Tips For Traveling With Children During The Holidays

It’s all about the memories. Traveling during the holidays is generally stressful. Know that in advance and you’ve won half the battle.

1. Passports: Don’t wait. You don’t need the stress of waiting till the day before your departure to find out if you’ll need to cancel that flight. Also, check existing passports for their expiration date. You don’t want to be waving bye-bye to your family while they board that plane to the Bahamas without you.

2. Get any needed vaccinations in advance. They can make you feel under the weather for a day or two and you want to be in fine form as you hustle your kiddos on and off the plane.

3.  Medications:  Get your physician to draft a letter stating that you are bringing necessary medications into the country to avoid unnecessary time in customs when you could be at the beach.

4. Consider Travel Insurance: Lost baggage, overbooked flights, stolen goods, a family member falling sick can happen to the best of them.  Better safe than sorry.

5. Toys for the trip: Small non-noisy toys such as small cars, dolls, picture books, coloring books and coloring pencils are must haves. Children have short attention spans. Reveal toys one at a time and make sure they’ve been “played out” before offering another.

6. Make new friends but keep the old: Be sure to include your child’s favorite travel pillow or soft toy. They’ll want something familiar while on the road.

7. Clothes: Aim for comfort with sweat pants, jersey dresses and leggings. Use layers to adjust for a too warm or cold flight.

8. Prepare for take-of: Kids do not have a fully developed middle ear, so they have a harder time equalizing air pressure at take-off and landing. Encourage them to swallow or offer a cup of water and encourage them to sip it.

9. Snacks: Your new best friend. Keeps them from feeling cranky and gives them something else to do with their hands then bang the seat in front of them.

10. Remain Calm: Don’t give in to panic if your toddler throws a grown-up size tantrum. We’ve all been there.

These tips were provided by Little One Books. Little One Books will be offering FREE SHIPPING through December 15th 2010