While travel can be loads of fun and give lots of memories, most parents fear and even don’t like travelling with little kids. They need to stick to a schedule of sleep that incorporates naps. The sheer volume of stress and essential stuff that comes with traveling with little kids is too overwhelming for some parents. While exposure to a different culture, food, music, and lifestyle is a piece of the fun for a lot of adults, it can become too much to take in for numerous kids. However, with a thorough planning, you can travel safely with little kids – below are some of the newest tips we though traveling parents may find useful.
Emergency Travel Card
Always keep an emergency card that contains contact information and identification in the pocket of your kids. This should contain a little more details than a normal ID bracelet would have, like your hotel, and additional contact numbers. And if you are traveling internationally, the card ought to be written both in your local language and translated to that country’s language. Also, you should always carry your child’s recent photo. That is relatively easy to do nowadays with smartphone cameras.
ID Bracelet
This is unnecessary for older children since they know your name, home address, phone number, etc. But it’s awesome for little ones. While emergency card is usually preferred for older kids, from experience we have seen how little kids usually mistakenly think they are fun to tear up and eat. So, always ensure your little kids have their ID bracelets with them at all times.
Drink Plenty of Water
In several countries, filtered or bottled water will likely be your only choice. That incorporates brushing your teeth and ensuring your mouth is closed while showering. Train your kids and ensure they practice this before your travel. Keep up your kids’ hydration whilst traveling to make sure they’re drinking constantly, particularly on hot days. Skip the soft drinks and juice as water is the best option for getting hydrated. You should probably carry your own water bottle to save money and make sure you are drinking clean water.
Be Diligent
It’s so natural to take your eyes off your kid, anything can occur within a split second. Ensure your kids are always nearby, check around and ahead for possible dangers. Wherever you are, always set boundaries for safety and make sure your kids know where can and cannot go. Don’t be dreadful of strangers, let your kids develop social skills and good interactions. However, be stranger danger alert regardless.
Seat Your Kid in the Middle
Sit you kid next to the window or in the middle on public transport, on the off chance that you fall asleep and you don’t want them to wander off. Besides, this will prevent them from sticking their hands and legs into the walkway and possibly grabbing hot tea or something hazardous.
Take a Safety Child Restraint
Research before time to know everything about the car child safety prerequisites in your destination. Whether you use cheap and good convertible cars or public transports on your trips, it is a nice thought to either rent a child safety when you arrive or take your own along . There are a few regions such as Asia, where this will be unnecessary – nor are car seat belts. Sit your kids on your lap, hold them tight and don’t allow them to get up and walk around in a public transport, as much as they would like.
Childproof Your Room
Accidents can easily occur in your hotel room. Check the height of window and balconies and ensure they are locked. Look for anything that looks dangerous or can fall and move them. Check for uncovered electrical cords bugging out bits of sharp objects or metal. Take chairs away from balconies because kids love climbing on them. Also, be watchful of bunk beds and evacuate the ladders is possible, and keep your doors locked so they cannot escape.
Take a Medical Kit
Do not forget your medical kit at home and include stuff like baby paracetamol, anti-itching lotion, band aids, bandages, sunscreen, oral rehydration preparation, bandages and anything else that is valuable. Also, you might also want to include a thermometer in your medical kit as it could prove to be very important.
When you are traveling with your children, the most vital thing you need to keep in mind is that you are the parent. So, you need to control them. It isn’t up to whomever you are with or the flight attendant to help you watch your children. Don’t allow them to walk around alone, and don’t leave them unwatched.
