The comfort zone and what to do when that area is unavailable

What is a comfort zone?

This is what I call the area for which I find easiest to deal with the baby - especially if he is in a bad mood. In the truck this would be the bed where i can lay him out, pick him up, put him on his tummy, stand him up, sit him up on his pillow, etc. I can set out his bottle of formula, his bottle of water, a clean diaper, his nose plunger, his receiving blankets and have them all within reach. I can even set out the laptop in order to watch a movie with him. As I said, it really is a comfort zone.

Now, what do I do if this area is unavailable??
This is one of the more difficult situations I have found myself facing. Occasionally, especially when he is pretty tired, my husband will take a nap while we are either loading/unloading or even just stopping if we have time in order to take one - just because he really needs one. This often leaves me in a bind because that leaves me the two front seats and the floor, not exactly baby friendly places.

Setup:

First of all, I make sure that his car seat is in place in the passenger seat, with him in it, at least temporarily while I set up. I pit his bottle in the cup holders, the laptop on either the dashboard or the steering wheel and I have a diaper and changing stuff within reach so I do not have to leave the baby unsupervised on the front seat - which is incredible unsafe as you would guess. I also have a plastic box (which i keep cat crunchies in) for which I can sit on.
If he is hungry we watch a movie while i feed him.
If he is playing (usually running in his case) I place him on his back on the chair and sit on my box to make sure he doesn't roll off.

What to do when it is unavailable:

If he is wanting to sit up i hold him on my lap or move the laptop to the dashboard and seat him on the stairing wheel where he can move his head around and look outside.
Of course if nothing works and he is still being just plain cranky, I put him in the back and take him for a walk until he falls asleep or is likely to be hungry again. At one point I would rock him back and forth in the pack on the spot, but this got boring really fast and I concluded that it would be much better to actually go somewhere if I was going to be doing that much walking.
And if he is starting to fall asleep, but still wiggling and trying to play or I need something to hold him while i fix formula or food I always have the carseat in place on the passenger seat ready to hold him for me when I need it.

And when my husband wakes up, I am the first to rush to the back in the sleeper so I can have my favorite spot back.

Adjusting between on and off road

I recently heard a man on the radio say that it can take anywhere from 3 days up until 2 years to adjust to a new environment. Of course the wide range in this time period is due to a number of different factors. The type of environment (a new country and culture - 2 years or more, a new house - 3 days), whether there is a language barrier or a cultural barrier and of course the person or the people involved. It will typically take more people (families) longer to adjust because the time period takes as long as the slowest person in the group to adjust and then the group has to redefine the group roles and how each member functions in the new environment.
For my family each time we switch from on the road to off the road there is typically a three day period in which it takes us to adjust from situation to another. However, every time we switch we take into account the fact that during the time period in either situation the baby will change in some small way that will make the re-adjustment to the initial environment more interesting. For example, while I spent two weeks with my mother the baby started to become more alert and play with toys, so in coming back on the truck he prefers to sit up front where all the action is and like to have a toy to play with (usually his blanket for playing peek-a-boo). A couple of weeks after being on the truck we came off road again and he was starting to want to sit up in his horseshoe period, as a result I have had to figure out how he can do that one the truck. There are a couple of points you will need to make note of when considering these adjustments you will make at least 1-2 months:

Sleeping
I have not had an issue with this personally, however I have spoken recently with a number of ladies who have. Their babies and young children got very used to the movements and noises of the truck, and so when adjusting to an off the road situation many of them for at least a little had issues with sleeping. All I can recommend is that you try and keep a consistent schedule for the baby between both environments so that the baby is going to sleep about the same time each day. I have had some issues with getting him to sleep during the day on the truck, but i always have the fall back time period in the evening that i have mostly kept consistent. Originally it was 9pm, but recently I have brought it back to 7pm, because long term that is when I would like him to go to sleep.
I also make sure that whenever we are off the road that he sleeps in his crib as much as possible so that he understands the importance of have his own bed.

Burping
Babies for whatever reason need less burping while on the truck, I guess it must be the vibrations. Remember though if your switching to an off road environment to start burping your little one again, otherwise they will start spitting up and what-not.

Activities
Keep an eye on the babies development within each environment. If he starts doing something in environment make sure that he can do it within the other. As I mentioned before, the last time I was off the road he started enjoying sitting up in his shoe pillow and watching tv. So this time on the truck I have done just that and once whenever he seems like he might enjoy it I prop him up in front of the laptop so he can watch some cartoons. Whenever we have been at a terminal or truckstop for a couple of hours (and are not sleeping) I take him inside and prop him up on his horseshoe pillow in front of tv also.

Remember be kind to yourself
Some of the transitions will be very hard on you. I have found that reminding myself that the baby will adjust again in a couple of days - maybe a week, has been very helpful. If you can start with a solo run or one that will give you a bit of leeway for the adjustment period. Don't be stupid like us, one time we came back on the road into a full team shift. By the end of it the three of us were overly fatigued and slept for almost 24 hours straight.

