Travel Tips for Traveling with Children

Traveling with Children (how to make it not a nightmare)

This is on my mind right now because we are planning to go out of town for the long weekend. I have a 4 mo old and a 2 year old so I am already gearing myself up for the trip ahead. :) Being still fairly new to this whole motherhood thing I have been scouring the internet for tips and tricks to make our traveling easier and (gasp) actually fun! So here is my list of things that will help you have a stress-less vacation (let's be honest, traveling with children will never be stress-free)!

1)  Safety:

Whether traveling by plane or car, safety should always be your first priority. You want to make sure that you know how you are getting from Point A to Point B. This includes making sure your car seats are in working order (or that you have a car seat waiting at your destination if you are flying). Not only do most states have laws regarding car seat usage, it is always safest to buckle up! Make sure that your car seat is installed properly. You can find a free inspection station by going to https://ssl06.cyzap.net/dzapps/dbzap.bin/apps/assess/webmembers/tool?pToolCode=TAB9&pCategory1=TAB9_CERTSEARCH&Webid=SAFEKIDSCERTSQL

Pack all medicines (even those that you don't use often). My son has multiple allergies, so we have to make sure that we have not only his epi pen in case of emergencies, but also his benadryl and his zyrtec just in case of a minor breakout.

2)  Plan Ahead:

I don't know about you, but after having a couple of kids (or at least now I can blame it on the kids) my memory is not what it used to be. It is good to create a list at least a couple of days beforehand. This can include what you need to pack, but also what you need to do before the packing even begins, such as laundry, shopping for snacks for the trip, getting prescriptions filled, etc. For an awesome compilation of packing lists, check out this website: http://travelmamas.com/packing-lists/

For packing purposes, it is good to pack outfits into ziplock bags, this way you can just grab a bag each day (or multiple times a day) and you already have a shirt, pants, socks and any accessories. It is also good to put a few ziplock bags or plastic grocery store bags into the diaper bag so you have them for dirty clothes, dirty diapers, a trash bag for wrappers in the car, etc.

3)  Actual Travel:

It doesn't matter how you are traveling, it is important to have activities planned for your children. When we were growing up we mostly took road trips and without DVD players or iPads we played road games like the Alphabet Game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabet_Game), sang songs, or we read. I still like these ideas but parents today have even more options. 

If you do have a DVD player, whether in the car or a portable one, make sure that you have movies that your child likes, but also try to have one or two that they haven't seen before for those times that they need something new. If you have a tablet it is good to download child or toddler-friendly apps. Once again, making sure you have the favorite apps on there but also try to download a few new ones.

Snacks are a must. Try to pack snacks that aren't too sugary (however, keeping a few treats on hand are a very good idea to give your child something fun to look forward to, aka bribe them with). This way, your child will still be likely to nap if you are traveling during nap time, and they won't be wired when you get to your destination. I feel like a broken record, but snacks are again a time that you want to pack not only the things that your child likes, but also a few new snacks to introduce. As you are probably very aware, children like new and shiny things and by presenting them with these at strategic points in your travels you just may be able to stave off a meltdown!

4)  Reaching Your Destination:

Sleep is one of the first things that you want to address when you get to your destination. If you are traveling with an infant, then it is a good idea to pack a portable crib (we are taking our sleep-n-play on this road trip), or make sure that you book one ahead of time if you are staying in a hotel. If you can't transport one from home, at least try to take some of your child's bedding (favorite blanket, stuffed animal, pillow, etc.). This will help you to recreate some of their same sleeping arrangements and will help them feel more comfortable. Also try to keep the same sleep routines while you are on your trip. Even if you have later evenings or earlier mornings, still try to stick to their schedule as much as possible. 

Have back up plans in place. Even if you check the weather each day before your trip, Mother Nature doesn't care and can change things up on you at any moment. So have alternative activities in case the weather doesn't cooperate with your original plan. If you want to have some adult only time or if you want to do something that you don't think the kids will enjoy, then plan for a babysitter or if you are traveling with other adults, take turns having child-free time. It is important to remember though, that if you are traveling with children, this is also their vacation, so don't try to have them conform to your vacation ideas, make sure you are providing activities that they will enjoy also.

