How to Change a Tire with a Toddler in the Car

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Getting a flat tire while on the road doing your daily errands is inevitable – everyone’s experienced it at one point or another. But what do you do if you need to change a tire with a toddler in the car? There are a couple of options: 1) Stay with the toddler and call AAA to help you out of your pickle, or 2) Safely lock the toddler in the car for a minute and change the tire yourself.

Here’s how to change a tire with a toddler in the car:

– First and foremost, park your car on a flat surface, put on the emergency brake and turn on your hazard lights. Go to your trunk and grab your spare tire and your jack. Set out a warning signal with the reflective warning triangle and put a block on the tire diagonally opposite the flat tire.
– Remove the hubcap to get to the lug nuts. Loosen the lug nuts with the lug wrench – don’t make them too loose, just enough to “crack” them.
– Place the jack under the car at the sturdiest part of the frame. (Just in case, you might want to check the owner’s manual to be safe.) Turn crank at the end of jack by hand.
– Add jack handle for leverage. Crank it high enough so you can remove the tire. Remember: don’t ever stick your hands or legs under the car – it could fall and cause major injury to you.
– Remove the lug nuts from the wheel, turning them counterclockwise. Remember to keep them in your hubcap so they don’t roll away. Remove flat tire, making sure that too doesn’t roll away!
– Line up the spare tire with the wheel studs and place it onto the car. Once the wheel is finally on, replace the lug nuts, tightening them by hand first and then using your lug wrench.
– Now lower the jack until the wheel is completely on the ground. Finish up tightening the lug nuts, getting them as tight as possible.

There you have it! Be sure to drive a short distance and not too fast. Get your tired replaced or fixed as soon as possible! Oh and just in case, here’s a helpful video to show how to change a tire: