You have either already been somewhere with your children and you are laughing/groaning to yourself OR you only have one child and they are under the age of 6 months hence the "what do you mean?" look on your face. Read on, you will need the heads up!
I, having four young and fairly ... uh ... exuberant children, have braved a trip with them before. It was an excruciating and torturous journey. It was the most stressful and loooong day of my life and I swore that I would NEVER take them any where again! (That trip to the grocery store nearly killed me! ; )
So now I am about to brave a 4 hour trip in the SUV with said monsters and I am shaking in my Manolo Blahniks (YEAH RIGHT) I mean Born made for comfort loafers. Just imagine yourself trapped in a 12 foot by 6 foot box on wheels with a 1 year old screaming UT UT UT UT (which is monster for I WANT OUT OF MY SEAT NOOOOOW!) while the 2 year old says "I want out too, I want to watch dora, where is my choctic milk, Mommmy Mommy MOMMMMY, I want daddy to hold me, and the 4 year old is telling her brother who is 6, I don't want to watch Hot Wheels Acceleracers again, I want to watch Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princess, Mommy he won't let me watch Barbie, Mommy I am squished, mommy , and the 6 year old says, I don't want to watch that girl movie, I am bored......"
Okay, I am exaggerating they aren't 3/4 that bad and even the best kids have their limits. If I don't plan very carefully those 4 hours can be very aggravating for kids and turn them into well, monsters. Here are some organization ideas I have put together to try and make any trip more enjoyable. So here we go.
1. Pack a bag with disaster recovery tools. Pack a bag that has everything you need to clean up messes. Paper towels, ziplocks in various sizes, trash bags, and if all else fails the handy dandy baby wipes.
2. Pack an emergency kit. Take along a first aid kit, blankets and coats if cold, and water. Research the area you are going and pack appropriate emergency supplies for the region and season.
3. Pack a picnic. There is nothing like going on a road trip to bring the ravening beast out in your child or spouse. Make sure you have lots of healthy snacks on hand. Small individual size bags are very convenient but frankly alot more expensive. Taking the time to pack crackers, veggies and fruit, pretzels, etc into individual size portions will make handing them out on the road or even at a scenic destination much easier. Less mess and convenient clean up are also benefits. My kids also love juice boxes or pouches. These do not have to be cooled to be very tasty to the kids, they clean up easier than a dirty cup and also leaves more room in the cooler your beverage of choice!
4. Portable potty anyone? If you are taking a very long trip through certain places restrooms are few and desperate in between. With young children you may want to consider a portable potty. You can find them at places like Target for about $14.99 and you can by liners for them for about $5.00.
5. Pack a backpack or tote bag for each child. Put in it their personal favorite books, games, game boys, walkmans, and small toys. Make sure you have a coloring book and washable markers or colored pencils. I would avoid crayons if it is hot because they tend to melt for the little ones and a notebook for the older kids. They can write interesting events that happened on their trip, notes to friends, draw pictures of things they saw.
For added adventure take alook at the ideas on http://www.tripkids.com/index.html. They have a travel buddy you can purchase if you like which has journals, a backpack and a doll. Or if you are like me and do not have room for anything else they have a creative idea about getting stamps from each location your visit. This is a great idea for memorializing your trip. You could get any number of items to put in the kids very own "travelog". Post cards are readily available and a great visual reminder of where they have been.
6. Have a hidden stash! Come on moms admit it. Who doesn't hide away special treats, movies, games, stickers, and toys for that occasion when you REALLY need the kids entertained? This is a good time to indulge your kids alittle. Just think about it like this. You have strapped down 40 or 50 pounds of compressed energy into a small hard seat with numerous buckles and snaps and said "you are now boarding the travel high way please keep your seat backs and tray tables in a upright (and uncomfortable) position for the duration of your torture, I mean trip." Break out the big guns and you and your children will benefit.
I personally like to shop for bargains when it comes to well, most things. You probably won't find me buying a used portable travel potty but most other things yes. I frequently shop on line and ebay is rapidly becoming one of my favorites for kids items. When my son decided that Legos Bionicle were the "thing" to have I just could not imagine spending $10 on one little toy when I knew I could do better on ebay. I bought about 14 pounds for $20 plus shipping and oh boy oh boy I was hooked. I buy books, movies, toys and clothes. It is hard to pass up the great deals. So if you have the time I would suggest doing some trip shopping on line!
Any trip should be a time to bond your family closer together. Take sometime to enjoy just being with them and do what you can to make it enjoyable for everyone. Relax and if you need to put in the ear plugs!
