subject: Taking Kids On Car Journeys [print this page] Journeys with kids can be daunting, when you have a long journey to complete, or you are going somewhere new. It is worse if you are a relative of friend who is not used to having kids in the car.
Preparation is the key to a trouble free journey involving children. They need to be kept comfortable and occupied. To be comfortable they need enough space with the right level of ventilation. Car seats or booster cushions need to be of a good quality and their seat belts need to be properly adjusted to ensure they are safe and not irritated by the belt. Take plenty of food and drink with you. It should be food that the children like, but which will withstand being out of the fridge for long periods and not too messy to eat. Drinks should be the kind drunk out of a bottle or with a straw.
To keep children occupied have a variety of options available. Even old-fashioned travelling games like I Spy, cloud spotting and number plate spotting can keep modern children happy for a while. Some families even have a travelling CD with favourite songs, which the whole family sings along to. If your child likes reading, taking books is a good idea. Many kids still like puzzle books too.
MP3 players, portable DVD players, hand-held games consoles, laptops, mobile phones all have many distracting games for kids. Ensure that the batteries for each appliance are fully charged and that you carry chargers for each of them, which allow in car charging. If you are caught in traffic, batteries can soon become flat, leading to tension.
Do not forget to stop regularly. Giving kids a change of scenery and a chance to stretch their legs every 90 minutes will ensure that they will not tire of playing whilst in the car. No matter how much a child likes their games console they will still tire of it at eventually. Plenty of fresh air will have the added benefit of helping young children to fall asleep in the car as well.
