Simple & Surprising

Are we there yet?

Colleen here again. This week I’m going to share my tips for family friendly travel.

I recently read that 33.2 million Americans traveled by car this Thanksgiving. For those of us who are traveling with kids this holiday, we know even the shortest road trip can be an overwhelming feat.

When my daughter was 2 and my son was 6 months old, our road trip for our first simple family beach vacation at the Jersey Shore was a nightmare. The time in the car obviously included the question, “Are we there yet?” asked nonstop, but the major memories included being stuck in a traffic jam for nearly an hour with both kids screaming, running out of snacks and food at lunchtime, the need to pull over to the side of the road for an emergency potty break, and my 2-year-old literally tossing her cookies in the car when she got car sick. Yuck! Parenting isn’t always easy, huh?

We’re still struggling to make long road trips a cinch, but we’ve learned a few lessons since that trip; ones that will hopefully make your travels this holiday season a bit easier.

• Travel by night and/or during naptime when the tots will most likely be sleeping.
• Travel during low traffic hours. Very early morning might not be the most convenient time to start your journey, but you can almost guarantee avoiding traffic, minimizing travel time, and ensuring you won’t end up stuck in gridlock with a screaming child.
• Cheerios, Cheerios, Cheerios — or some other snack…and lots of them!
• Look out for cool trucks, cows, horses, or even Colorado license plates — engage your child in a challenge (and provide a reward every so often — stickers work great).
• “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing…” — you may be thousands of miles away from a relaxing day at the park, but this game is sure to keep you and your child on your toes.
• Music delights the kids and will keep them entertained for a nice chunk of travel time. Our family favorites include: Sesame Street’s Greatest Hits, The Wizard of Oz soundtrack, the Imagination Movers, Barbie & the Diamond Castle and Mama Mia.
• Play read-along books on CD’s to give mom & dad a break from reciting the same storybook tale over and over again.
• If you will be traveling with a recently potty trained child, don’t forget to bring your portable travel potty. You might not be able to find a real bathroom quick enough, but you can always pull over and use your travel potty.

And fear not, if the holiday celebrations are at your house this year, I have some tips to make your guests feel at home and allow you some well-deserved R&R.

• Plug-in nightlights in hallways and bathrooms — there’s nothing worse than roaming around in an unfamiliar house trying to find the bathroom.
• Stash bottled water in the fridge — this will ensure less clamoring around from your guests in the middle of the night in search of a glass.
• Prep your guest bathroom with a new tube of toothpaste, extra toothbrushes, a hairdryer, and scented hand lotion so your guests will feel like they’re staying at a hotel. (Plus, they won’t need to ask for those items we all seem to forget when we travel!)
• Leave snacks and fruit on the kitchen counter so your guests will feel free to help themselves when hunger strikes.

This season, we’ll be inviting friends and family into our home, not germs that can cause illnesses. Here are some quick ways for you and your family to keep this holiday season a healthier one:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. You may want to teach your children to sing a short song, such as “Happy Birthday” twice. Use an alcohol-based sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
• Disinfect bathtubs and sinks after the guests have left. Mix 3/4 cups Clorox® Regular-Bleach with 1 gallon of water. Wash the surface and then wipe with the bleach solution. Leave for 5 minutes, then rinse well and air dry.
• Cough and sneeze into a tissue — or into your elbow or sleeve if you don’t have a tissue. It’s especially important to remind your kids about this one, as many like resort to their hands when they don’t have a tissue.
• Disinfect commonly touched surfaces and objects. Start with those toys that your child was sharing with his cousins over Thanksgiving. For plastic toys, mix 3/4 cups of Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water; soak prewashed toys for 5 minutes, rinse and air dry.

Hope you had a happy, healthy, and sane Thanksgiving! I hope these tips help as you gear up for the rest of this holiday season.

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