When
you take a vacation with the whole family, so much planning and
organization is involved it almost seems like it’s
too much work for what it’s worth! Especially if you have young children
in the family; keeping them entertained and happy during the journey
can tire you out before you get to your destination. But once you get on
holiday, it not only recharges your batteries
but it’s so beneficial for the children too – so don’t let the thought
of a stressful journey put you off!
Here are some tips to help you look
after and entertain your children when you’re traveling:
Stay Calm
First
thing to remember: try and keep your cool. I know it’s easier said than
done, but if any hiccups occur in your
journey, such as delayed flights or traffic jams and you become
irritable your children will pick up on that tension and display their
own negative behavior. Staying calm and positive will help your children
to settle, even if you have to spend hours in the
airport. If you do have a long delay, reiterate to them why they are
there; tell them about the exciting adventure they are on!
Delays and
stress is where kids can come unstuck and start throwing tantrums, so
make it as easy as possible for them. Dress them
in comfortable clothing – maybe even get a top and use a t-shirt
printing company to personalize the date of your trip so your kids feel
even more excited! If you have more than one child you could dress them
in the similar bright colors so it’s easier to keep
an eye on them.
Keep Them Entertained
Entertainment
is key when it comes to keeping the kids occupied as there is a lot of
waiting around when you’re traveling–
and you might have to be pretty tactical! Coloring books, paper and pens
are great as you can use them for playing games or just for your kids
to have some quiet time. Bringing a couple of books is probably a good
idea, maybe one old favorite and one new one
to keep them entertained when they’re on holiday as well as on the
journey. It’s probably best to take an old favorite toy with you too, to
help your child feel comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings. Once
you’re on the plane and your child is getting a little
bit antsy again, this is when you bring out your secret weapon – a new
toy! It doesn’t have to be big or particularly expensive, but the
novelty of something new will hopefully keep them entertained for a good
while.
The
change in routine can be disruptive to your child’s schedule, so if you
can stick to their sleeping and feeding schedule
as much as possible it will help them adapt once you get on holiday. How
your children cope with traveling will obviously change from family to
family, but as long as you don’t let this put you off taking a vacation.
Once you get to your destination all the
stress will be long forgotten!
Danielle is writing on behalf of Banana
Moon, an online retailer who specializes in personalized t-shirts, sports kits, workwear and hoodies for school leavers.
