Traveling with children will be one of the greatest feats you’ll achieve as a parent or a guardian. You will have to deal with not only the stress of traveling, but will also have to consider the basic necessities for the kids which is a little different from an adult’s. You will have to anticipate a lot of things because you’re going to think for other people other than yourself on that trip. This will make you anxious and a little paranoid, but if you have made the right preparations, then everything will be fine, not perfect, but great.
Packing your children’s things should be separate from yours because you need to place their things into an easy access bag or suitcase. Therefore, it’s advisable to invest in suitcases for kids, so that you can place all their essentials into one bag. Plus, they come in all sorts of kid-friendly designs that they will surely love. As a parent, this will truly test your organizational prowess, so getting a little help by using the right equipment will help you keep your sanity.
Children tend to be uneasy when they’re bored so here are some things you can bring to keep them occupied and while they wait to arrive at your destination:
- Snacks, lot’s of it.
One good rule of thumb is to prepare the things you’ll need for the day. If your itinerary says you’ll be spending the entire day in airports and terminals, then you’ll have to scope the area for things that will keep your children amused. One thing you can’t get wrong is having snacks. Look for convenience stores nearby and buy provisions that are light in their stomach and are delicious. I would caution against giving them sweets as it will hype them up with sugar and you’ll be chasing them around because of their surplus energy.
- White noise machine.
This is not for newborn babies. You can actually download this on your smartphone and use it to keep your children calm or if you want them to be sound asleep. It’ll make a comfortable environment approximating a mother’s womb. Traveling might make your babies sleep light and anxious, so it’ll be nice to make them comfortable as much as you can.
- Whatever tech you can bring with you.
Nowadays, you won’t have to bring a DVD player or anything that’ll be bulky and heavy to bring around. You can download movies on your smartphone or tablet or you can stream movies when you have an internet connection. This is a great way to keep them occupied for hours on end especially if you want to take time to catch your breath and gather yourself. But it’s not good to rely on these gadgets because it’ll defeat the purpose of traveling.
- Stuffies and blankets
Your children will sometimes feel homesick and would want to have something that’ll remind them of home or their room. So it’ll be wise to bring a couple of their favorite stuff teddys. You don’t have to bring all of them, nor the largest one in their stack, just the ones that are easy to carry around. You can also bring along their favorite blankets to keep them comfortable at times when they throw a tantrum. Just make sure you bring what you can manage to pack because blankets and pillows will take significant space in your luggage.
- Travel information
This is something that isn’t something that is one thing specifically. The important thing here is to educate your children if they’re old enough to comprehend some things around them. Children are easily fascinated with new things and unfamiliar public transport will be something that’ll pique their interest. You can bring an illustration of your destination or you can show it through your phone. You’d be surprised by how interested they’ll be when you talk about the things that they’ll see and experience. You will also be able to make them comfortable when you can tell them what they can expect and how things will likely be when they arrive. Be sure to talk to them during the trip and enjoy their company as much as you can.
Traveling with the entire family might be overwhelming, but will be one of your and their fondest memories. My three-year-old niece still can’t stop talking about the time we went to Disneyland and that was a year ago. For everyone at every age, traveling is enriching it’ll give you memories that no one can take away and you’ll be able to experience a few things that you can’t have if you just stay at home.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
Nice post! Good read. that�s quite a lot of information. Thanks for the post and sharing your experience
particularly useful information for me. I appreciate that you pointed out that.