Well, this blog is used for many purposes, so if you're looking to read about our ministry, feel free to skip this post! As with most of my friends, when I blog about the kids it's to show pictures, update you on what they are up to, and tell fun stories. But this time, I feel the need to post some advice. By NO MEANS am I an expert, but I'm realizing, that my kids travel more than the average, so here are my two cents.
I had longed for my children to be good travelers as the nature of our work requires travel- To conferences with students for the weekend, to staff conferences for a few days, to Summer Training Programs where you pack up your family to live elsewhere for weeks (or months). Or if you're like the staff were when we were students, travel includes an annual Spring Break Trip with a 24 hour drive ONE WAY to Florida! SO all that to say, traveling well is a MUST in our family!
By the time Ellie was 6 months old she had already been to 6 states on 8 (?) major trips! So I guess you could say, tip #1 is START THEM YOUNG! If traveling is important to your family, it seems so overwhelming to travel with a newborn (When will I nurse? What will they do? Will they sleep? How can they be in the carseat that long?) But honestly, looking back, the first months were BY FAR the easiest with kids (so far) A rattle can entertain for a LONG time. When they get tired enough they'll sleep. And you can nurse just about anywhere. Oh, and you can eat all the snacks you want because they don't know enough to ask for your food yet! So it bugged me that they didn't nap at the right time or they went too long between feedings, but I'm so glad we started young as this is just a NORMAL for our family!
#2 Food: We do our best to eat on the road so that we don't have to stop as much AND to buy time while on the road. When our kids are just starting finger foods, a snack cup with cheerios can kill a LOT of time. And yes, I'm known to cut the cheerios in half so they'll last even longer! Now we like to "splurge" and pack uncrustables, string cheese, bananas and pouches for our girls. Those are special treats we don't normally have at home, but they are cheaper, healthier and easier than fast food! And speaking of food- at one point I made a list, I think Elliie nursed at too many different rest stops and restaurants to count! It was so weird at first, but you get over it fast and learn how to make it work!
#3 Time of day: I'm always trying to figure out the best time to travel. Our kids don't really sleep in the car, so going at bedtime/nap time doesn't work for us. BUT I've found that they're more flexible than I give them credit for. In my quest to discover the PERFECT time to travel, I've discovered the best thing to do is to change it up. Sometimes we get up and get dressed and go straight to the car for "car breakfast" as Ellie calls it. Sometimes we let them play for awhile and get out some energy before loading up and heading out with snacks and a packed lunch. Sometimes we eat dinner at 4 pm and then put them in PJ's and hope they fall asleep sometime... {Although when Josie was a newborn we did this and drove from 4 pm - 1 am. Josie slept almost the whole time. But Ellie? She slept for 90 seconds of that WHOLE 9 hour drive. MISERABLE!}
#4 Car toys: . I have a basket of toys in our front closet that are ONLY for the car! It makes it more fun! In this technology world, we find ourselves pretty hesitant to give the girls any sort of technology at home and hate to break those habits on the road... So magna doodle, Melissa & Doug magnet board, Melissa & Doug Water Wow Pen, and books are some favorites. I have a number of busy bags that I made when Ellie was a baby that have become so great car toys. This felt snake is a favorite.
#5 "Gifts": When it's a really long trip (In my opinion that's >5 hours away) I've wrapped up gifts to open throughout the ride. My mom did that when we were kids. Sometimes it's things we already have but they haven't played with in awhile. Or it's dollar store stuff.. A new pack of crayons or coloring book. A roll of scotch tape (cover up the blade part and it keeps 1 year olds entertained for a long time!) Some little gadget. We chose a Christmas gift for Ellie to just wrap up and save in the car as we were traveling a lot!
#6 Music: We are stingy on technology, but we've discovered kid music can go a LONG way! Bring instruments to give the kids to play with... We even tried a kid audio book via my phone recently and that was a nice change of pace! I'd like to look into getting more of those now that Josie is older!
#7 Rest stops!! They're the best! Quick, close, mostly clean, Pack your food and take advantage of these!!
#8 Have a "plan" If we are headed on a 4-5 hour trip at 9 am. I usually think. Just let them play for a bit. Then We'll finally break out a snack at 10. I space out new cd's, new toys, new books, new foods in a way that will hopefully keep them somewhat entertained... Or else I find that all of my ideas are used up in the first hour. And then it's panic time!
