Parenting Toddlers

We recently took a trip to Cape Cod, which is several hours away by car. Why take a trip with a three year old and a nine month old? I will blame my partner. He wanted to go so his grandparents could meet the baby. Ok, good reason. But traveling with children can be difficult. We were extremely lucky that both were unbelievably good. For those traveling this summer, here are some good tips for maintaining the peace during trips:

* Toddlers thrive on consistency. On trips, everything is different, but try to make meal times, nap times, and bedtimes are normal as possible. Bring something from home, like a favorite buddy, pillow, or blanket to soothe your child. Peanut had Bo, of course, and her night light.

* Make your toddler go to the bathroom before starting your trip and at each rest area you stop at. If they say they don’t have to go, make them. Because, there is a great chance that they do have to go, and sometimes it is not possible to pull over. Limit drinks in the car also.

* Plan to take longer. There’s really no way around it: toddlers will have to stop to go to the bathroom or get out and stretch their legs so they don’t go nuts. Build this time into your trip.

* Give them something to do. Peanut’s grandparents have taken her for long trips before, and she loves it. They have a dvd player and an ipod with short movies and videos for her. We are more low-tech. With us, she had Harry Potter (her new favorite. Someone let her watch the movies!) coloring books, crayons, and notebooks. She looked at those books and drew all the characters. This kept her amply entertained for a long time.

* See if you can plan around sleep times. When Peanut was a baby, we would leave on trips ridiculously early. Three or four in the morning. This time, we had to wait until later, but we timed it to coincide with the Little Guy’s nap time.

* Bring healthy snacks.

* Listen to toddler music. It may drive you nuts, but toddlers do love them. Sing along. They love when you act silly.

* Come up with games. Peanut was getting testy, so I said, “Yellow car, I win.” This is a game she has created which only she seems to know the rules to. She always wins. Anyway, we just all spotted stuff and said, “Green trees, I win,” or “Feet on the dashboard, I win.” Really no point whatsoever, but it entertained her and us.

* Get a sunshade - wherever you are, the glaring sun is sure to hit your child’s eyes the whole way. It’s just parent luck. Also, make sure the temperature is right. This helps them sleep more as well.

* If possible, play a lot before leaving on your trip. Run them down!

* Don’t expect perfection. You will not get it from toddlers riding for hours in the car. Be understanding that this is really hard for some kids. Stop, take rests, sing - but try not to lose your temper. It is really easy to do this when your child is being a beast in heavy traffic while your car is overheating (for instance!), but it’s not their fault.

* Once at your destination, provide some play time before doing anything else. Again, plan this into your agenda.

Here are some great sites for game/entertainment ideas:

Mom’s Minivan
Family Travel Forum
Baby Center