With summertime travel ramping up, we thought it would be a good idea to review some good parenting tips to help the family vacation go as smoothly as possible. Let’s start out by saying that most kids love the adventure of going on a trip. Usually their parents are more relaxed, they get to visit cousins they don’t normally get to see, or locations that are new and interesting. It’s a great feeling to have dad and mom together, totally focused on the moment rather than on work, household chores, making dinner, school or outside intrusions via the phone or social media. It’s a great time to bond and make happy family memories. However, it takes some planning to execute a successful vacation with the kids. How can you make the most of the time without running into too many meltdowns or irritable behavior?
To start with, it’s best to start talking about the trip well in advance. If it’s to visit family, show them pictures and explain whom they will be seeing. If it’s to a place like Costa Rica or Paris, share travel guides and talk about the sites and activities they can expect to encounter. Let them get involved in the planning process by picking out things they would like to do. For example, we had the kids make a list of all the things they wanted to see during our trip to New York and then formed an itinerary loosely based on this. The strategy helped to reduce whining and complaining because they were the ones who planned the day. It also gave them some structure to help them understand what would be expected of them. If the kids are young, try not to plan too many different things in one day. It’s hard for children to make transitions and it can be exhausting to them. It will only contribute to tantrums so add in extra time for getting ready or resting during the day.
In the week prior to the trip, begin explaining to the kids about how you expect them to behave. For example, no bringing electronics into Aunt Kathy’s reunion party or playing keep away on busy city streets. While you are on the trip, catch them while they are being appropriate and thoughtful and praise them for the positive behavior.
Try to stick to bedtimes and plan for enough rest. Being tired is one of the major reasons for unruly behavior. If you have a baby or toddler, try to schedule downtime in the hotel room everyday for a consistent nap. If you have a child that won’t take a nap in a different crib, plan on going for a long walk with the child in the stroller at the same time each afternoon.
If you are taking a drive for more than 6 hours, plan ahead. To help avoid fighting amongst siblings, boredom and general crankiness, stock the car with videos, fun music, snacks and games. On a recent trip, we played the game of Life on the IPad for at least an hour. We passed it around so each person could take a turn and laughed about the different scenarios. Of course, there are always the old go-to games like looking for out of state license plates or different landmarks along the road. Also, bring pillows and blankets for more comfortable naps and break up the trip with stops to run around and stretch.