The holidays and family travel go hand in hand. We researched some of the best suggestions from around the web on how to make getting from point A to point B easier with young kids in tow. Take a look!
Food and drink:
We love this suggestion by Rough Guides to pack savory snacks like cheese cubes, breadsticks, fruit, and bagels. Avoid feeding kids sweets while travelling because you don’t want to arrive in a strange city with children in the middle of a sugar rush!
Try putting food in a Snack-Trap to prevent kids from spilling snacks all over the place. The cup is not foolproof but it helps keep food in place when dropped or when bumps come along.
Toys:
Keep kids entertained for long periods of time with toys they don’t use every day! Frugal Mama suggests keeping a stash of toys that are only used during travel. Magnetic Bingo, drawing boards, finger puppets, non-messy art supplies, card games, small stuffed animals, Play-Doh or other modeling clay, and calculators are all great ideas. Wrap the toys up like presents and hand them out every hour or so to keep the excitement up!
Clothing and other handy items:
Be prepared with an extra change of clothes for each of your kids. Have garbage bags/ plastic bags on hand to contain any unexpected mess. Paper towels often come in handy. Pack pillows and blankets to make the ride more comfortable.
For travel through airports, Buzzfeed recommends this awesome child’s chair called Ride-On Carry-On that is lightweight and attaches to wheeled luggage. Voila! It instantly turns into a travel stroller so you don’t have to carry a kid AND luggage through the airport terminal.
Safety:
For technology loving families, setting your kid up with a child locator makes a lot of sense when travelling through airports, train stations and crowded places as Rough Guides points out. Just strap the small unit to the child’s belt or shoe and keep the transmitter. Set off the alarm if your child gets lost and follow the sound to find them.
A first aid kit is always a good item to have on hand.
Extra Time and KazuTime!
Don’t forget to take this! Go to the airport early and/or get on the road early to reduce stress. Travelling to point A to point B with young kids will always take longer than you anticipate, so give yourself more than enough time.
Use KazuTime to help children wait patiently whether in the car, train, airport or flight. There can be a great deal of uncertainty for children especially when they don’t have an accurate perspective of time and have to wait patiently for extended periods. That’s why parents often hear the same questions over and over again such as “are we there yet?” and “how much longer?.” KazuTime can take some of the stress out of long car rides, airport layovers, waiting in long lines, etc. by helping kids anticipate changes in activity. For instance, when your family needs to wait at the gate for a specific period of time, parents can simply set up KazuTime and say, “When the puppy reaches the igloo it’s time to board the plane.”