Most importantly, have fun! Attitude is everything when going on a family vacation, so if you tell yourself that you are going to enjoy it all, then you will be able to better deal with the not-so-fun times! Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend and safe travels!

What other advice do you have for those who are traveling with kids???

Tribute to Motherhood

Abraham Lincoln described his mother this way:  "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother."

Each time I read this quote I am reminded of all the mothers in my life. There is my mother, my mother-in-law, my grandmothers, my aunts, my surrogate mothers, my friends, and the list could go on and on. Each of us is touched by the hand of a woman who can be described as an "angel mother". Here at Snuggle Luv we want to pay tribute to all the angel mothers out there. We know that each mother is unique and their experiences are all unique, however, they all have one thing in common, they have people who love and honor them! 

We will be starting a feature on our blog called "Mommy Mondays".  Each Monday we will feature a guest blogger who will talk about Motherhood. Very broad topic but we hope by reading about these mothers it will help to give you a boost to your Monday and inspire you and let you know that maybe you aren't alone in this mommy universe.

Because I am the writer of this blog I felt that it was only appropriate that I started this off. 

My motherhood journey began a long time ago. I am only 34 but from a very young age I loved children. I remember being just 6 or 7 and I would go to a neighbors apartment and watch her children while she cleaned her house. I felt so special!  That was just the beginning of my babysitting days. As a pre-teen and teenager, I spent many summers and evenings/weekends babysitting.  Some jobs were easier than others but I found that I enjoyed them all. 

I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a mother. However, as I got older and older I started to wonder if that would ever happen for me. Don't get me wrong, I loved the children in my life. Especially my nephews (I didn't have any nieces at the time) and my friends' children. But I still wanted a baby that knew that I was its mother and wanted ME to kiss the boo boos away!

A little over four years ago I met a wonderful man who was the perfect-for-me guy and we decided to get married. On our wedding day I became an instant mom because he had a 6 year old son. I love that little boy (although he is almost as tall as me so he isn't very little anymore) and thankfully he loves me. Then about six months later I found out I was pregnant. I loved the bond that I felt with my baby instantly. His birth was crazy and traumatic (that is a story for another time) and for the first night we only got to see each other for a few minutes, so I didn't even feel like I had a baby (except for the pain from my c-section). But the next day began our journey together. I had no idea what I was doing so we just fumbled through everything, but we started to learn about one another and that process is still continuing today. Then a little over two years later I had our second baby (she is only 4 months old). This pregnancy was not as enjoyable but the delivery was much better (yea for scheduled c-sections) and we started bonding immediately. She is a joyful baby and everybody who meets her loves her! I love being the mother to my children, I love waking up each morning and seeing their smiling faces (well the 2-year old has his days but the baby still smiles at me each morning). :)

Even with the joy they bring me though, I realize that motherhood is hard! There are days that I want a break, I don't always want to be the mother, sometimes I want to go back to just being the aunt that can then go home, take a bath, and read a good book. Then I start to feel guilty for those thoughts and tell myself that this is what I have wanted my whole life. Have you ever felt this mommy guilt?? Well I had an insight recently. I realized that part of my struggle is that I have in my head an idea of what a mom should and shouldn't be. I have been trying to make myself fit into a box that just won't ever fit because there is no such thing as a perfect mom. We are all just mothers trying to live the best that we can and do the best that we can. Each day we have the struggle and the opportunity to raise our children. Some days that raising consists of getting up, eating some food, taking a nap (hopefully all the kids at the same time so you can too), eating some more and then going to bed. Other days we are able to do a little more. Neither one of those days is right or wrong, they just are. And you know what? They are both wonderful, because the thing that we need to remember is that "Motherhood is a wonderful, rewarding, messy, noisy and sometimes crazy ride. But it is all worth it."-Author Unknown

Love,
Alecia