All about accidents

I am very much aware of exactly how off topic this is, but all the same there is a lot of information that I can give on the subject that will help someone out there. I believe and hope to emphasize why you should not have kids on your truck if you are in a position not to. I was in fact nearly in several accidents this last week which has reminded me off the fact. First there was a stupid dump truck who decided to perform a u turn right into the path of a moving Semi-truck. Then there were the two cases in Washington DC within 10-15 miles of each other (do you think they might be short of some brain cells up there?). One was another car parked on the highway waiting to get run over, needless to say this time i avoided the moron and called 911. The other one involved someone driving up the exit ramp and realized just in time to speed up and make it to the shoulder avoiding myself and another car.

The funny thing about the trucking world is that the majority of people that talk about accidents have no actual experience and if they do it is from after the fact. I remember sitting in an accident awareness class during my commercial drivers license training and none of what I learned in that class was applicable in the major accident I was in. The man teaching the class had never been in an accident, he only repeated the Department of Transportation general information on the subject.

Fact: The are 8 seconds of importance before an accident.

It takes the average driver 3 seconds to respond 3 seconds to make a decision and then about 2 to put into play any decision you have made. This means that if your trainer was as good as mine *looks at James* he will drill procedure into you until it is instinct. The reality is is that by forcing your body to act before you process it leaves you a little more time to make an important decision if you need to.

So what happens in an accident?
After the point of decision and the accident starts to take place a very interesting thing happens. The most accurate portrayal of an accident I have seen on television is on the show House. There is one episode where he is in a bus accident. Time does literally ground almost to a halt because everything is moving so fast. Things fly up in the air and almost seem to float about you and your world does literally seem to rotate around you. Then time speeds up again until everything grounds to a halt at the end of the whole incident. The one thing they do not teach drivers is to keep their mind clear during the period where time slows and they should. The reason being it allows the driver to prepare for when it speeds up again and  be prepared for how the vehicle will move in that time, whether it is sliding along the road, an out of control vehicle, etc.

What happens afterwards?
Well once the accident has taken place and if you are still conscious, check yourself for any major injuries. Your chair should have deflated and you should be able to remove yourself from the vehicle. If you are mostly uninjured it is your responsibility as driver on duty to check the other people in the truck and if possible get them safely removed. If there is major damage to the front of your truck get away as fast as possible, because there is a serious danger of a fire and a general hazmat threat from the chemicals in the engine. If anything in your truck is strewn across the road please note that if it is not covered in chemicals it will be thrown back within your vehicle by the wreckers. Once out of your own vehicle grab one of the witnesses and have them call 911. Don't rely on your panic button. If your vehicle has rolled then it will not go off. Then proceed to check the other vehicles, if there is no immediate fire damage then do not remove anyone that could possibly have internal bleeding (the usually look like zombies). If someone cannot be removed from their vehicles have somebody stand by with a fire extinguisher (every truck has one). Once the cops arrive your job is done. The ambulances will start to arrive shortly afterwards and will take everyone off to hospital. In the emergency room you can contact your employer and any immediate family.

Who is affected the most?
The general story is that the driver of vehicles and anyone injured are the ones most affected by an accident, and while this is true for the person majorly injured and the driver has accidentally killed someone, but not otherwise. The one affected most in a trucking accident is the person in the sleeper. In the major accident that I was in with my husband, I have remained perfectly fine after the accident. It took awhile to overcome the initial effect (white cars being scary, etc). My husband still has difficulty sleeping in the back while anyone is driving, but then you have to understand why. In the back you have no control over your situation, you are unsure of what is going to happen. There are items flying all around and most of them hit you (this is why you need to earthquake proof your truck, because at any point in time you might be in one - securing that microwave for instance?). Other minor instances that could have been serious accidents I have found myself in similar situations where I am not in control and I find that I am more affected by those than when I was driving.

What do I think needs to be changed to improve the situation?
The best thing any driver can do is earthquake proof their vehicle. Make sure everything is stuck down or secured. I would also like to see paramedics brought in on the accident awareness courses to help drivers understand what to do in an accident situation.

Showering

Allow me to warn you right now, showering will be a big drama.
First, there are all your showering items, your partners showering items, the baby's showering items, the baby's bathtub, any dishes you may want to do and of course the baby! Here are some logistics solutions that should help minimize the amount of drama involved.

1) Pick a time of day when showers are most readily available - usually between the hours of 9am and 3pm, and then 12am-4am (if you can find a parking spot). These are the times when all the single day drivers are either asleep or out driving and not clogging up the shower line.
2) Change your clothes before you head in to shower, this means that all you need in the shower bag is soap, diapers, baby's clothes, a wash cloth, etc.
3) Do all your slightly dirty dishes whenever you can, leaving the really dirty ones (bottles, cooking pans) for when you have guaranteed access to hot water in the shower.
4) Go to the counter and specify that you would like the disabled shower. Make sure you have the baby with you so they understand why. The people that work at truck stops don't really want the drama either.
5) Make sure you ask the orderly for extra towels.
6) Get everything laid out before you start the showering process.
7) The rest is all up to you on how you do things. Some babies like to hang out in their bathtubs, some like are happy to hang out in their car seat or backpack and then some are just happy with a good old fashioned towel.

