’’He touched me, She’s on my side of the seat.’’
Who hasn’t heard this when travelling with kids?
There is no car big enough to travel in with even one kid, let alone more than one.
But I do have a few suggestions to offer.
1- Make plans to make a pit stop, every 2 hours. Even if the kids don’t ’’have to go’’ yet, they will, when a bathroom is in front of them. It will also give them time to get out of the car, stretch their little bodies and you will have a few minutes to relax!
2- Always have plenty of non messy snacks, like individual bags (or little filled sandwich bags) of chips, pretzels, crackers and plenty of fruit and carrot sticks for them to munch on.
3- Pack a little bag of pocket sized, car games too. There are magnetic checker boards and scrabble, mini, monopoly and trivia games. There are always hand held electronic games, which tend to keep them quiet for a while.
4- Dress the kids comfortably! And don’t complain when they take their shoes off, or even their socks. Sitting still in small places is not what a child was made for. The more comfortable they are, the less complaining they’ll have to do.
5- If time allows, take little side trips to interesting sites and attractions. This not only keeps them busy, but once again, they get out of their tight little, strapped in space. (And so do you!)
6- Remember, small children have no conception of time. So when they ask for the umpteenth time, ’’Are we there yet?’’
Smile and say, ’’almost, honey. Why don’t you play another game?’’
7- Don’t forget to bring along some washable crayons, pencils and markers, with some coloring books and paper for drawing the interesting sites you pass along the way.
8- Bring audios of your kids favorite TV shows, and music. Or if you’re lucky enough to have a television system built into your vehicle, even better! Bring along lots of movies!
9- Don’t ever plan on travelling more than 8 hours in a day by car. Make sure you make your plans to include a stop for the night. Let the kids get some sleep in a bed, where they’ll be comfortable. And you can travel the rest of the way tomorrow.
10- Also bring along wet naps or a wet washcloth in a plastic bag for hands and faces. Also have a roll of paper towels ready for anything that comes up.
I also recommend that you begin your trip early in the day, after you and the kids have had a good night’s sleep.
Leave your temper at home and concentrate on the great time you’ll have when you get where you’re going.
And last but not least, Don’t think about the trip back home! You’ve already survived the trip getting there. Half the battle is done.
Have fun. =)