Traveling With: Children

Family travel is perfect for making memories and silly moments, but you cannot forget the stress that whiny, bored, sleepy children can cause.
It really isn't all that fun hearing "Are we there yet?" on repeat from the back seat of a car, or going to an attraction only to have an embarrassing melt down in the middle of the park or show.
While children are unpredictable and melt downs can't always be avoided, here are some great ways to entertain your children for a memorable vacation!

Talk to your children about the trip, and get them excited. Tell them about all the fun thing's you'll be doing with them, and let them pick out a thing or two. Remember, fun surprises always win!

Car Trip:
*Purchase a portable DVD player if your car does not come with one. Take them to the store (or library, depending on the length of your trip) and let them pick out at least 4 new DVD's that they're excited to see! Bringing along an old favourite or two will also work wonders. Whatever you do, don't forget the headphones! (If travelling with more than one child, buy a headphone splitter which lets more than one set of headphones be plugged into the jack at the same time.)
Here's a link for a portable DVD player:
- http://www.sears.ca/gp/product/B001BEX61Y/sr=1-8/qid=1243885531/ref=sr_1_8/190-0047162-7321863?ie=UTF8&searsBrand=core&mqnodeid=397221011

* If your child is at the right age, or owns a portable gaming system like a PSP (geared towards teenagers and adults) or a Nintendo DS/DSi, bring it along! If you see a Blockbuster, EB Games or GameStop along the way, why not reward them of they're great behaviour and purchase them a second hand game (these can range from $4.99 upwards). You might want to bring headphones for this as well.
Here are links for a Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, and a PSP.
You can also get them used from game stores, so check out those for a better price.
Also, these three are rechargeable and you can get car adaptors for them, meaning no batteries!
- http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=3265167&cp=2567324.2583060.2583060&parentPage=family
- http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=3529262&cp=2567324.2583060.2583060&parentPage=family
- http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=3443844&cp=2567324.2664187.2664187&parentPage=family

* Music is a fabulous way to keep children entertained. The old disc-man we're used to isn't around anymore. Now it's things called mp3 players. These are great for children and can come really cheaply. It's recommended that you get one that does not require batteries, as these will be used quickly. One that comes with/you can purchase a car adaptor for is beneficial. All you need for these is a good computer that you can put music on (either taking it off CD's, downloading or purchasing online), then transfer the music into the mp3 player. Keep note that you may need to purchase a memory card, so talk with somebody at the store to see what's the best deal for you. iPods are expensive, as well as Zune's so you might not want to give them to teenagers, however they are the best working and value in my opinion.

* Snacks. Chewing mouths are quiet mouths. Bring along lots of munchies for when the children get hungry. You can bring homemade muffins or banana bread, pretzels, peanuts, cheesies, cheese strings, Licorice, Gum, Fresh Fruits, Animal Crackers, Goldfish etc. Bringing 'clean' foods are a lot easier on your car and on your mind, as well as bringing healthy foods. Watch out for choking hazards if your child is still young! Why not spend the day before you leave baking tasty travel treats for your kids?

*Travel games. You can purchase travel sized games at your local Zellers (or Target), Wal*Mart, Canadian Tire and Toys R Us. If you don't want to spend the money before the vacation, print off some game ideas online! If your kids are older printing off crossword puzzles, sudoku games, Logic Puzzles and stuff like that would be really handy. If they're younger, play games like I Spy! Check out your local bookstore for travel game books- those really are a ton of fun!

*Notebooks are my must-have for travelling, along with my fancy pens. You never know what you'll see or think of while driving down the road, and having a notebook is perfect for jotting things down. Drawing pictures or writing songs, or even playing tic-tac-toe or hangman in my notebook make the time fly by!

*Stop at rest stops or gas stations to stretch your legs! Nothing is worse than feeling all cooped and cramped up for hours, and it's tougher on your kids than it is for you. Stop every so often (hour and a half for younger kids, two for teens) just to stretch your legs, get food from the trunk and use the rest rooms. Breaking up the trip in increments makes the drive go by a lot faster!

* Bring Gravol. Car sickness can happen to anybody at any given time. Trust me, you'll regret leaving without it.

Airplane Trip:

* Try as hard as you can to get your children on window seats (not above the wing). Looking out the window is entertainment in itself!

*Bring little munchies for this as well (but no juice/water!) Little snack packs are easy to throw into your carry-on and are more filling/interesting for the kids than the airplane food will be.

* Bring the mp3 player or handheld game systems mentioned in Car Travel. Of course you'll have to wait until the plane is level to play them, but they're easy to pull out when the child gets fussy. Make sure you charged them prior to leaving the house, and packed the chargers to use when you land!

* Make a goody-bag. Pack little dollar store items like mini puzzles, mini notebooks, small candies, packs of gum, crayons, little colouring books, tiny games, little toys etc. Don't let them see it prior to boarding. When they're behaving- tada! What child doesn't like a surprise goody bag?!

* Get excited. Children are often nervous of air planes for their first time. Tell them with an excited tone how their ears might 'tickle' a little going up, but chewing gum helps stop this, and that they'll be bigger than birds and flying in the sky! Tell them about how they'll have to put their shoes in a bin before getting on the airplane, and that they'll have to walk through a funny looking doorway, but it's not a big deal. The more excited you get, the more excited they'll be and nervousness will go out the door.

*Walk the aisle for a few minutes if you have a long flight. Taking your kids to the back bathroom with you (if you have to go) will help them stretch out their little legs, and they'll be a little more calm once this happens. If you don't have to use the facilities, walk them after food has been handed out/garbage has been collected for a few minutes.

* Bring chewable Gravol. Liquid would be confiscated, and the tiny pills may be hard for children to swallow. This will settle their stomachs if they're feeling queasy, and put them into a nice little sleep.


Boat Trip:

* Gravol. This is a necessity for both you and your children.

*Bring a sweater if there is an open deck. It gets chilly and sometimes damp (maybe bring a raincoat as well) but kids always love being in the fresh air and watching the sea below them. Make sure to keep an eye on them!

General Planning Tips:

No matter where you go, bring chewable Gravol, Tissues, Wet Wipes, snacks and small toys.

Let the children have a part in planning. Tell them about all the fun places there are where your going, and see what they have the most interest in. Talk to them about it every few days, and especially when leaving for the trip.

Do not skip nap time. Plan your day around when your children takes naps. Disrupting their schedule will only cause havoc for you.

Bring spare socks and underwear as well as shirts. Children are messy, so spares are always necessary.

Bring bathing suits even if you're not staying at a hotel with a pool. The town may just so happen to have a public pool, or you may spot a water park! Don't forget towels!

Bring one comfort item from home. Usually this is a teddy bear or blankie. Your child will thank you.

Bring chargers/batteries for cameras, mp3 players and game systems. Make sure you have all of them before you leave!

BRING YOUR CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Travels!