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A little preparation will make a big difference in how enjoyable
traveling with your kids can be. Use some of our tips and ideas
below, whether you and your children are traveling by car or plane.
After all, this is the time of the year when we are ready to relax
and rejuvenate, not stress about how to get to our favorite vacation
spot while listening to “Are we there yet?” every 10 minutes.
Outlined below are some ways for you to make sure both you and your
kids are comfortable while traveling.
Dress everyone in comfortable loose clothing and pack a spare outfit
for everyone where you can easily reach it during your trip. Pack a
small pillow and a light blanket for each of the kids, as well as
their favorite stuffed toy or doll to snuggle up with at night or
during naptime. These not only work great on the plane or in the
car, but will also make your kids more comfortable once you arrive
at your destination.
Whether you travel by car or by plane, pack some drinks and snacks
for the kids, so you don’t have to rely on rest stops, kiosks at the
airport or the meals that are served on the plane. We usually give
our daughter only water in the car. It’s not nearly as messy as some
of the fruit juice or sports drinks if it gets spilled. To make
plain water a little more interesting and to keep it cool, fix an
insulated zippy cup or sports bottle with ice water. And believe me,
they will spill it sooner or later, even if the cup claims to be
spill proof. Some good choices for not-so-messy snacks are trail
mix, pretzels, teddy grahams, dried fruit, fresh apple slices
(drizzle them with a little lemon or lime juice to keep them from
turning brown), mini marshmallows, and baby carrots. Come up with
some snacks that your kids love and put them in individual zip-lock
bags.
The zip-lock bags also come in handy to pack up some crafts supplies
like crayons, stickers, blunt scissors and glue sticks, for the
artists in your family.
To keep your little one’s entertained, you may also want to pack
some coloring books, picture books, or pack a child friendly novel,
like the Harry Potter books to read aloud in the car. Audio books
and music CDs or tapes also come in handy.
For some great travel games you and your family can play, take a
look at Car Travel Activities for Kids at
http://www.kinderinfo.com/articles/car-travel-activities.htm.
If you are traveling by car, plan in frequent stops and let the kids
run around. You may want to pack a jump robe, ball or Frisbee to
make moving around more fun. If you are driving through the night,
plan a longer stop an hour or two before bedtime so the kids can
wear themselves out and release all this build up energy before
going to sleep.
Instead of eating lunch at a fast food place or restaurant off of
the interstate, try bringing a picnic. You can cater to your family
members tastes and it is bound to be cheaper, better and more
healthy than what you would be able to find fast food place. Your
kids will appreciate not having to sit still again and the sunshine
and fresh air will do wonders for all of you.
If you are traveling by plane, bring some small toys, picture books,
coloring books etc, to entertain your child in the seat. Depending
on your child’s age, bring some gum, hard candy, zippy cup, bottle
or pacifier to have them suck or chew on something during take-off
and landing to equalize the pressure in their ears. You may also
want to pack a sweater for your child, since the air temperature in
the plane can be quite chilly.
To keep your kids excited on longer trips, make up some small goodie
bags for them. Collect some Kids Meal Toys for a few weeks, or
purchase some inexpensive toys at the Dollar Store and put them
individually in some small brown paper bags, or even wrap them. Tell
your kids that as long as they are being good, they will get a new
goodie bag every 2 hours or so. You’ll be amazed how well behaved
they will be, and you will keep them from being too bored on a long
trip by giving them something new to play with.
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