Traveling with your children? Check these boxes off first.

Thinking about taking a family vacation with your children? It’s a great idea in theory and an excellent way to weave some of those pieces that will become a big part of the mosaic of their childhood memories, but there’s another side to traveling with a toddler that might cause you some very warranted concern. There’s a lot of preplanning to make things manageable when you decide to include young children in your travel plans. What’s more, you’ll need even more of the things you’d normally pack for a trip with an infant. Remember there’s a lot to do in advance when you consider that toddlers are generally impatient and don’t like to sit still for long periods of time.

Start checking off the preplanning boxes by getting together some of the physical supplies you’ll need. Beyond the obvious blankets, wipes, diapers and tissues, you’ll need to pack one or two outfits a day for your little one. Some snack foods are a good idea and, because they need to drink plenty of liquids on any outing, bottles, canteens and sippy cups are an important part of the complete inventory.

Physical Items

Once you’ve got all the physical items together, a good talk with your toddler about safety rules for traveling is a great idea. There are a few simple ideas your child will either need to learn for the first time or refresh themselves on and these include the importance of letting the driver concentrate on the road without distractions, staying seated when they’re traveling on a train or bus and the importance of being properly buckled into a car.

You might want to consider traveling in off peak seasons. As well as avoiding flights with long layovers or connections at later hours, asking airlines which of their flights fill the most slowly works when you want to avoid having to deal with the kinds of behaviors toddlers are well known for around larger crowds. Remember, before boarding the plane, you should check your stroller in at the gate so it will be waiting for you when you arrive.

Normal Routines

So much of the success of any trip you take with your children depends on maintaining their normal routines as much as possible. Ensuring their meal and sleep times stay as consistent as possible will keep the disruption they’ll feel down to a minimum. Traveling late at night or early in the morning is a benefit since it takes advantage of the times they’d otherwise be sleeping.

Remember, you need to stay calm and focused for the entire trip because your toddler takes their cues from you. Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of shade, either in the form of a sunscreen for that portion of your vehicle where your child sits, or on their stroller when the trip is by public transportation.

Read more info like this at  All My Children.
Author: Rob Starr