If you’re planning on going away over the summer this year; whether it’s a day trip to the seaside, a week long break in England or somewhere further afield abroad, you may be dreading the journey you are about to embark on with your children.
With short attention spans, finding ways to keep your little ones entertained for the duration of the journey can prove rather challenging. As professionals in caring for children’s needs on a daily basis, the team here at Tiny World have come up with some helpful tips to help make travelling with your children a little easier!
Organisation
Organisation is the key to success when it comes to travelling with little ones. If you can be fully prepared for all eventualities i.e. boredom, tantrums, hunger, tiredness etc. then you can be ready to act as soon as one of these rears its ugly head!
Climate control
Children, like adults, can become grouchy and grumpy when their body temperature is either too high or too low. Make sure you dress your child in layers so they can take one layer off if they are hot, or put one on if it becomes chilly. If you’re travelling with young children it’s a good idea to pack a small blanket for them too.
Wet wipes
Any parent will know the miracles of wet wipes! They are a travel necessity for all. Any accidental spills, grubby hands and faces, or a quick freshen up, wet wipes are all you need so always keep a packet to hand!
Now let’s take a look at the types of things you can do to keep your child content whilst travelling this summer…
Backpack
Give your child their own little backpack full of their own things. Children like feeling independent and this will give them something to be in charge of looking after.
Favourite toys
Make sure you remember to pack their favourite toys. If your child is younger, this could be a soft, cuddly toy for comfort, or perhaps a favourite game if they are slightly older.
Music
If you’re travelling in the car, let your child chose some of their favourite CDs so they can sing along. If you aren’t travelling in your car (or you just don’t want to listen to your child’s favorite song on repeat!) then download the music onto your ipod or phone and let them listen when they begin to show signs of boredom.
Films
Download some films onto a tablet or ipad for your child to watch. This is guaranteed to keep them occupied for a few hours at least. If you don’t have access to a tablet, then portable DVD players are quite a reasonable price now, and if you keep your eye out for a sale then even better!
Food and drink
If you’re travelling for a long time, then snacks and drinks are something you need to have to hand. Eating and drinking will keep them busy for a while but try to avoid the sugary snacks as this could only make them hyper and even harder to control.
Books
If you are able to sit with your child whilst travelling, pack some books for you to read together. If they enjoy colouring in, pack a colouring book and some crayons too.
Travel journal/scrapbook
Encourage your child to keep a travel journal. They can use this to write about the different things they did on holiday, what they saw, the food they ate, what the weather was like etc. and get them to draw pictures too.
Remember, the key to successfully travelling with children is to be organised well in advance. So, why not print out this article and a week or so before you are due to travel, and use it as a checklist to make sure you have everything you need packed and ready to go, so you can relax and look forward to your holiday!
If you’re looking for first-class child care services throughout Nottingham and Mansfield, please get in touch with us here at Tiny World. We’ll be more than happy to chat to you about how we can care for your child.