While the kids are busy with school and you are focusing on work or managing the family household, you probably don’t spend as much quality with the kids as you should. One of the best ways to create time and space for bonding is by planning a family vacation. After all, everyone needs to take a break from the day-to-day grind of living life.
In spite of your best planning efforts, taking a vacation with the kids will present certain challenges. One of those challenges is figuring out how to successfully get the kids from the house to the airport without a hitch. Before you grimace at the thought, you need to know it’s very possible for you to get the vacation off to a smooth start. To ensure that is exactly what happens, here are 6 tips and tricks you can use to keep things on track.
1. Keep Schedule Flexible
You really want to focus on getting things off to a good start, and that begins at home. For the most part, you can get and maintain control of the situation if you have a plan and a schedule that starts the night before the flight.
The main thing you want to focus on during the night before the flight is making sure the kids get plenty of sleep. As they lay on their comfy new mattresses, they might struggle to sleep due to excitement and anticipation. A meal full of sleep-promoting foods and a little robust playtime should address that problem.
When everyone awakens in the morning, the schedule should be laid out in a manner that allows plenty of time for each step from breakfast to arriving at the airport. Remember, kids will get distracted when excited and will require extra time to get ready.
2. Set Expectations Before Heading to Airport
If your kids have never flown before, they might be wary of everything that is expected of them. Before leaving for the airport, you should sit the kids down and take them through the entire check-in and boarding process. To alleviate any concerns they might have about security and having to wait, you can stress how much fun it is when the plane takes off. Kids will focus on things that sound exciting.
3. Food and Potty Before Boarding
With time to kill, you don’t want to rush the kids from check-in to the plane. Instead, you should leave enough time for the kids to visit the restroom and eat a little snack before boarding. It will help eliminate their desire to pester you about food and having to go potty during the time they need to stay in their seats with their seat belts fastened.
4. Plan Distractions for Time Between Checkin and Boarding
As a parent, you will discover that the time between check-in and departure is when the kids will get a little antsy. What they need are distractions that will keep them from watching the clock. Allowing them to watch planes come and go seems to fascinate kids. If the wait is significant, you might want to consider letting them visit the gift shop to select a book, toy, or something to eat on the plan. If all else fails, having access to their electronic devices should do the trick.
5. Kids are Sensitive to Changes in Air Pressure
Unless this is your first flight, you no doubt know that your kids are going to experience a little discomfort as air pressure builds in their ears during takeoff. There are several things to can do to address this situation.
First, you need to inform them about the issue while assuring them it’s harmless and goes away very quickly. To relieve the pressure, you can always give them gum or a sucker to keep in their mouths to assist with the popping of the ears.
6. Plan Surprises for Flight
Once the plane takes off, they might start to feel like captives on a deserted island. This is another time they will need some serious distractions. Again, their favorite toys or electronic devices will help them pass the time. A good way to create other distractions is to pack some special surprises for them in your carry-on. It’s amazing how fast a new toy or video game can help your kids stay focused on something other than the time.
At the end of the day, you want everyone in the family to enjoy the family vacation. As long as you take control from the beginning and maintain control during the trip, there is no good reason that the kids won’t return home with a smile on their faces and memories they can carry for a lifetime.
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