Things To Avoid When Traveling With A Young Child
Traveling is stressful and doing it with young children only adds to the pressure. Hours spent on congested highways making your way back home for the holiday or dragging luggage and a baby through mobbed airports are not things one wants to do.
As you get ready for the upcoming holiday travel season or if you’re heading to the Caribbean on vacation, here are a few things to avoid if you want a happy trip with your child.
By now, you probably know whether your child is easy-going or needs a structured schedule. Sometimes parents forget to consider the child’s needs when making plans and, instead, set up a schedule that is stressful and demanding, even for the adults. We’ve all been guilty of packing too much fun into a trip and experiencing moments of frustration.
If your child is easy-going and can sleep anywhere and isn’t bothered by strange people, noises, or foods then consider yourself blessed. If your child is typical and has some issues with traveling, here are a few things to avoid and how:
- To avoid a cranky and sleepy child, arrange your travel to coincide with your child’s schedule. In other words, do your long drives or long flights when your baby is sleeping.
- To avoid a child with an upset tummy, take food your child already loves to eat. (My oldest child was a picky eater and we always traveled with peanut butter and bread.) While you may enjoy experiencing new foods while traveling, this is not the time to expect your young child to experiment with new tastes or textures.
- To avoid difficulty with transitions, take your child’s favorite blanket or comfort item. Children don’t sleep well in strange places and having their favorite blanket or toy will help.
- To avoid crying or meltdowns, arrange times for your child to move around. Make stops at rest areas and allow some running around time or find a quiet area at the airport and give your wiggly one some time to burn off some steam. Sitting in a seat, car or plane, restrained by a seatbelt is uncomfortable, right?
- To avoid the fear and anxiety around strangers, expect your child to be a bit shy around unfamiliar family members or friends. It’s normal. Children need time to warm up to new people and some children need more time than others. If necessary, kindly set limits and expectations with family or guests, such as “don’t expect hugs and kisses if the child is uncomfortable.”
Traveling with a young child is an adventure! And many of those difficult times end up making fun memories, later on. Try building flexibility into your schedule and setting realistic expectations ahead of time. This planning will allow you and your child to relax and enjoy the trip.
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