This is a guest article provided by Safety1st.
According to AAA last year 94.5 million people were on the roads, train tracks or in the skies during the holiday season. That’s a lot of people! Then add your own kids into the mix of congestion and for some it can mean holiday headaches. However, Safety 1st has some tips to help fight some of those headaches this season.
1. Avoid peak travel days –Try not to fly or drive the days immediately before and after the actual holiday. Those are the busiest travel days. However, if you fly or take a train you might save money by traveling on the actual holiday, the roads are less congested too.
2. Prepare your child for the trip – Holiday parties can be overwhelming with sensory overload. Especially for young children it’s good to talk about the upcoming trip days even weeks in advance. This will help him or her get excited about the journey. Show photos of family members or friends your child has not met yet, this way the new face might be a little familiar on arrival.
3. “Are we there yet?” – To help avoid that dreaded phrase an hour into your six hour trip reserve a bag just for the kids, include books, toys, diapers a change of clothes and snacks. Pre-load a tablet or smartphone with kid friendly apps or games. If you are driving keep all necessary items such as wipes, hand sanitizer or tissues easy to reach in a second – there are times you may not want to be digging through the bottom of a bag for such items. The Safety 1st Car Door Sanitation Station is a great solution.
4. Car Seats – If you are flying check to make sure your car seat is FAA certified. If it’s not clearly labeled contact the manufacture. For parents with older children the Safety 1st BoostAPack can double as a kid survival kit, it’s FAA certified, and will fit in the plane overhead bin. If you are driving make sure your car seat is installed correctly. If it’s been awhile since you visited a car seat check, it’s recommended to check your seat with a Certified Child Safety Technician in advance of your trip. Safercar.gov is a great resource.
5. Prepare the guest room – If your child will be sleeping in a Play Yard during the trip, use that for bed or nap time the entire week before. This will help him or her get used to a new sleep environment. Also if your infant or child sleeps better in a dark room or tends to wake up early with the morning light, bring garbage bags or dark fabric to tape over windows.
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Do you plan on traveling for the holidays? If so, let me know where you’re going!
Great information here. Thank you so much!
I love the travel tips
I’m the parent of a teenager and sometimes its just as hard going on a trip with him. LOL
Thanks for sharing this info!
Now these are some great tips!!! I didn’t even think about some of these!!
Keep plenty of activities on hand of long trips. Great article. Thanks.
Wow, I need to pin this for later. We are having our first in a few months!
I’m so happy we don’t have to do the travel with kids anymore. It was hard to spend every vaca on the road. Now, we can stay home and enjoy time with the family
Great information. Thank you for posting.
These are some great tips! I would add, leave when the kids are tired so they sleep most of the way and schedule in lots of stops just for getting out and moving around a bit.
Thank you for sharing these great tips. Many of us will use these tips over the holiday and any time we travel
These are good tips. Now, can someone tell me how to stop my niece & nephews from arguing incessantly, lol!
Thanks for the helpful info!
Thank you for sharing. My kids are grown but now I have grandbabies, It is always good to hear more about how to be safe and tips on anything.
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
awesome
Thanks for these tips. I am not sure how my boys will do away from home, and you’ve given me hope that with a little preparation, I can keep them safe and comfortable.
Thanks for the tips on child safety. There can never be enough of this for young parents.
My grandkids are getting numerous so we travel to them during the holidays. I look forward to being able to stay home and have them visit.
GREAT tips!! Thanks for sharing this will help on our next trip
Thanks! Great article!
These are all useful travel tips..thanks for the helpful ideas.
Great tips! Thanks You 🙂
Great tips!
All good tips. Thanks!
Loved the tips!
We travel every 6 months back to az. I learn something new eveeveryrime lol. You have awsome tips.
Great info
Both my kids were content to read,as am I when traveling
Seems like yesterday when my now grown kids used to constantly say, “Are we there yet?”. Now my daughter and her husband hear those dreaded words from their 2 little girls on long road trips. They have learned to pack a bag for each girl that has activity books, toys and snacks.
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Great tips for the holiday travels coming up! Hope our tips go smoothly with these tips!
These are great tips thank you for sharing this I will be packing a bag ahead of time the next time we hit the road
Really good tips, I would like more!
Seriously tablets have been a lifesaver for traveling with little ones. Also, we recently purchased a brand new van which has a DVD player in it. Save us so much headache from dealing with the, “Are we there yet?!”… Although, we are forced to listen to the movie also. I like the tablets a little more.
Excellent tips thank you for the information!
There is a lot of great useful info here, especially for first time parents.
Great tips!
These are great tips. Keeping them thinking and busy while on travel usually works. Once they get older its even tougher!
Thank you…