Family vacations are a wonderful way to spend time together and build family memories to treasure for years to come. Despite this, any parent knows that traveling with children can be more difficult than traveling alone. Between all the extra stuff to pack, keeping them entertained on long flights and keeping them safe abroad, vacationing with children requires some extra thought. We recently traveled to California with our kids for an end of the summer vacation.
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Transport
If you’re flying to your vacation destination, cut out one area of stress by pre-booking transportation to the airport. You can spend the drive relaxing instead of panicking about traffic, where to park and keeping the kids busy while watching the road.
Give yourself plenty of time, so if you have any delays you won’t need to stress out so much. Spending longer in the airport is better than being in a panic because you were late leaving the house after a surprise toddler meltdown or a lost stuffed animal. Leave early and take it easy.
Before you fly, try and explain to your kids what the airport will be like and how checking in works, so they know what to expect. Airports, with all the noise, people and security checks could be intimidating for small children, but knowing what to expect will help them to cope better.
On The Flight
Airplanes might be scary, so try and help your children find it fun. Children are very perceptive to how their parents feel, so if you’re a nervous flier yourself, try not to let them know that you’re anxious.
Take hard candy for them to suck to help their ears to pop, as their ears may feel uncomfortable, causing distress. Take some toys and games to keep them busy on long trips. Small children have shorter attention spans, so make sure you’ve packed plenty of options to offer them. Coloring books, activity packs and some small toys work well. Take some books to read together, and download some TV shows, movies or kids’ apps onto your phone to distract them. Help them find flying fun by making a game of it. Show them how beautiful the view is and make a game of spotting things below you, like a boat, a house with a pool or clouds in different shapes.
On The Trip
Make sure you’re prepared for the climate. Children can be more sensitive to heat and have skin that will burn more easily in the sun. Try to help them cool by keeping them well hydrated and in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Be sure to cover any exposed skin with sun cream and reapply it regularly. Protect their heads with a hat, and cover the shoulders or arms with light shirts. Beach shoes are a good idea for stoney beaches.
If you’ll be somewhere cold, pack plenty of layers and make sure they have warm boots, a coat, a scarf, and gloves. Multiple light layers are more effective to trap in heat and keep the little ones warm.
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