One of the joys of being a parent is taking your children on a day out and seeing their eyes light up as you pull into the car park at your destination. But there is one thing that may taint the rosy memories of your day out – the stress of the car journey there. And I don't mean the stress caused by spending half an hour stuck in road works, or the annoyance caused by your incompetent Sat Nav system. Read on for advice on how to prevent, or at least delay, the words every parent dreads on a car journey – "are we nearly there yet?"
Make frequent stops
If the journey is going to be a couple of hours or more try to stop every hour. It doesn't have to be for long, even 10 minutes will suffice. Giving the children the opportunity to get out and stretch their legs will make them far less restless when they are travelling.
Bring Snacks
Bring plenty food and drink, both for you and your children. If everyone is eating at regular intervals the mood in the car is going to be far happier.
Bring Toys
Activities such as colouring or drawing should keep your children entertained for a while, but bring a separate pack of crayons or pencils for each child to avoid inevitable arguments. Books are also great if you want some peace and quiet on the journey, although they are best avoided if your child suffers from travel sickness.
Nursery rhyme CDs are popular with parents for car journeys, but your older child may not appreciate hearing their younger sibling's favourite CD over and over and over again (or vice versa). You'll probably find hearing '5 Little Ducks Went Swimming One Day' twenty times tests your patience too, so consider taking a storybook CD instead.
Pack a rucksack with an assortment of favourite toys. Avoid anything with small parts as these may get lost down the back of the seat. For long journeys, keep some of the toys in the boot and bring them out once the kids are starting to tire of the selection. It will help keep their interest for a little longer, and if you rotate the selection of toys every time you make a stop it will also keep the back seat from disappearing under a pile of clutter.
Play Games
Let's face it, even the best behaved child isn't going to sit quietly with a colouring in book for the entire journey so look into fun games you can play with the kids while you are driving. For example 'Who am I?' where players have to guess which celebrity you are by asking a series of yes or no questions. Games that get your children look out of the window are good too, as shifting their focus outside the car can help prevent or ease travel sickness. Try back seat bingo, where everyone has a list of objects you might see outside – for example, a bus, a tree, a tractor – and have to look out for and mark off each of these items. The first person to cross all items off their list is the winner.
Bring a Blanket
If it is going to be a long journey, your children are young or you'll be returning late in the day, bring a blanket, or maybe even pillows. Children often become tired during car journeys and a blanket will make them more comfortable and more likely to settle for a nap.
Bring Medicine
You don't need to bring the entire medicine cabinet, and the chances are you aren't going to need whatever you do bring, but it's worth taking the basics. Headaches are unpredictable so it's always worth bringing the Calpol. Children are often susceptible to travel sickness so it may be worth taking a few remedies just in case.
Most of all just remember to relax and enjoy! There's no reason why the only enjoyable part of your day out should be what you do at the destination.
Happy motoring!
Angela is a mum of one and webmistress of UK Days Out . Find a great day out in your area by visiting www.uk-days-out.co.uk
[tags]kids, travel, car journeys[/tags]
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