Hi! I am Whitney from Beauty in the Mess. I am so excited to be joining you today on MomFavorites.com! As a mom of four, I know that traveling with littles can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips that work for us.
Fall. Winter. Spring. Summer.
It really doesn’t matter the season, traveling with young children is inevitable. We live about 6-8 hours from family. That means we beg for family to visit us but occasionally do have to make appearances in our home state. You can only come up with so many excuses before they threaten to disown you.
Here’s my strategy…
10 Tips for Traveling with Young Children
1. Backpacks. Each of our children get a backpack to fill with their 2 or 3 favorite books, at least one lap activity such as an AquaDoodle or Magna Doodle, and their favorite stuffed animal. They pack the bag {with your guidance of course} but they take ownership for what is in the bag. My kids love this part about traveling.
Here’s the rule: If they drop anything, they have to wait until the next stop to get it back. There is no stopping on the side of the road to retrieve a dropped book for the 10th time. No whining about how much they NEED that particular book. That’s why there is more than one book in the backpack.
2. Quiet Activities. Mama has a bag full of quiet activities for everyone that only get pulled out when needed. Is everyone getting antsy but you still have 45 minutes until the next stop and you’re in the middle of nowhere? Pull out Mama’s Magic Bag and start handing out new activities such as:
- coloring books
- puzzles
- Travel Bingo
- stickers
- new books
- little toys
- Quiet Books
When they get tired of that activity, have them switch with someone else.
3. Plan ahead. Instead of trying to find a hotel room on the way to your destination, book it ahead of time. I will never forget the time we tried finding a hotel room on the way to my Brother in Law’s wedding. We were in the middle of West Virginia. The kids had just gotten over being sick, and my husband had it. We were exhausted from driving that day. We pulled into the first hotel we saw. No Vacancy. Every hotel at that exit was full. Drove to the next exit. No Vacancy. Again, every hotel at that exit was full. We stopped at every exit, and there were no hotels with rooms. It was awful. The kids had fallen asleep, but they would wake up at every hotel stop and ask to get out of their carseats or just cry. After driving for at least two more hours, we finally came to a little mom and pops motel that had one room. Seriously, don’t make that mistake. Plan ahead.
4. Let It Go. Let go of all expectations. Plan on it taking longer. Longer to pack for everyone, longer at rest stops, longer to eat meals, just longer. When it doesn’t take as long as you planned, you will be relieved. Don’t expect everyone to be happy and joyful the whole ride or at stops. No one likes to be strapped in their seat for hours on end. Especially littles who want to run around and play. Lavishly extend grace to all you come in contact with.
5. Snacks. While I don’t like eating in the van, on road trips, it’s allowed. Not full course meals, but snacks. It keeps their bellies happy, and their attention on other things. I pack sippy cups for all the kids and only fill them with water. Contrary to what my Father in Law says, it is not a good idea to pump children full of sugar and then strap them in their seats. I will repeat, DO NOT feed your children sugary anything while on the road. You have been warned.
6. First Aid Kit. Don’t forget to pack your first aid kit. For us, that includes our essential oils. I am never without Thieves, Lavender, Lemon, or Peppermint. These were essential when we traveled with my husband for his annual business convention. Our youngest spiked a fever and started pulling on his ears. Peppermint works with the body and helped lower the fever {you can also use Roman Chamomile}, Lemon helped drain his ears, Lavender is a great anti-bacterial and gentle for children, and Thieves works to kill viruses and other germs you may come into contact with while away from home. We also pack bandages and baby wipes. Even if most of your children are potty trained, baby wipes are great for cleaning sticky hands.
7. CDs. Children’s Books on CD are favorites in our house. Just make sure it’s a book you don’t mind listening to on repeat, if that happens to be the only thing that keeps everyone entertained. We also make sure to bring several CDs everyone can sing along to. Right now that would include Newsies, and Seeds Worship.
8. Frequent stops. Please hear me out. I completely understand that you just want to get there. I get it. I really do. But for your own sanity, make those stops. Grab that $5 coffee and enjoy every sip. Stretch your legs. Enjoy the scenery. Make some memories. My daughter still remembers stopping at a rest stop and walking over to a field of cows. I have no idea where we were, but I do remember just wanting to quickly usher everyone back in the van and on down the road. Boy am I glad I fought that urge. What a fun memory she now has of that trip.
9. Comfort. Travel pillows and 47 x 47 blankets are always brought along for our trips. Those blankets are the perfect size for babies all the way up to big kids. They are the perfect car blanket. If my kids are comfortable, they are less likely to whine and complain {sometimes anyway} and more likely to sleep. Sleep is good. Especially on long car rides.
10. DVDs. When all else fails, pull out the big guns. Well, the DVDs at least. We let the kids each pick out a movie for the trip, and add in a couple ourselves. It’s nice to have theatrical options while traveling. Even if we don’t watch them all in the van, we have had movie night in the hotel or at family’s house. It keeps the kids occupied and content {usually}
What are your tips for traveling with young children? I can’t wait to hear them!
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Whitney is a mom of four who loves to travel and explore new places. Check out her reviews, tips on using essential oils, and thoughts on motherhood at http://beautyinthemess.com. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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