|
      |
Travelling with Children: A Survival Guide Springtime brings thoughts of family vacations. While visions of trips to Grandma's, Disneyland or the beach seems enticing, contemplating endless hours on an airplane with a tired preschooler or several days on the road with a car full of children may dampen enthusiasm. However, experienced family travellers have discovered several ideas that help ease tensions, expand attention spans and generally make those hours on the road more tolerable for both parents and kids. • Let each child pack his own backpack filled with favorite books and toys and his special blanket or stuffed animal. Lay ground rules about what can and cannot be brought along (i.e., nothing breakable, messy, noisy, or with small pieces. And leave room to pack treasures acquired along the way). • Pack an all-purpose bag filled with necessities such as: paper towels, tissues, moist towelettes, zippered plastic bags, safety pins, flashlight, band-aids, sunscreen, and plastic trash bags to keep the car tidy. Include snacks like raisins, animals crackers and pretzels. While juice boxes are handy, one family only brings water to drink, as spilled juice gets sticky. • Stopping every two hours really make driving trips more tolerable for young children. These can include stops for meals, dessert (ice cream, yogurt or fruit from a roadside stand), sightseeing (simple is fine--watch horses or cows in a farmer's field or airplanes landing at a small airport); or just a 10 minute break for a run by the side of the road. To encourage kids to really stretch their legs, pack a ball, jump rope and/or frisbee or visit a public or school playground. • As sleeping children are the best travellers of all, consider starting your driving trip at midnight. Kids travel in pajamas and sleep till morning. Then stop at McDonald's to get dressed, brush teeth and have breakfast. • Pre-order kids' meals on airplanes. • Make mealtime stops on driving trips as smooth as possible. If two parents are travelling, one takes the kids for a walk or run while the other goes into the restaurant, secures the table, high chair or boosters and places the family's order. The kids don't sit down until the food is on the table. • Bring a supply of music and story tapes. If kids are of different ages and have different tastes, consider letting each child have his own walkman. • Lap desks provide a hard surface for art projects. Bring art supplies including: paper, washable markers, scotch tape, stencils, stickers. • Take along a child's atlas. Mark the car/plane route. Note state capitals, state birds, flowers, points of interest along the way. Play the license plate game. Family members can predict how many different state license plates you'll see during the trip. • Let each child take photos with her own disposable camera. • On airplane take-offs and landings, let infants suck, older children drink or chew to equalize air pressure. If children are still uncomfortable, ask the flight attendant to heat damp paper towels or washcloths until warm and steamy; put them in the bottom of plastic cups and have your child put these over his ears so the towels warm but do not touch his ears. • What to do about squabbling siblings in the car? Separate them with a pillow. Or try this seating arrangement: if two parents are on the trip, split the adults and kids. One child sits in the front seat and the non-driving adult sits in the back. This allows for some good one-on-one time and dramatically cuts down on spats. • Play the alphabet game. Find let-ters of the alphabet on roadside signs. • Wrap small "presents" to be opened at milestones along the way (every 100 miles, at each new state line, etc.). Consider paperback children's books, "Yes and No" books, a magnet set, a "magic slate," a flashlight, children's magazines like Ranger Rick or Highlights, an auto-bingo game, puppets, dot-to-dot books. • Give each child a certain amount of money to spend on souvenirs. Let her budget the money. She can choose whatever she wants, but when the money is gone, there will be no more. • Bring a chapter book to read aloud to the children in the car or plane, before bedtime or any time you have to wait. If possible, read a book that takes place in the locale you're visiting. • Give each child a blank scrapbook where she can tape in ticket stubs, postcards and other treasures collected along the way; also a good place for art work created on the trip. Children can dictate or write comments about their adventures. With photos added later, these scrapbooks will stir many memories long after the vacation is over.
|