October 20, 2011
Preparing a toddler for a big adventure!
If you have children, going on holiday can at times be a bit of a mission. We all know that travelling with children can actually be a reminiscent of a terrible nightmare at times. When you’re not having to calm down a crying baby, distracting a moody toddler mid-flight or having your road trip disrupted by a couple of bickering siblings, it’s all good.
Obviously it isn’t all bad, or else no families would ever go abroad! Just remember to get your planning hat on and don’t forget to find yourself travel insurance compare site for travel insurance over 70 if you’re travelling with your folks! – This is crucial in order to protect yourself from hefty medical bills or being stuck in a country without your passports!
When we made the decision to take our two-and-a-half-year-old son, Alfie, on a South American travelling adventure, we knew from the off that we had to get him as prepared as possible in regards to transport, culture etc. – this was the best decision we’ve ever made!
We began reading and watching DVD’s well in advance of our flights and after each one we talked through everything as a family to generate some excitement and so Alfie knew exactly what he was in for! Most important was talking about the transport as we were in for a 20 hour flight (Argh!)!
This, evidently, was a massive benefit. Alfie was extremely excited when it came to getting onto the plane. By the time we were about to jet off, he was telling just about everyone on the plane where we were going and what we were doing! After this he was even more excited by just looking out of the window for about the first 2 of the way there (when it was light anyway!)
… Although try keeping a two-and-a-half-year-old cooped up on a plane from JFK to Singapore for 20-odd hours, and if you manage to do it without a tear or a cross word, I’ll eat my head. So yes, while preparation is crucial, all the preparation in the world won’t gear your little darling for staying quiet and sitting still for a long-haul flight.
All you can do is take some natural treats and hope there are some good cartoons in flight and that you’ll be in a good mood! Oh, a word of advice, if your little darling does play up don’t even think about entertaining the dirty looks you’ll get from the other passengers as this will ruin your good mood!
However one of the best tips we had came from a friend who did the same thing a few years back. She suggested planning the flight times around the little ones eating and sleeping patterns, co-ordinating this saved us a few more tantrums than we were probably in for!
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