Travel Tips for Tots to Teens

The summer holidays have arrived! Some schools have already broken up for the school holidays and the rest have little more than a week to go. Summer often means getting out and about with your family so we thought these top travel tips for tots to teens might be useful.

Plan and Plan Some More
It doesn’t matter if you are travelling abroad or two hours down the motorway to visit family, you need to have plan A and B firmly in place because travelling with children is anything but predictable. Make sure that you know your route, that you have packed for all eventualities (i.e. snacks and drinks if you break down/your flight is delayed) and have plenty to keep everyone occupied.

Set off at a time that will cause the least angst for little travellers and those who are easily bored, as well keeping an eye on the travel news in advance to avoid unexpected delays due to accidents or roadworks.

A Pushchair
At home your little one might be more than happy toddling around on their own two feet. If, however you are going somewhere unfamiliar, are going to be exploring new areas and spending all day away from your base, a cheap and cheerful stroller which folds up might be a good thing to have around. This is a particularly good idea if your little one has only recently stopped using their pushchair/stroller full-time.

Food Concerns
If you are a parent of a child with any kind of food allergy or intolerance you’ll already appreciate the importance, and often the difficulty of eating away/away from home. Speak to your accommodation in advance in the same way you would mention the difficulty to the family. Communication and understanding is key.  It pays to travel with some food stuffs that are completely safe for your young one, in case you are held up/are struggling to find something that suits their dietary requirements.

Keep Everyone Happy and Occupied
Travelling can be daunting for little ones and deadly dull (apparently) for the older children. Pack a variety of distractions and diversions, from in-car DVD players (ok in short bursts), fun travel games, new music, joke books, snacks and more. Making sure everyone has something to do to pass the time makes the journey much less stressful for everyone (and you’ll hear fewer instances of “are we nearly there yet”.

Let Children Document Their Summer Travels
Whether you spend the summer travelling around your local area, exploring new things and having adventures or are abroad for a time, scrapbooking can be a great way for children of all ages to capture those memories. Disposable cameras are fun for candid shots (although you still need to pay for film processing), while digital pics work brilliantly. Save tickets, receipts, brochures, pressed flowers and more.

The scrapbooking offers children an opportunity to use their imagination when putting things together, and you have proof for your child’s teacher when they tell them that all they did all summer was watch TV (trust us, it happens).

What are your top tips for travelling with tots to teens?

Easter Holiday Fun Ideas

It doesn't seem like two minutes since the February half term ended and yet in a few more weeks many of you will be bringing nursery bags and school PE kits home once more for the Easter holidays. 

The beauty of the Easter holidays is that with a longer stretch of time off (22 days including weekends for many of our local schools) we as parents have more days to play with so when it comes to organising activities, days out and more there's no worry about having to cram everything in. 

If you are looking for inspiration on what to do this Easter we have a few ideas for you. 

Get Out and About 

If the weather is kind this Easter spend as much time as possible enjoying the great outdoors as a family. Go to local parks, roll down hills (with or without your painted hard-boiled Easter eggs), walk through forests (have a look at the Forestry Commission website for some brilliant safe and well maintained woodland walks in your area) and generally use the time to stretch your legs and let the kids blow off some steam. 

Planned Trips and Events 

Over Easter, especially over the long Easter weekend there are often a great number of fairs, markets, special events and more run in your local area, the key is knowing how to find them. Look at community noticeboards (online and around your local area), use Facebook local pages, the tourist information centres, ask other parents and generally keep your eyes open.  

In addition to the often free or cheap local events that run why not take the opportunity these Easter holidays offer and explore local museums, English Heritage sites or perhaps look up what the National Trust has in your area? 

Art and Crafts 

As much as we'd like to assume that during the holidays that the sun will shine and that we'll be surrounded by beautiful spring sights there is always the chance that we'll be covered in snow or stuck indoors thanks to fierce April Showers. If this is the case don't despair as there are plenty of entertaining ways to get through the holidays without hearing "But I'm bored". 

 Art and craft is a great activity and something that can be enjoyed at any age. Minecraft paper craft for older children, beadwork, painting, chalks, working around a theme such as a place or topic (as well as traditional Easter crafts) are all great examples.  

