The below article is published online: http://magicalhomes.in/travelling-with-a-child/
Travelling with children can be a more tedious than
housework, laundering, shopping and office backlog put together. Factoring a
child’s needs into your travel itinerary can be far more challenging than
sticking on that CD of nursery rhymes or making the frequent and unplanned
toilet halts.
However, travelling as a family allows experiences to be
shared and treasured. It can add significance to family time together away from
the burdens of work and mundane routine. You can gain different perceptions on
places when accompanied by kids.
If you plan aptly, the disaster times seem to dwindle, and
the memoirs of the events together get reminisced. Here are some parent-tested
tips to help prepare for a hassle-free and safe journey.
Be flexible with
extra time
As long as you go with
the flow, travelling with a child can really be a delightful experience. Small
kids can get over-excited with too many new places and noises. Similarly,
making your toddler sit immobile or tour for a longer period can make him fed
up and irritable. Carry a sling or a carrier to strap your toddler to keep him
out of trouble. Also, keeping the itinerary simple works wonders. While
planning ensure that only one major activity is scheduled for a day to
accommodate the last minute adjustments if your child gets exhausted or cranky.
Babies and especially toddlers love to wander around and explore
hence don’t expect them to respect the time limits of your travel program.
Therefore, you're more likely to retain your cool if you factor the ogling, delaying,
toilet breaks and grumpiness into your travel plan.
Pick a right destination
A peaceful destination that’s friendly to young visitors
should be favoured. A lazy seaside, family camping, Club Med or similar
child-friendly places are good options. Jam-packed, over stimulating tourist
charms or places without any shade should be strictly avoided. Scout for hotels
that offer good discounts on the rates and some freebies like free breakfast
without negotiating on the child-friendliness and safety aspect. It’s also not
a bad idea to ask about the child-minding services or crèches or other child
friendly facilities and activities.
Packing
Two things you just can’t miss before leaving on that long
awaited trip is plenty of water and a bag of snacks. Flights can dehydrate most
of the young travellers and small toddlers just can’t always hold on until the
proper mealtimes. Raisins, breadsticks, small juice cartons, dry fruits, rice
biscuits, small packets of dry cereal are some of the best bets. Don’t forget
to stock on wet wipes for those messy clean-ups. The journey can also be made
fascinating by dispensing snacks at pre-announced intervals, for example, once
you board the aircraft or after you’ve covered a certain distance.
If you are travelling
with a small baby or a toddler that is not fully toilet-trained, it’s prudent
to stock on the diapers and the rash creams. Also carry a liquid bath soap to
avoid messy handling and subsequent contamination. If you are travelling to
chilly areas, carry loads of moisturising creams and a good sunscreen if you
choose the beaches. It’s also not a bad idea to carry your own electric
repellent or at least a cream to keep those mosquitoes and bugs away. Pack the
clothing as per the climate at the destination; however, avoid carrying too
many clothes by mix-matching and re-using some.
Plan recurrent rest stops
“We spent too much
time in planning our first holiday with our 2 year old son, Vivan. We decided
to drive down to Goa from Mumbai. Everything was a fairy tale affair until my
husband started to get twitchy at the repeated unplanned breaks we were taking
to attend to Vivan and his tantrums. This led to frivolous arguments between us
turning the entire journey into anguish.” Priya, a young mother from Mumbai,
shares her experience.
Driving can often be
fun for adults but seldom for small children. Hence, plan proper breaks in your
voyage to give your child consistent chances to stretch and ramble around. A quick
game of football with your little one or some simple jigsaw puzzles for some
quite times can be good choices. Early start is extremely logical to give you
enough time for that much desirable unwinding after a long day on the road. Had
Priya and her husband considered these breaks beforehand, they wouldn’t be in
those spiteful situations.
Safety first
It’s always a good idea to carry your own childproofing kit
to use at your destination. Make sure your baby is properly fastened in the car
seat, if you are travelling by car. Invest in a pair of good quality removable
window shades to keep your child protected from the sun. This may sound hilarious
but it’s always advisable to dress up your child in some brightly coloured outfits
so that he can be easily spotted at crowded places. Also, don’t forget to put a
small chit with your details like phone numbers and address in one of his
pockets in case you get detached. A number of packing and travelling checklists
are easily available on the internet for more ideas.
Pack a goody bag
Carrying a goody bag with toys, snacks and
drinks is definitely one of the best means to keep your child calm and
comfortable on a trip. Try and include their favourite play-mates, books and
even some surprises. Wrapping them separately and presenting them to your child
once a while will benefit in tackling those fidgety times. Jigsaw puzzles, soft
toys, hand puppets, some coloured paper for drawing, non-toxic crayons and clay
and picture books can prove extremely worthy for the toddlers; while babies can
be kept motivated with some attractive new stuffs, baby-proof hand mirror,
musical toys and rattles, pop-up toys or
teething rings. You need to start building on the collection a few weeks
beforehand.
Medication
Whether they’re jetlagged, out of routine
or eating less healthily, most kids seem to fall sick on holidays. Hence, it’s
particularly important to carry your child’s medical history along. Also, make
a quick doctor visit before the travel to ensure that your child is in good
health and suitable for travel and the environmental changes. Carry the
doctor’s prescription for all the important and common medications; even better
if you carry the medicines. “Last year we were holidaying in some remote parts
of North India when one of my Twins developed an upset tummy in the middle of
the night. Unfortunately, I wasn’t carrying the right medicine and we had a
hard time dealing with the situation. That night taught me a significant lesson
and now I just can’t think of leaving my home without the medication kit, even
for smaller journeys.” Ashlesha, a mother of 3 years old Twins recalls.
Other basic constituents in the first aid
kit should include antiseptic wipes, bandages, sting treatment, and a
thermometer. Don’t forget to pop a small bottle of hand-sanitizer in your
handbag.
Preach and practice
Small children are flexible and shouldn't
be too distressed by a provisional break in routine, but a little groundwork
will help your child relish his trip. Showing pictures of your destination and
chatting with them about what and who you’ll see as well as what you’ll do
there can be really helpful. Whenever you talk to them, make sure you take an
optimistic approach in conveying the enthusiasm and positive feelings about the
impending trip. Your child will definitely take his cue from you and odds are
your little one will approach the tour the same way.
And to conclude, as someone rightly said,
stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey, it
entirely depends on how you approach your trip. Apposite planning, little
positive attitude and endurance will go a long way in making that much awaited
trip thoroughly memorable!
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