We travel with children

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You can ride with children, even the tiniest, anywhere - in the mountains, on the sea, on an excursion. And whatever - in the car, on the plane, on the train ...

And all this despite the fears of mothers and grandmothers, protecting their beloved child from the hardships of the road, insidious infections and drafts. The main thing is to prepare well.
0−1 year: the road will be easy
For some reason, it is believed that traveling with babies is undesirable for everyone - both for parents and for the babies themselves. In fact, the younger the child, the easier it is with him on the road. While the baby often sleeps, you can not worry about long flights and travels (by the way, babies are equally indifferent to motion sickness and air holes).

As for all these jar bottles, you will have to take them with you. In addition, you will need a car seat or a sling (as an option, a kangaroo backpack). The first is convenient because the baby will always be in a cozy nest of its own, where you can eat and sleep. Then a comfortable flight is provided to the whole family. Especially if the baby is older than six months and has already outgrown the dimensions of the side cot provided for passengers with infants. A sling or “kangaroo” is useful for those who prefer to keep everything to themselves, in addition, both hands remain free, and this is a very valuable advantage for a tourist.
Experienced mothers who bravely travel with not just one, but with a horde of babies, are advised to take care of the main thing - a marching changing mat with convenient pockets for the most necessary: a pair of interchangeable diapers and diapers, wet wipes, dusting powder, oilcloths, etc. Such a children's “station” is convenient carry in the bag as a whole, and upon arrival at a place, such as a hotel, a young tourist will be arranged with all amenities.
Food and accessories for feeding, replaceable clothes, a favorite toy - will fit in a special children's bag. The task is to choose the most roomy model with larger pockets.1-3 years: tips for fidget
The most restless age is not a hindrance to travel. Of course, you have to constantly entertain and switch the attention of the child. But there is good news - children from a year to three can be carried away by anything. Look at the clouds outside the window. Throw a napkin rolled into a ball into a disposable cup. Guess objects by touch and much more.

Going on the road, invite the baby to choose a toy himself, some special things, for example, a favorite blanket or pillow. The rest of the luggage must be fully adapted to the road conditions. Immediately exclude plasticine, paints, crayons, any small toys: puzzles, mosaics, etc. Albums with stickers, cars, dolls, books will save the situation. A win-win option is a finger doll or a glove doll. She can magically convince the baby to do almost anything!

Convenient travel assistants will be - a stroller cane, a mobile pot. The stroller will free its hands and provide the child with a place to rest if he suddenly gets tired.

3-5 years: time to get to know the world
At this age, children become familiar with the environment already with knowledge of the matter. Use their passion for independence and provide an individual area of responsibility. Let, for example, take care of their backpack, toys, books.

Be sure to take something crunched along the way: drying, bread sticks. If there is a treat that you occasionally allow the child to take, take it, but for some urgent cases, when you need to quickly calm or distract. Some mothers optimize the collection process so much that they put a stack of packages in a suitcase, each of which contains the full equipment of the child for a day, up to a spare pair of socks and elastic bands for hair. And of course, games. The best hiking option is a cardboard mini-puppet theater, origami, board games on magnets, a drawing room.

A walkie-talkie, baby monitor or GPS-tracking device for children are irreplaceable things, especially if you go to crowded places. A GPS navigator in the form of a clip is mounted on the belt of the child, and the parent can always find the lost child. The convenience of the device lies in the fact that the child has a “panic button”, which he can press if he is lost.5-7 years: very large
This is the time when the child can already entertain himself. At this stage, children tend to overestimate their independence, so the primary task of parents is to teach basic safety rules on the way.

It is necessary to prepare a travel kit with toys, juice, fruits. Ate children two or three of the eldest can be instructed to look after the kids. But do not flatter yourself, it is difficult for children to focus on one task for a long time. Try to fully emphasize the commonality of family vacations - for adults and children you can buy the same badges or colored rope bracelets. You can start your own travel tradition, for example, keep a travel diary. Define in advance the basic requirements - to hold mom's hand in the queue for passport control, when entering the train, etc. But do not forget to leave space for the game - you can’t ride the conveyor, but you can ride on the luggage cart that dad rolls. Is the child afraid of getting lost? It is worth giving him a toy mascot with his contact phone, written directly on the cloth tag. If it is difficult for the child to sit in one place on the plane, it is worth choosing a seat at the aisle so that he can stretch his arms and at the same time carry out an assignment, for example, ask the stewardess for water.
Take cartoons, audio books, and electronic games with you. All children love electronic coloring books that can captivate your child for a long time.

7-12 years: navigators
The kid is not quite a kid anymore - he has grown to a full member of a family tourist group. Encourage him with the purchase of his own suitcase on wheels, entrust yourself to pack things, be sure to involve him in the development of the route and planning the entertainment program.
Schoolchildren, even first-graders, are already very good at managing maps, so their help in preparing the trip can be quite tangible. Do not forget to secretly put a pleasant surprise in your child’s suitcase. Be sure to instruct your child in case he suddenly falls behind at the airport or train station. For example, pre-arrange an emergency meeting place: under the clock, at the scoreboard or at the box office. This information will give children confidence and will not let them get confused if you suddenly lose sight of them in the crowd. Also prudently pocket your business cards with your phone.

A lifesaver on the road will be a tablet, player. For the child in these and similar devices a whole world is concluded! However, in order to prevent him from getting lost in this world, from time to time switch the child to simple tasks: let him read about your place of arrival in the guidebook, find on the Internet the necessary information about the hotel, attractions, amusement parks, etc.

The article was published on the materials of the magazine "Good advice" 5/2013
Text: Zaruhi Grigoryan. Photo: PR
Material prepared by Julia Dekanova

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