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Traveling With Your Baby - Ten Tips To Make It An Enjoyable
Experience For The Family |
By:
Gregg Hall |
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Getting ready for a family vacation with a baby? Many things can
make the trip a more enjoyable experience, depending on the age
of the child. Of course, if the baby is still in diapers then
having a good supply of diapers and baby wipes is a necessity.
Bottled water for drinking and for rinsing out cups is a plus.
Snacks, the healthy sugar free variety are also a necessity, and
pillows and blankets to make the child comfortable during the
long ride.
If your baby is old enough to pay attention, then travel games,
coloring books, and toys that are quiet enough to avoid driving
you crazy can be helpful. Also a travel DVD player that plugs
into the car's cigarette lighter for power will allow the child
to watch a favorite video, keeping him or her occupied and more
comfortable. Read along books for children are handy as well.
These books have recordings the children listen to while looking
at the pictures and the words underneath, teaching reading
skills at a very young age.
Possibly the most important tip would be making a schedule and
setting realistic driving times each day. Adults can handle
longer spans of time in the car than children can, and
especially babies. Try not to spend more than eight hours a day
driving, and have rest stops every couple of hours to stretch
legs, and get outside in the fresh air.
Jill is a mother of two who has fond memories of traveling with
her children as babies and toddlers. She tells many stories of
trips to the lake, the park, the beach and even to Disneyland,
bringing her small children along and says that the experience
wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable for her or her husband if
the children had stayed home.
She does however, recommend thoughtful planning. "Story books
were great. I read to the kids while my husband drove, and that
kept them occupied. It also often makes them sleepy and led them
to frequent nap times." Jill also recommends coloring books so
that the kids can amuse themselves. Ditto for the sugar free
snacks. You won't want to get the children running in overdrive
on a sugar rush. But children do get hungry frequently, so
keeping a good supply of crackers, fruit snacks and other things
the kids enjoy will make the trip more enjoyable.
It helps travelers, that so many rest stops these days, have
baby changing stations in both men's and women's rest rooms.
This allows both parents to handle the child changing chores,
and eases traveling tensions.
Jill's friend and neighbor Sally also remembers traveling with
very small children, and offers this advice: "Baby wipes. Have
lots and lots of baby wipes. You never know when you'll need
them. And be sure that you make rest stops every hour or two.
The kids will get a bit cranky and stopping for fifteen minutes
can make a world of difference. Also, be sure to bring animal
crackers, graham crackers or some other sort of snack, and
bottles of water or fruit juice to wash it down with. Keeping a
child fed with keep a child happy."
Traveling with a very young child can be a challenge. If you
have friends with older children, ask them what they did to ease
the stress of the rip with traveling with the children in
earlier years. It always helps to learn from someone else's
experiences. Also, ask your own parents what they did when you
were a baby, and how they handled traveling situations. It also
doesn't hurt to check out the local public library for parenting
magazines and books.
Being a parent is a very responsible job and learning from
others is only wise. However, traveling with your baby or other
young child will provide you with a great deal of enjoyment. If
you take a camera or video camcorder you'll be able to record
the trip for future memories, and have stories to tell for years
to come. So enjoy traveling with your baby, but be sure to plan
ahead.
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Article Source: http://www.friendsofvista.org/articles/article26748.html |
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