Surviving Travel with Small Children
Bring coolers or other containers filled with favorite snacks - string cheese, fruit, yogurt, juice or milk boxes. Reusable ice packs are handy for cooling food and for the inevitable boo-boo.
Bring sippy cups or plastic bottles with built-in straws so that the apple juice doesn't end up on your lap or the floor.
Each child should have a portable cassette player. Sony makes one called "My First Walkman". It has headphones which are sized for children, and a volume control to protect their ears. Bring music and story tapes. Favorite tapes include: Burl Ives, Jim Weiss story tapes, Shari Lewis, and Jane Timberlake.
Have a small backpack for each child filled with new coloring books, crayons, pens, and paper, as well as lightweight books and new games. For small children, get lots of little toys (not too small!) that you wrap in paper and ribbon. It takes time and adds excitement to unwrap them. Give them a new one at intervals such as 15 miles or 15 minutes. Wrap up bath toys, finger puppets, playdough containers, trucks and cars.
Find travel games such as Etch a Sketch, Magna Doodle, Lift-Erase, and Magic Pen coloring books at your local toy or drug store. Flash cards with colorful pictures are fun for toddlers to endlessly sort through. Wikki Stix are fun; like pipe cleaners, but they are sticky and not sharp.
Your plane may be delayed and your luggage can be lost! Always carry on a change of clothes for everyone, including the parents. After a five hour flight you will all be filthy. Bring more diapers than you think you need, and don't feed the baby prunes before the flight (we did!)
Many airlines have pins for labelling children. Ask for it at check-in, just in case your child wanders away from you at the airport. American Airlines and Southwest are now offering discounts for children under 2 years old. Other airlines may follow suit. Buy your baby a seat if you possibly can!
A collapsible stroller and/or a baby backpack are useful at the airport. Be prepared to argue with airline personnel about bringing the stroller on board - if it's narrow enough, it can fit through the aisles and be stored in the overhead bin.
Don't let your kids kick the seat ahead of them! Give them the inflight magazine to tear into shreads instead.
Stop for ice cream or a fun break at least every two hours. If you need to drive a long distance, try to drive as much at night or during nap times as you can.
Make a customized map so that the kids can keep track of your progress. For a three year old, glue a picture of home at one end and a picture of your destination at the other. Draw sketches of some of the "roadside attractions" along the way. Cut away the excess from the map, and glue it to an old file folder. "When will we get there?" is replaced by "where are we now?"
If you're going on a long trip, consider renting a car, especially if your own is unreliable. If you're meeting up with friends or family, a mini-van can make it possible for more people to ride together, and give the kids more space to themselves.
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Are We There Yet? edited 9 August 1997
© Natasha Beery
NatashaB@earthlink.net