13 February 2016

Are We There Yet?


Travelling with children is never easy, whether they're one year old or eight year old there's always going to be something that crops up out of the blue and smacks you in the face when you least expect it. Only the other weekend Logan had travel sickness when the other half was driving along a bumpy country road. He never has travel sickness so it came as a complete surprise and major panic to get him out of the car before the sick unloaded.

We've got a few family trips coming up which involve a lot of hours driving so I'm going to share some of the things I've learnt and hopefully it'll help you prepare for long car journeys with kids.

The night before
The night before you say, yes I do! Make sure, whatever you do, that any kind of gadget/ gizmo etc is fully charged and ready to go the night before as on the morning of your travels you'll either forget or there won't be enough time. Be one step ahead of the game as well and set aside any in car chargers just in case.

Stop off points
If you're going on a long car journey then investigate some good service stations for stop offs well in advanced. I had never thought about this until my friend recommended a good service station for the kids when travelling down South. It's family friendly, has a bit of soft play and also does proper food i.e. no fast food chains. Something we'll definitely be baring in my for our up coming trips.

Snack time
Sounds simple enough but make sure and take plenty of snacks and of different varieties too so the kids don't get hungry or bored with the same thing. Make sure and pack plenty of drinks as well as you're definitely going to get thirsty after all of those tasty snacks.

Fun & games
Keeping the little ones entertained on a long car trip has to be the hardest thing ever! Or maybe travelling in a plane with them is as you can at least stop with your own car haha. Anyway make sure and have things for them to do in the car and don't bring all the good stuff out at once or the boredom will set in pretty quickly.

Things like computer tablets, portable DVD player, small fiddly toys, favourite toy, reading books, activity and sticker book, and family car games can keep the kids from a screaming match for a good while if you're lucky. Some good old family car games include; eye spy, nursery rhyme singing and count the cars (everyone picks a colour and see how many of that coloured car you can spot and count).

For younger children putting a mirror in front of them can provide hours of entertainment whilst also hanging different activity toys around their car seat and within reach can be a good distraction for the journey. I'm planning on dotting a few Lamaze toys around the car for Harlow's beady little eyes and grabby hands.

Be Prepared
Sounds like you're travelling with a pack of wild dogs but it's always best being prepared so take lots of wet wipes, some how they always come in handy, and pack a little first aid kit bag with plasters and the like. You just never know and chances are when you need a plaster you won't blooming have it.

Spare clothes are always a fantastic idea for the kids, someone always spills something, a leaky nappy might happen or travel sickness could set it! On that note bags with no holes in them are always a life saver and after Logan's sick incident the other weekend I'll definitely be sticking these in the cars from now on.

I'd love to hear your tips for travelling with children on long car journeys so please do share in the comments below.



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