I'm sure you all have MANY MORE pieces of advice, so please share!! We'll happily use your advice in the months to come as we have many miles ahead of us :-)
I had longed for my children to be good travelers as the nature of our work requires travel- To conferences with students for the weekend, to staff conferences for a few days, to Summer Training Programs where you pack up your family to live elsewhere for weeks (or months). Or if you're like the staff were when we were students, travel includes an annual Spring Break Trip with a 24 hour drive ONE WAY to Florida! SO all that to say, traveling well is a MUST in our family!
By the time Ellie was 6 months old she had already been to 6 states on 8 (?) major trips! So I guess you could say, tip #1 is START THEM YOUNG! If traveling is important to your family, it seems so overwhelming to travel with a newborn (When will I nurse? What will they do? Will they sleep? How can they be in the carseat that long?) But honestly, looking back, the first months were BY FAR the easiest with kids (so far) A rattle can entertain for a LONG time. When they get tired enough they'll sleep. And you can nurse just about anywhere. Oh, and you can eat all the snacks you want because they don't know enough to ask for your food yet! So it bugged me that they didn't nap at the right time or they went too long between feedings, but I'm so glad we started young as this is just a NORMAL for our family!
#2 Food: We do our best to eat on the road so that we don't have to stop as much AND to buy time while on the road. When our kids are just starting finger foods, a snack cup with cheerios can kill a LOT of time. And yes, I'm known to cut the cheerios in half so they'll last even longer! Now we like to "splurge" and pack uncrustables, string cheese, bananas and pouches for our girls. Those are special treats we don't normally have at home, but they are cheaper, healthier and easier than fast food! And speaking of food- at one point I made a list, I think Elliie nursed at too many different rest stops and restaurants to count! It was so weird at first, but you get over it fast and learn how to make it work!
#3 Time of day: I'm always trying to figure out the best time to travel. Our kids don't really sleep in the car, so going at bedtime/nap time doesn't work for us. BUT I've found that they're more flexible than I give them credit for. In my quest to discover the PERFECT time to travel, I've discovered the best thing to do is to change it up. Sometimes we get up and get dressed and go straight to the car for "car breakfast" as Ellie calls it. Sometimes we let them play for awhile and get out some energy before loading up and heading out with snacks and a packed lunch. Sometimes we eat dinner at 4 pm and then put them in PJ's and hope they fall asleep sometime... {Although when Josie was a newborn we did this and drove from 4 pm - 1 am. Josie slept almost the whole time. But Ellie? She slept for 90 seconds of that WHOLE 9 hour drive. MISERABLE!}
#4 Car toys: . I have a basket of toys in our front closet that are ONLY for the car! It makes it more fun! In this technology world, we find ourselves pretty hesitant to give the girls any sort of technology at home and hate to break those habits on the road... So magna doodle, Melissa & Doug magnet board, Melissa & Doug Water Wow Pen, and books are some favorites. I have a number of busy bags that I made when Ellie was a baby that have become so great car toys. This felt snake is a favorite.
#5 "Gifts": When it's a really long trip (In my opinion that's >5 hours away) I've wrapped up gifts to open throughout the ride. My mom did that when we were kids. Sometimes it's things we already have but they haven't played with in awhile. Or it's dollar store stuff.. A new pack of crayons or coloring book. A roll of scotch tape (cover up the blade part and it keeps 1 year olds entertained for a long time!) Some little gadget. We chose a Christmas gift for Ellie to just wrap up and save in the car as we were traveling a lot!
#6 Music: We are stingy on technology, but we've discovered kid music can go a LONG way! Bring instruments to give the kids to play with... We even tried a kid audio book via my phone recently and that was a nice change of pace! I'd like to look into getting more of those now that Josie is older!
#7 Rest stops!! They're the best! Quick, close, mostly clean, Pack your food and take advantage of these!!
#8 Have a "plan" If we are headed on a 4-5 hour trip at 9 am. I usually think. Just let them play for a bit. Then We'll finally break out a snack at 10. I space out new cd's, new toys, new books, new foods in a way that will hopefully keep them somewhat entertained... Or else I find that all of my ideas are used up in the first hour. And then it's panic time!
I'm sure you all have MANY MORE pieces of advice, so please share!! We'll happily use your advice in the months to come as we have many miles ahead of us :-)
