I have learned a lot about traveling with kids when TJ, my husband and I traveled to Idaho, Michigan and Northern Indiana this summer. Here are a few tricks and tips that have helped make traveling a peaceful bearable experience:
Treats
Kinda silly coming from a parent with a kid who doesn’t like to eat, but he loves to snack. Having snacks at the ready for TJ in the car and on the plane has been a lifesaver. We try to diversify the snacks so that he isn’t eating just one thing.
Entertainment
On our trip to Michigan we loved having the DVD player in our Buick. It was a lifesaver towards the end of the trip when TJ really wanted to be out of his car seat. ELMO saved the day (and our ears). We also had books at the ready. TJ loves his board books and many, many times on the trip those books helped preoccupy TJ.
Travel Times
For parents who have very young children deciding when to travel is a very key component to a happy travel experience. When we booked our flights to Idaho we left early in the morning during TJ’s normal nap time. It worked out perfectly as he slept most of the trip. When we drove to Michigan we left early in the morning and TJ slept for the first 3 hours making the trip seem a lot shorter than it actually was.
Pack Smart
Flying with children can be very expensive. Nowadays the airlines charge you for every bag you check. When traveling with small children this can be very tricky. We try and cut corners as much as we can. For instance, when traveling to Idaho we don’t take any personal hygenie items or diapers and purchase travel sizes when we get there. This saves a lot of space. We also have been using our Portable Powermat charging system which allows us to charge most of our electronic devices so that we don’t have to bring several chargers with us. It also folds up into a small case making it extremely easy to transport. Our Powermat charges our Ipods, cell phones, and will even charge my laptop, imagine all those chargers that are now sitting at home not taking up space in our suitcases.
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Small children – and a number of adults that I’m faimiliar with – have short attention spans, so my travel tip in this regard is to have several different methods or ways of occupying their attention… be it games or food or reading material (i.e., whatever works). Keep in mind, however, that what is successful one time may or may not have repeated results!
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Try to stick with your usual routine as much as possible (i.e. waking up at the same time, eating at the same times and frequencies, etc.)
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I like to bring small baggies of snacks and always have wipies in the car too ….Tiffypoot @ (aol.com)
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Load up on lots of activities to keep them occupied – the Dollar Store will be your friend!
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Travel in the evening, overnight. That way young children will sleep most of the way.
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Dress them comfortably for traveling, and pack snacks out the wazoo.
If you can, travel during naptime or during the night so they’ll be sleeping.
One of my tips is – ALWAYS have snacks for them, and water and juice, and PLENTY of toys to keep them occupied (car games are better for older children!). Sweaters and hoodies in case it gets cold (you can always take things OFF but you can’t put them on if you don’t have them along!). — I’ve heard these Powermats are wonderful and this is a great contest!
One of us parents rides in back with the kids. When you are both in front with your backs turned, they will do things just to get your attention! Also, weeks before the trip I will start putting little toys in a small backpack, so they will be toys my little one has not seen in a while. When they pull them out of the pack, its almost like they have a new toy.
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I always go to the 1$ store before any trip I get coloring books and any quiet games or toys that will keep the kids happy and quiet
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We usually travel by car and I used one large Ziploc bag for each child filled with several smaller bags. Each of the smaller bags carried snacks, little books, and whatever age appropriate travel games I could find.
My tip is to have portable televisions and stop at Redboxes on the way so you can change up movies.
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It’s hard to do but the best advice is to have a good attitude before you even get in the car – don’t ask for any tips on attaining that good attitude! Fake it!
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When my kids were little, I used to let them take a small kid sized backpack with games, snacks, etc that would occupy the time. It was a great help.
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