Activities

In a normal situation, that is living in a house or an apartment, there are plenty of activities you can do with your baby, but what do you do when your home is an 8 X 10 box? Here is a list of ideas.

1) Sight Seeing
Tools: Baby Backpack/ stroller (if you somehow manage to fit one into your truck - i haven't)
Now you knew this was going to come up. There are various places you can go sightseeing and different ways in which to do so.

The first and easiest way to go sightseeing with you little one is to stop at rest areas whenever you have the chance. These usually have bathroom access, some historical markers for which you can read, sometimes art, sometimes a garden and usually a path to walk on.

Next are the more interesting places.
-The statue of liberty
I recently have found that you can actually get your truck right up near the statue of liberty. Located in Jersey city is Liberty Park. If you go down to the end of Theodore Conrad Drive you can park in the culdesac and there is a small park there for which you can see the statue of liberty. You can also see NYC from here.
-Niagara falls
There is a service plaza along the I-90 corridor towards Buffalo NY that runs tours up to Niagara Falls.
Dodge City
Take a moment to visit the Boot Hill museum 3 miles walk from the Flying J along US 400 in Kansas.
-St Louis Arch
Unfortunately, there is no direct truck access to this monument, but it can be seen from the I-44 bridge that crosses the mississipi between Missouri and Illinois. There is a pilot nearby from which you can take a taxi.
- The Washington Monument
Ok, so for security reasons you cannot go into DC. I'm sure you understand, however if you are headed north or south and have to take the 495 loop around, take the eastern side of it. It adds on an extra 10 minutes, but you can see about as much of DC as you will ever see in a truck.
-United States Airforce museum, Dayton, Oh
Stop at the freightliner in Dayton, oh to get your truck repaired and while doing so stay at the Suburban hotel. They have a free shuttle for truck drivers to the local meijers and the us airforce museum.
Los Angeles
This really expensive I am guessing, but the TA in Ontario off of Milliken Drive has rental cars now. So you can do your LA sightseeing. This TA also has a mall within walking distance.
The Dalles
- The Pilot located on I84 at exit 104 in Oregon has some great walking opportunities.
Troutdale
-The TA at I84 exit 17 in Oregon has a small town which is great to walk around.
Flagstaff
- Awesome place to stop. Stop at Little America on I40 exit 198. Lot of little shops to walk around and the truckstop has hotel access and huge bath tubs. Great for relaxing in.
Mt Rushmore
If your ever along I90 in Rapid City, SD you should be able to at least go past the monument. You will also have to go out if route to see it so be aware. If you take US 16 (is truck rated) south of Rapid City, SD it will split of to Us 16A (not sure if truck rated). Take this to SD 244 (not sure if truck rated) west. It should take you by the monument. If this is impossible you should be able to rent a car from the pilot in Rapid City to take you there. I would be interested to hear if any of you manage to get your truck there.

Remember you are the tour guide, tell your little one about it all!

2) Watching TV
You can do this in the truckstops or in your truck. On your laptop or on your Tv if you have one.

3) Running
My little one likes to lay on his back on the bed after a couple of hours in his carseat and run. Why not join in? Get some exercise and the baby thinks your hillarious (so does your partner).

4) The interview
I like to prop my little one on a pillow and interview him and he likes to gurgle back. Do voices, be a comedian, practice your accents, pretend your awesome ;).

5) Singing

6) Lets Cook!
Tools: Baby Backpack
Put your little one in a baby backpack while your cooking. Explain it all to him/ her (even though they don't care), they will enjoy it all.

7) Tummy Time
That latest greatest fad recommended by all the experts! This can be accomplished by clearing all the blankets to one side of the bed and letting your little on wiggle on top of the sheets, Truck matresses are firm enough that he/she will be just fine.

8) Swords
When your little one can grasp at things give them a pen to hold and have a sword fight.

9) Dancing
Tools: Rattle boots (optional: can be purchased at walmart)
This is always fun. Blast your favorite music and dance. Tap the beat out for a couple of days and your little one will start to dance. They may or may not be into this. You can add some rattle boots into the mix for added fun.

10) Story time
I am told a lot of babies love storytime, although my son seems to prefer dancing (probably because I am a horrible narrator). There are plenty of books available for purchase, especially if you have an ipad or tablet.

11) Tablets
tool: tablet or ipad
open up the photos section on your tablet and place it at the end of the babies car seat. They may or may not have fun flipping through the pics.

Remember all babies are individuals so find out which activities work for you!