It’s the time of year when you need a break and to get away from it all, but when you have children it can be very stressful trying to figure out how to take a vacation. Sometimes it’s easier driving to your destination because you can pull of and take breaks, but when it is to far away you must board an airplane and wonder what will my child do!! Well here is so advice of what to do on a plane.
For infants:
If your child is an infant and not walking or crawling yet it can be a little easier for you on a plane. Ttry to get a seat near the back so if they get fussy or restless, you have more room to stand in the back out of the way and rock them or bounce them. You might want to give your baby a little dose of children’s benadryl, the doctor will even say it’s alright, it calms them down and sometimes, depending on how long the flight is, they might sleep the whole flight. If they are on the bottle, take one with you so when you are landing or taking off they have something to suck on to help pop their ears.
Toddlers:
Once they hit the stage where they can walk or even crawl it become a little more difficult to keep them happy on the flight. Always bring little snacks for them because you don’t get that much food. Another good idea is make them up their own carry on bag and in that bag make sure they have a toy or blanket they like. Before you leave, go to the store and get some new little toys and books and don’t let them see them. Put them in the bag and every time they start to get restless, pull out a new toy or book for them to play with. I got my son, who is three, some seek and find books of his favorite cartoons and he really enjoyed that. They have a big variety of them at Borders Books. Also most planes now have little T.V.’s in the seat. It cost $5.00, and has the cartoon network on it; a very good distraction for them.
You Made It to your Vacation Spot!
When you finally make it to your destination, remember that just like at home your children still need to get their rest. Make sure you always leave at least one day where you don’t go running around, so that you can just lay around and relax, even is it’s just by the hotel pool.
Visiting out of town Family
If you are going to visit family that live in a different state, don’t get upset if your child doesn’t go running up to them right away. Remember these people are strangers right now to your child and so is the state. Let them get used to their surrounding and they will become comfortable with everyone around them. I suggest taking their blanket and pillow case with you so that when they go to sleep they have something familiar in bed with them. If there are other children their age around, it doesn’t always mean they will get along, even if back at home they get along with all kids. It’s a vacation - just relax and go with the flow.
Some quick reminders:
- Make sure you always include at least one thing to do that you know they will like
- When at the ocean no matter how good of swimmer they are one strong tide could pull them under, keep a close eye on them
- Have at least one day off to relax
- No matter how overcast or cloudy it is put sun screen on them or this might happen
