3 Tips For A More Peaceful Family Road Trip
While traveling with your family can be quite the adventure, it can also make for some stressful moments for you as a parent. Not only are you having to plan and execute on your vacation itinerary, but you also have to prepare yourself and your kids for the travel part of your trip. For most parents, this is where the anxiety comes in. Especially if you’re going to be road tripping for part of your vacation, it’s important that you do your best to ensure the time spent in the car does more to bring your family together rather than pull you apart. So to help make sure this ideal becomes your reality, here are three tips for a more peaceful family road trip.
Help Kids Help Themselves
If you’ve got kids who are still in car seats or booster seats, one of the hardest parts about being in the car for extended periods of time is your kids having very limited mobility. Not only can this make them feel restless, but it can also be hard if they drop something or need something that they can’t seem to reach. What’s not a good idea is to have the driver reaching in the back seat trying to help the kids, as this can put everyone in danger is you get in a car accident. So to reduce the chances of this taking place, Taylor Pittman, a contributor to the Huffington Post, recommends that you get your kids each a grabber toy so they can help themselves if they drop something or need to reach something when the car’s in motion.
Make Rest Stops More About Movement
No one can handle sitting in their car seat in the car for hours and hours at a time, including adults. So to help everyone stay as happy as can be, it’s a good idea to take breaks from being in the car on a regular basis. At least every two to three hours, try to take a break and get everyone out of their seats. To make the most of this time, Christa Terry, a contributor to Smarter Travel, advises that you encourage your family to really move during these breaks. Pack things like jump rope or a soccer ball that everyone can play with for a few minutes during your rests. Getting the blood pumping for just a few minutes can do wonders for morale in the car.
Forget About Limits On Screen Time
One of the biggest saving graces for parents when going on a long road trip with the kids are their devices. From laptops and tablets to video games and phones, using screens can be a great way to pass the time while your kids are strapped in their seats. And while you normally might only allow your kids a short amount of screen time each day, Annie Reneau, a contributor to Brilliant Star, shares that it’s perfectly fine to forget about these time limits on screens when road tripping. As long as everyone’s staying happy, it will all be worth it in the end.
If you’ve got a big road trip coming up, consider using the tips mentioned above to help your family keep the peace in the car.