Making it through the ride with minimal tears (from children and parents alike)

Buying Time

Have no expectations; that also means less disappointment. If you expect no sleeping to happen, then whatever sleep occurs feels like a bonus! Activities and toys that take focus and concentration usually keep kids busy for longer. Cheerio/fruit loop necklace beading is a great one. Let the kids color on the airplane sick bags and use them for a puppet show. Bring foods that kids don’t usually get at home. Chips will keep a child’s mouth busy for longer than a chocolate bar or cookie.

S.L.

Jerusalem

Map Out the Trip

I sometimes observe others doling out an endless amount of nosh and crafts to kids while waiting in line, and I see that kids are never really satisfied with these “distractions” to help them be more patient. What they really need to know is that this trip has a beginning, a middle and an end, and we can help them conceptualize this on their level. It could start with “yogurt at home,” “fruit or snack at the gate,” or “a craft when we get past the clouds.” What gets us through our own impatience is knowing what to expect and when.

B.P.

UK

Just Five More

Take things five minutes at a time. Don’t think too far ahead and worry about what you’ll do if you use up this project or that snack, or about how you’ll make it through several hours of this. There will be ups and downs and that’s okay. Just stay in the here and now, and you’ll get through it, five minutes at a time.

Anonymous

Stretch, Dance, Laugh

When on a road trip, keep your perspective on having fun and spending quality time together. Try Mad Libs or have dance parties in your seats. Take lots of movement breaks — running around the gas station parking lot is a great activity!

S.G.

Silver Spring

Stories On the Go

Check your library for audiobooks that you can borrow, or use the Libby or Overdrive app to get them on the go. We try to pick ones that are good for a lot of ages or we let the kids take turns.

B.P.

Baltimore

Make Each Stop Count

While we do bring some snacks, we budget ahead of time to buy snacks/drinks at gas stations. The kids get really excited and count down: “After X more minutes/miles we’ll make a stop and everyone can pick an X (drink, snack bag, ice cream, whatever.)”

When I was young, we would plan key stops along the way. Instead of driving straight from Chicago to Cleveland, we would stop somewhere for an activity [example: a safari, fruit picking, a historical site] in Indiana. That was part of the fun of the road trip.

For plane rides, don’t save game bags until you’re out of the airport. Let the kids use them when they want to. It’ll start the trip with everyone in a good mood, and if the kids fall asleep on the plane, they may not even need the toys.

Bring foldable riding toys that a toddler can use around the airport, so you can simultaneously fill the stroller with bags and get his energy out.

T.W.

Jerusalem

Backpacks and Backups

Give each kid over age four or five their own backpack (with snacks and activities) that is their personal responsibility so they don’t have to constantly ask for their entertainment.

Bring an extra pair of clothes for parents, too. I will never forget my sister getting out of the taxi with her four little kids, covered in sick.

C.Z.

Jerusalem

Let Kids Lead the Way

Have a family meeting and discuss the trip with the kids beforehand. Ask them for their ideas and input. This way it’s not you, the parents, bearing the responsibility for entertaining them; it’s the whole family putting their heads together to find solutions.

It will give the kids a sense of responsibility and allow them to rise to the occasion, since they’re a part of the decision-making process. And you might be surprised by some good ideas!

Dvora Henner is a home organizer and life coach who helps women with time management and concerns related to home organization.

And Here Are My Tips:

You can never have too many shopping bags! We use them for everything — rotten apple cores, open bags of chips, used diapers, wet clothing, spillable things, that book you want to keep safe from spillable things....

Instead of bringing sandwiches or anything that requires washing, I heat up filling items like soy cutlets and borekas right before the trip. I wrap them individually in foil so that when someone is hungry, I can pull one out. Voilà! Meal to go. (Extra points if you remember to bring small ketchup packets!)

Mindel

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 928)