The Stay at Home Mother

This Thursday, I will be appearing on Breakfast Television to discuss some tips for vacationing with young children.

With school almost over and many families taking vacation (including my own) I thought this segment would be timely.

There are things that I have learned as a mother through my own personal experiences, and things that I have picked up along the way from other moms too...

I am including some of these tips below and please feel free to add in your own tips - as it may help another mom and family out there who is taking the "plunge" for the first time.

For the Car

• CD player with child friendly songs or stories, and books, puzzles and hand puppets.
• High quality mini-DVD player
• Shades on the windows to keep sun out of eyes
• Spill proof cups
• Covers/blankets on the seat in case of spills

For the Airplane

• Purchase a small back pack or mini suitcase that they can pull themselves. My five-year old loved it when we took him to Disneyland with his very own suitcase that he could pull himself. And we packed it full of his favourite things, including toys, books/crayons and snacks.
  
• We also packed his pillow.
  
• We requested a “Pilot’s Pin” for him to wear during the flight. They don’t offer it anymore readily, but they do exist, and makes the flight even more special.
  

For Fun:

• Write out a list of games beforehand, so you can refer to them on the road/on a plane Ie - Eye Spy, Rock/Paper/Scissors, A deck of cards, songs to sing, funny stories to tell, etc. - along with travel games that can be purchased at your local travel store or drug store.
  
• Give them thier own disposable camera to take pictures
• Where ever you decide to go during the summer – keep it simple. Kids need to be entertained but not overwhelmed with stuff to do every minute either.
• Whether you are going big – ie Disneyland, Florida, etc. or camping locally or driving to a destination, remember that children need lots of patience, and things to keep their minds occupied, lots of breaks on route to destination - whether stopping every two hours on the side of a road or gas station to stretch their legs, or walking down the isle of the airplane during flight.
• And above all else – when you are on vacation, remember to be flexible and listen to your child when they start to get cranky or anxious – as it can be hard on young children to withstand a long day out and about. Naps and quiet time should be part of the day as well during the vacation.

I will be elaborating on the above tips on Breakfast Television at 8:30am this Thursday, June 19th.

Hope you can tune in!