on the passenger list. So no more searching for numbers in your contacts.
2. Make sure you are never late for your carpool duty by setting alarms on your phone to remind you when you’ll need to leave each day. I set alarms for just about everything, and believe me, they have saved me more times than I can count. Even if you are busy or distracted, when the alarm on the phone goes off, you know it’s time to leave.
3. Grab a few hooks with suction cups on the back and attach them to the car windows. Just be sure to place the hooks low on the window so the driver’s view is not obstructed. This way kids can hang their book bags on the hooks and can keep them off the floor. This hack is perfect for a little extra room, especially if kids are carrying multiple backs or the weather outside is wet and messy. Now the kids’ bags will stay dry and clean.
