Summer travels with kids
How to change a nightmare in disguise into a heavenly treat
The first time my husband and I decided to travel with our 10-monthold son, we chose a cruise to the eastern Caribbean. My obsessive-compulsive side had me creating a spreadsheet of items my son needed on the trip months in advance of our cruise. However, despite all of the planning, organizing and thinking I did to ensure a successful trip with our little one, I still ended up running out of his formula on the last day of the cruise.
In a state of utter panic, I attempted to figure out the best way to keep my son hydrated and well nourished until we got off one of the largest cruise liners in the world. Simply put: lesson learned. Travelling with children — whether they’re infants, toddlers, preteens or teenagers — is a challenge. However, if you arm yourself with the right ammunition and information at your fingertips, you can turn your summer trip by road, water or air into the best kinds of memories.
Julie Freedman Smith, a local parenting expert and cofounder of parentingpower.ca, is also mother to a nine-year-old and a 13-year-old.
Parents “can plan all they want, but they have to be prepared to have things not go according to plan,” she says.
Parents need to be realistic and practical; instead of having dreams of what the travel will be like, they need to plan for what it will really be like. When children are taken away from their natural surroundings and the things they rely on, their new different and more diverse environment can be hard for them to adjust to.
To help them navigate, consistency and predictability are key.
Freedman Smith suggests infants will most probably want to stick to their regular schedule and toddlers should have a consistent bedtime and familiar food and books, while teenagers will want to be able to stay up late.
It’s important to not overdo anything, she says, as that will destroy the consistency and predictability part of the trip.
Parents also need to discuss expectations of behaviour ahead of time. For example, from the age of three and up, parents need to discuss with their children how many sweet treats they can have in one day or the behaviour expected at the pool or the lobby or even in airports.
“Parenting does not happen in a straight line; it’s a spiral and it’s something that has to be revisited countless times,” Freedman Smith says.
Timing during a trip is of utmost importance, says Dr. Jay Kassiri, who trained in pediatric neurology at the University of Alberta and also has an 18-month-old son.
She purposely plans flights around her son’s sleep schedule, usually waking him up a few hours in advance of the flight to keep him busy, to ensure that he is utterly exhausted and ready to nap for a few hours once they board the plane.
Kassiri offers these five tips for flying with children:
1. Don’t book long-haul flights or flights with too many connections, as even adults have difficulty with lengthy flights.
2. Try to keep your children hydrated during the flight, and don’t be too strict about feeding them full meals. Instead, give them small snacks to keep them busy and full during flights.
3. Try to use the airplane TV or carry an iPad or something similar to entertain your child. The same goes with favourite toys or books.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance; flight attendants are often very helpful when passengers are travelling with children.
5. Mentally prepare yourself ahead of time and stay calm. Enjoy spending time with your little ones, as the experience will not only be precious, but also memorable.
Be prepared, be smart and, most importantly, relax and enjoy the trip. Memories like these aren’t created daily.
Survival tips
■ Plan ahead: Think about the supplies that you will need to have on hand to take care of any normal or special needs for your child (whether it’s a diaper change or feeding or treating a sick baby).
■ Food and drink: Pack things that your child will eat and drink. Regardless of whether or not you will need it, pack it anyway.
■ Clothing: Every member of the family should have a change of clothing in their carry-on in case of spills or other accidents.
■ Security: Make this as seamless as possible; pack things in see-through plastic bags so that security personnel don’t have to rummage through everything and contaminate things like pacifiers and teethers when searching through your bag.
■ Involve kids: As soon as children are three to four years old, they can start helping in the planning of certain aspects of the trip; this will enhance their sense of predictability.