Once you are taking a child into consideration, many previous tasks become slightly more challenging. Travel is one of these. Whether you are flying, driving, taking the bus, or even a train, there are so many moving parts that it can become overwhelming. Take some time before the trip to get the following steps prepared, and you will have a much smoother travel experience.
Tips To Travel With Children
At HealthPark Pediatrics, we have worked with plenty of children and families as they grow and change. While travel with children will not always be a challenge, those first few attempts can be. Even implementing a few of these suggestions can put you well on your way to a productive day of travel.
Give Yourselves Plenty Of Time
There is no need to feel rushed through travel with children. This is easy to avoid by leaving you and your family plenty of time to travel from one place to another.
In the case of flying, get to the airport with plenty of time to spare to make it through checking bags, security, and even sitting at the gate. Feeling as though you may miss the flight is avoidable by adding extra time. The Transportation Security Administration recommends arriving at least two hours ahead of your scheduled flight for domestic flights and three hours for international flights when traveling with children.
Pay Attention To Overpacking
With more people traveling, the amount of bags can increase quickly. With children, they cannot always carry the weight of their own bags, leaving you to have to handle theirs along with your own. This can make it difficult to manage their movement, as you could run out of hands to use.
Explain The Trip Process Beforehand
If you explain the process of traveling to your child beforehand, they may feel more comfortable with it the day of. It takes some of the unknowns out of the equation for them to find it more exciting rather than something to fear. You can tell them what you expect of them during the process, so they have expectations to meet from the beginning.
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention discusses the importance of active listening and providing your children with a space that they feel comfortable sharing. This can allow you to address their travel concerns before the day of the trip.
Bring Plenty Of Snacks
Children get hungry often. Traveling can increase this as the days are long, and it takes a lot of energy to get through successfully. Bring snacks to keep from having to go to the store and provide it when needed. This saves you from having to tell your child no if they see something they normally would not, such as all of the candy and snacks lined up at the front of the stores.
Pack Accessible And Easy Activities For Entertainment
Children need activities to keep them occupied in situations such as travel. There are so many options that are small enough to bring with you, while also keeping attention for long periods of time. This can be something as simple as a coloring book or even a puzzle.
Expect Imperfection
Your travel with children is always going to pose challenges. Going into it knowing that can help you manage those expectations before ever beginning the journey. The real upside is getting to spend time with your family as a whole towards whatever plan it is you are going to. Your child is learning a lot when they spend time traveling. It is a great opportunity to teach them about their surroundings and ensure they can grow in the experience.
Plan ahead and travel with children in an effective manner. By keeping them on track and entertained, you will be able to ensure a productive trip. Do you have more questions about how to maintain your child’s safety while traveling? HealthPark Pediatrics is here to provide answers to those questions while also ensuring you feel confident. Check out our website or give us a call at (919) 896-7066 for more information.
