If you have children then you will understand that traveling with them can prove to be difficult, even if they are usually the best behaved. It’s not their fault, traveling isn’t nice when we are adults, especially long haul travel, so some resistance is going to be expected. The best thing we can do as parents is to try and make the whole experience as easy and free-flowing as possible, one of the more comforting things you can do is to make the traveling experience feel cozy for your children.
So here we take a look at how:
Travel Comfortably
The best thing you can do to make traveling feel cozy and more relaxed for your children is by finding a provider you can trust, the way in which you react to your surroundings will wear off your own children so if you seem relaxed, your children will more often than not seem relaxed. Explaining the reasons to your children as to why you can trust the company you’re traveling with is another great way of keeping them calm. This takes a certain level of understanding from you, the parents, so you’re equipped with answers to the bat away the “why?” questions that are no doubt coming your way. If you can afford to travel with more expensive companies then I would advise you to do so, the more physically comfortable a plane, train, or car is the more trust people seem to have in it. Certainly better than flying in a single plane!
Cuddly Toy
What child goes anywhere at a young age without their best friend? The answer to that is none, every kid wants to bring along their cuddly toy and that’s because it’s associated with comfort for them. There are reasons as to why little Jimmy won’t go to sleep unless he has his favorite teddy, so allow them to bring it on the journey. A good tip for you is when you buy your child one of these comfort toys, buy two at the same time. Therefore, if you ever lose one you’ll always have a back up ready to go, meltdown avoided!
Blanket
This seems quite obvious, yet I see so many parents traveling with their kids without one. Having a blanket can turn almost any situation into a familiar feeling, having something wrapped around you will also create a sense of security and help keep them calm. If they’re cold then you can hand them the blanket, if they’re tired you can hand them the blanket. There are quite a lot of these so just make sure you take one with you, you’ll thank me later.
Change Of Clothes
There is nothing worse than having an accident and not having a change of clothes, especially if you’re child is of an age where they don’t need diapers but sometimes have unfortunate accidents. They get embarrassed at this age so being able to sneak off and quickly change them as though nothing has happened will help your entire trip.
Snacks
You will never be able to bring enough snacks on a trip, ever. I say this with absolute confidence and it takes quite the willpower to not overfeed your child when traveling because realistically it keeps them quiet for 5 minutes. Sometimes those 5 minutes can seem like a lifetime when the whole family is quiet, but it will end and they will ask for another snack. Don’t pack one because you’re trying to be healthy, pack an entire bag of carrots if you have too, just make sure there’s enough for strategically planned sections of your travels.
Water
We all need water so bring enough for the whole family, being thirsty on a trip is horrific, especially when you don’t know when the next stop station is. It’s a difficult balancing act when it comes to keeping kids hydrated because you don’t want them to be thirsty, but you also don’t want to have to stop on an interstate when driving because your child is about to wet themselves. Keep an eye on how much they drink before and during your travels.
Sanitizing Wipes
There are a million situations where these come in handy, but when it comes to kids they have a strange habit of being a little bit gross sometimes. Having these will keep their hands clean and you’ll also be able to wipe anywhere they’re sitting.
Making travel cozy for kids is something we always strive to do, and some parents will go through 20 holidays before they crack the secret for their own. These are a few fundamental ideas for you to try on your next holiday and trust me when I say, you can never have enough snacks!
