Tips for traveling with children

“We are almost there?”

This is the question that all parents are afraid to hear when traveling by car. Worse still is when your kids start fighting because they get impatient sitting in the car for long periods of time.

Here are some tips to combat the problem of kids getting bored and rebellious. In fact, with a little planning, you can eliminate this problem before it starts.

The most important thing to be prepared for on a long road trip is the possibility of someone getting motion sick. It may help to buy an over-the-counter motion sickness medicine. A person who gets motion sickness can make the trip miserable for everyone in the car.

Aside from the misery of being sick, another important thing to be prepared for is boredom. This is what makes children fidgety and clawed. You can easily combat boredom by making sure you have enough entertainment for them. First, you can have your children bring a book. (As long as the reading doesn’t cause or worsen motion sickness.) Reading can keep older children busy for hours. However, if reading causes nausea, you may want to consider an audio book. All family members can help choose audiobooks. This can keep the whole family entertained for quite some time. Of course, younger children will get bored with audiobooks faster than others.

You may want to invest in a portable DVD player. These little gems have come down in price and can really keep younger kids entertained for longer than an audiobook.

For a chance for a great family bonding activity, you may want to play some road games. Below is a list of some entertaining family road games.

1) ABC game: find letters of the alphabet on road signs, billboards, etc.

2) Woody – Get a point when you see a car with wood paneling on the sides. Set a certain level of points to win. Determine a prize for the winner.

3) The name game: choose a letter from the alphabet and have everyone say the names that start with that letter. The person with the most names is the winner.

4) As a derivative of the Woody game, choose a type of car like VW Beetle (Slug-Bug), PT Cruiser (Cruiser Bruiser), Hummer (Hummer Bummer). When I was a kid, my brothers would hit people when they saw one of those types of cars. Back then we did Slug-Bug, Slam Trans Am, and Sock Cop. I’m happy to say that the women in the family took over the rules for this one. Now if you see one of these types of cars, you yell at it and get a kiss. (Less bruising) The caller for a car also has the option to save up to ten and get a hug when the car pulls into a rest stop.

Other items you’ll want to consider taking on your road trips to make them more enjoyable include the following:

-Frisbee or Ball: allows you to do some exercise at rest stops.

-Plastic box: appropriate for each child’s age to store supplies (the lid will make a good desk).

-Water bottles: for drinking and cleaning (they don’t get messy like drink boxes)

-Blanket: for naps

-Paper towels: for cleaning

-Snacks: Healthy snacks are best, crackers are especially good because they can relieve nausea.

-Compass: fun for kids if they want to help navigate

-Garbage bags: to clean and wet clothes

Since I have a young child, I try to limit the length of my road trips. The only long trip my family has taken with her was to Disney World. We chose to take a plane to minimize the hours she would be tied down. I was amazed at how much he loved the plane. We take a lot of things to keep her busy. She was very happy looking out the window for most of the trip. Now, look up at the sky and point to the planes you see. He also says goodbye to airplanes and greets them.

Good luck with your travels!

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