Guest Post: Some Basic Rules You Should Follow When Traveling With Kids by Melissa
Kids can be a handful even when they are home where they have a lot of room and are used to the environment. Keeping them entertained in a tight space for several hours is always quite a chore. However, even the longest of journeys can be made relatively fun and stress free, as long as you prepare accordingly and follow these important rules when traveling with kids.
Provide them with stimulating material
Bringing their favorite toy will greatly help with anxiety, but be sure to bring along something new and shiny that can keep them busy. A new book, a few cool new games on your iPhone or a toy they have been asking you for are all good ways to keep the child occupied. If you have a tablet device be sure to fill it up with fun games and stream some cartoons on Netflix. Modern Airlines all have in-flight entertainment, but sometimes it is best to give the child what it is used to – my kids will often watch the same cartoon for hundreds of times and it always seems to calm them down. This is particularly true of movies and cartoons that I let them watch just before going to bed; after a while they sort of get programed to relax and fall asleep while watching certain cartoons.
Have some extra clean clothes and wet wipes by your side.
Motion sickness is quite common amongst young children and during long journeys even potty trained children have been known to wet themselves. A quick change of clothes and a plastic bag to store the dirty clothes will prevent any serious problems. Wet wipes are a must on long journeys and will be of great help to you.
Be sure to bring some bargaining chips with you.
You will need to bring some food and drinks that your child is accustomed to. On long journeys they can get hungry and when a child’s belly is empty it will get cranky, and that’s when the other passengers start throwing exasperated looks your way. What I mean by bargaining chips is simply some of their favorite candy bars and other snack – basically anything you can use to bribe the child into being good.
Traveling by plane
There are a few unique problems that airline travel presents like having your movement severely restricted, being in a strange environment with a large number of strangers and the events like turbulence which may frighten the child. If you follow these basic tips your journey won’t be as stressful:
Be polite to the people around you – a crying child will quickly get on people’s nerves and getting acquainted with those around you and being as polite as possible will help break the tension. It also lets’ the child know that it is in a safe environment with friendly people as opposed to scary strangers.
Distract the child when it gets agitated – often times all it takes to stop a child mid-sentence and lighten up their mood is to distract them with something fun, interesting or shinny and new. This is where those candy bargaining chips and new games or books come into play.
Keep the child engaged in a fun activity – it takes a little bit of energy and focus to keep a child occupied, but that is what good parenting is all about. Don’t ignore the child. Keep coming up with fun new things to do, like singing songs, playing games, drawing or watching a cartoon.
Plan your bathroom breaks – airplanes are a bit cramped, there is a lot of people and the bathrooms are fairly small, so you should give the child plenty of chances to go. Ask frequently so it doesn’t become an emergency and talk to the stewardesses about which bathroom is best suited for diaper changes.
All in all an airplane flight can be a fun adventure for the little ones, just as long as you can keep them engaged in some activity to stave off boredom on long flights.
Traveling by car
Traveling by car is much more private and gives you far more options. Your child can be as loud as it wants to be, you can blast your favorite songs on high volume, sing and you can bring anything you want with you – no restrictions when it comes to your “carry on”. Just remember to take regular bathroom breaks, have plenty of water and snacks handy and give the child some ‘http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_sickness‘
Although these are some rules that can help you have a nearly stress free journey, it is very important to know your child and to be able to communicate with him or her effectively, particularly if you have more than one child. A smile and a few kind words will go a long way.
Guest post contributed by Melissa Davis, mom, blogger and travel addict from Australia. She share her parenting stories and advice with her readers. Melissa lives in Brisbane with her family where she enjoys parenting, cycling, and other extreme sports. Contact Melissa – melissa@go8.com.au.
