Have Kids, Must Travel

There comes a time in every mom’s life where she must leave the nest with her babies and head out into the wide world on a journey—and this time of year is likely one of those times.

But whether you’re planning a trip down south, a ski trip (to actually take advantage of all the white stuff) or a visit to grandma’s, it can be a little intimidating thinking of being cooped up in the plane, train or automobile for hours. 

Fortunately, we’ve got some savvy travellers out there who have gone the distance to test what makes for an easy trip with kids. All travelling moms know that the food and entertainment bag is more important than the one with clothes and underwear. So we recommend having the kids participate in the filling of the bag (over age three that is). If you are lucky, they might even carry or drag that bag themselves. Here are some recommendations to fill your savvy ‘mom stash’:

• For Babies: a plastic mirror, a variety of rattles, magnetic stick-together blocks, any object that’s bright and new (to them at least). You can’t go wrong with the the Winkel by Manhattan Toys to keep baby amused. Remember that anything new is better than anything else.
• For Toddlers: nested containers, board books, travel-size Magna Doodle, bubbles (great for in the airport), a blanket and favourite stuffed animal—make sure not to leave it anywhere on route though! The Animal Links by Quercetti are a great choice for passing the time away. Remember that anything new is better than anything else.

• For Preschoolers: books (with book CD’s), colouring books, sticker books, crayons (try the triangle or square ones if you can find them—they don’t roll!). We can’t live without the Crayola Colour Wonder line, the best for the mess-free factor (kids think it’s like magic). At this age, it’s great to wrap up the small items so they can have fun opening them first. Remember that anything new is better than…you know.
• For Kindergarten to Grade 3: threading sets, felt sets, magnetic puzzles or dolls, Go Fish cards, activity books, Walkman with audiobooks or favourite music, simple knitting or other crafts. We love the Klutz series as they come with everything you need in one kit—but don’t get anything with small pieces that will drop and get lost. The paper flowers are a good choice. Remember that anything new….
• For Older Kids: a new book of their choice (take a special trip to the bookstore prior to the journey), MadLibs or good old fashioned cards. Rent a new game for handheld electronic devices, or pick up a cheaper handheld game like the Rubik’s Cube for the novelty factor. Remember…you know what to remember!
• For Mom: this travel blanket by lug will make you more comfortable if you don’t end up sharing it with everyone. (You might want to pick up two.)

Now that you have your stash ready, you have completed your first task. Next, review some more tried and tested tricks for those of you travelling by car. Once you have your crew trained to bring their garbage out at every stop, you won’t be able to imagine how you lived without these savvy tips from our readers.

Travelling by plane? We’ve got the savvy scoop on that too from our Savvy Scouts. We still get a lot of mileage out of bringing along a large package of earplugs and solicitously offering them to the people around us. They can’t say we didn’t warn them when Jack & Jill start singing along to Barney!

Have fun, stay calm and remember—if the kids get out of their seats on the plane, there really isn’t anywhere they can go.

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