BY SARAH EYKYN
In advance of the holidays, I thought I’d share some thoughts on traveling with children. If you have a few days off work and you’re going to be on the road or in the air, a little preparation goes a long way towards preserving sanity.
Traveling with children is at best challenging, and at worst, a complete nightmare. Whether it’s a two-hour car journey to Grandma’s house, or a plane ride to China, parents need strategies – and a sense of humor – to cope with everything from delays and sickness to boredom and bad temper.
When I was a travel writer, I flew around the world footloose and fancy free. Childless at the time, I had absolutely zero tolerance for screaming babies or irritating children kicking my seat. Little did I realize that it would soon be my turn to wrestle with a supremely unhappy nine week-old baby at 30,000 feet. Before I could say ‘poetic justice’, intolerant passengers everywhere were throwing me looks of pure malice.
Fourteen years, 86 flights and countless long distance road trips later, I’ve learned a thing or two about travel with children. For instance: if you are planning to drive a rental car up a long, winding mountain pass in Spain in the heat of summer, do not under any circumstances give a sippy cup of milk to a three year-old prone to travel sickness. This is especially important if you are more than fifty miles from the nearest bathroom.
Likewise, do not administer Cheerios to a hungry, cranky toddler in a security line unless you can handle the ensuing meltdown when the snack and your child’s shoes, teddy, backpack and toys are forcibly removed for X-rays. This is critical if you are traveling alone and need to hold on to your tempestuous tot while simultaneously collapsing a double stroller and carrying a sleeping infant. As it is inevitable that your stroller and diaper bag will get stuck in the X-ray machine just as your baby is selected to be patted down for explosives, save the Cheerios until you have cleared security.
Turbulent times ahead
Diaper changes should only be attempted when absolutely necessary on planes, and then only if you are able to fit a 30 lb. toddler on to the one foot changing table in the teeny, tiny bathroom. Turbulence adds an air of excitement to the process, but if your baby’s bottom is higher than your head, it’s probably time to return to your seat.
It may seem obvious, but running out of diapers is not to be recommended on any journey, particularly if you find yourself bumped from an overnight flight in Newark at eleven o’clock at night. If you survive the arduous journey to the nearest hotel via airport train, elevator and transit bus, and can again collapse and reassemble a double stroller containing two comatose children and three backpacks, don’t expect to find diapers on the room service menu. Or, for that matter, in any of the surrounding hotels’ gift stores. A handy hint: in a crunch, girl’s training pants will fit a baby boy until you can find a store at the airport that sells them. But good luck finding anything besides size three.
Should you find yourself holed up in an hotel without toys for any extended amount of time, there are ways to amuse young children. Our all-time favorite was ‘Runaround’. All you need is an elevator. Simply start at the lobby, press the button for the next floor (the most fun part) and run around each one until you reach the top of the hotel, then repeat going down. Dodging cleaning carts and breakfast trays creates added interest. It should be noted however that while this game is huge fun for participants it can be exceedingly annoying to other guests, especially if it is only 5.30 a.m. The Cartoon Network may be a safer alternative.
To stave off boredom during long trips, it’s a good idea to stock up on small, inexpensive toys and games to wrap up in a backpack (older children will most likely just plug in to music or electronics). New crayons, a puzzle, flash cards, books, a small doll or truck, or better yet, a box of miniature farmyard animals or dinosaurs, will provide hours of entertainment.
I spy some fun
Giving younger kids a disposable camera is a great way to engage them in places of interest, and it’s fun to see the world through their eyes when the pictures are processed. Also less risky than giving them access to an IPhone containing all your work contacts.
If you’re in the car, new stories or songs on tape can absorb even the smallest travelers. The only caveat is this: pick songs you won’t mind humming mindlessly for the next five weeks. Old fashioned games like ‘I spy’ are still great ways to pass the time, even if it is just spotting different colored cars (a less than challenging game with a two year-old who thinks everything is yellow).
Food is the greatest diversion on any trip. Personally, I prefer to stay away from the junk food that is the mainstay of most airports and rest stops. High-sodium foods like fries make kids thirsty, and the more they drink, the more you have to stop for bathroom breaks.
The answer to, “Are we there yet?” is this: the journey will take as long as MapQuest says it will, plus half the time again for rest stops, meals and gas. Nuts and fruit are great low-mess, high nutrition snacks to keep on board.
Of course, if you’re driving, you have to stop to breastfeed. While European airports and roadside restaurants routinely provide nursing rooms, in America, restrooms are often the only alternative for those who don’t want to nurse in public. A bank of empty seats in a lounge and a big blanket to throw over your shoulder offer some degree of privacy, but it’s not ideal. If you’re using formula, don’t rely on local stores stocking your brand – carry at least an extra day or two’s supply with you just in case.
Public or not, breastfeeding during take-off and landing is a great way to reduce the likelihood of ear problems on planes. Older children should be encouraged to drink or suck on something – whether it’s a pacifier or hard candy – and taught how to ‘pop’ their ears to disperse painful pressure.
Be prepared
Getting sick when you’re away from home is never fun. It’s twice as bad when your child is unwell too, and compounded when you’re in a foreign country and you don’t speak a word of the Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese or French you need to translate symptoms. Carry your pediatrician’s number with you so you can call for advice wherever you are.
At the very least, it makes sense to carry a small first aid kit containing bandages, antibiotic cream, age-appropriate pain reliever, travel sickness medicine and a thermometer. Other essentials include an old towel, Ziploc bags, and a change of clothes for everyone on the trip. ‘Little’ accidents can quickly become a big problem when you’re not prepared for them! My tween-age son still suffers from air sickness so we always fly with a well-stocked carry-on.
If you’re going abroad, travel insurance – one that covers every medical eventuality – can be a life-saver. It ensures that if your child is still screaming and holding its ears after you get off the plane, you can get the medical assistance you need to deal with a perforated eardrum, ear infection or wax crayon extraction, without having to worry about how you’ll pay for it.
Years ago, I met a fearless couple who were traveling through rural Mexico for a month. As they boarded the Copper Canyon train in Creel with four children under the age of seven, I thought they were crazy. “How do you do it?” I asked. The mother confided: “Having children doesn’t mean you have to limit your sense of adventure. The secret is to pack light and try to enjoy the ride, even when it gets bumpy.”
There’s no doubt about it: travel with children can be turbulent. But, with a little preparation and a lot of wet wipes, a trip to China can seem almost as manageable as the ride to Grandma’s house. Almost.