Here at Dotty Hippo for example we offer a number of art and craft activities for over the holidays including scrapbooking for kids, magnetic mosaics and even colour in comic books.  

This is a great time to introduce your children to new ways to enjoy their creativity. 

Playdates 

Having friends over is a great way for kids to spend their time (especially if there are dens to make or activities planned). Playdates also give parents a chance to sit down and talk with adults during the holidays. Try and organise one session at your house and one at someone else's if you can. 

The Library 

Libraries are very child friendly these days with large colourful areas dedicated to young readers of all abilities and the library often run their own holiday events. Call or visit your library to see what they have available (on top of the lure of row upon row of fabulous books of course). 

Plan Nothing at All 

Having new and exciting things to do, places to go and people to see over Easter is great however sometimes just playing and relaxing is needed. After a busy half term the children are unlikely to protest at the odd pj day, movie afternoon or spending the morning just enjoying playing with their toys. This gives them a chance to unwind and rest before they go back to school again. 

Whatever you have planned for the soon-approaching holidays we wish you a fabulous time.   

Half Term and Holiday Travel Tips

Are we nearly there yet?

There is nothing quite like travelling, be it a short trip or a longer journey with tired and/or bored children. We've all been there and we all know how stressful it may be on both parents and children. To help avoid these situations we've put together this mini-guide to help you all enjoy a calm, fun and safe journey this half term and for all future road trips.

On The Road

Be Prepared
If you are prepared for the worst anything else may be seen as a bonus. In the event of a breakdown it is essential that you have a breakdown box in the car with drinks, snacks, essential medications and of course things to amuse the children. If you are lucky enough to have broken down near a safe grassed area a ball or a Frisbee makes a great distraction activity (and burns off some of the excess energy) and if not paper games, simple card games and similar novelties will make passing the time before you are back on the road much more pleasant for everyone.

Be Safe
It is essential that the kids are in the right type of car seat for their age and height.  Up until the age of four years children should be a Group 1 car seat. From four years onward the rules are often confused. This handy car booster seat guide from Halfords clears up any confusion about what types are best and for what age. The right type of car seat will keep your children safe in the event of an accident and will also eliminate any discomfort felt which could be occur if the child was in the wrong type/size of car seat.

 Keep The Little Ones Occupied
Avoid boredom by having age appropriate drinks and snacks, toys, games and items which will amuse children throughout the journey to hand. Using a specially designed caddy or over the seat tidy makes it easy for children to access these items themselves.

Car games (knock, knock ding-a-ling was a firm favourite when some of us at Dotty Hippo HQ were younger!) as well as audio books, music and in-car DVD players for longer journeys all offer great solutions for beating travel boredom.

Schedule in Breaks
For long journeys toilet / changing breaks are important however these times also offer a great opportunity for the children to let off steam. If there is a play-park at your rest-stop or an open yet safe area encourage them to stretch their legs and get a little exercise before getting back in the car.

Travelling By Foot

If you are lucky enough to enjoy dry and even warm weather there is no better way to spend your days off and holidays than getting out in the fresh air and going for an adventure. 

Walk Safe

It is never too early to teach your little ones how to cross the road safely and every day trips out as well as holiday outings make for the ideal time to practice these skills. Teaching little ones to hold hands, pushchairs and walk independently is all part of them growing up and thankfully using walking accessories such as the Sure Steps security harness from Diono allows them a little freedom while parents and carers remain in complete control of their safety.

Be Seen

On dull days, early morning and of course in darkness it is essential that when walking out and about that you and your children may be properly seen by road users including cyclists as well as others on the paths. Everyone wearing fluorescent jackets or waistcoats with reflective bands when out and about, as well as having a light and reflective stickers or similar on pushchairs will ensure that your party may be seen at all times.

Carrying Supplies
It is amazing how much "stuff" you tend to take with you when walking out with children. There are snacks, drinks, tissues and wipes, changing items, toys and often much more. Rather than weighing down the pushchair handles and risking tipping whey not use a stroller organiser such as this one to keep everything to hand and safe?

If you aren't using a pushchair anymore and want to keep your hands free for holding little ones and playing use a backpack with handy pockets for everything you need. Ensure that you choose one with two straps so that you may spread the weight of what you are carrying and avoid back ache.

Whatever you have planned for this half term we hope you have a suitably wonderful time!

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