Parents deserve vacation time more than just about anyone else, but you probably can’t imagine leaving your kids behind and going off on your adventure. You can make beautiful, life-long memories during your family vacation, but you can also end up wanting to rip your hair out while your children sulk all day at the zoo or refuse to walk through the art museum. In some situations, natural anxiety relief for kids can give you a huge advantage when it comes to traveling with your small humans. Along with natural remedies to help keep your children calm and focused, here are five tips for a stress-free vacation with your kids.
Plan Ahead
The most crucial aspect of vacationing with children is planning ahead. While you might find spontaneity exciting, your children will likely find it exhausting and anxiety-inducing. When you’re planning your vacation, include your children in as much of the decision-making as possible and do it as early as possible. Make sure everyone is on the same page about where you’re going and why.
Practice Self-Care
As you ramp up your preparations for leaving on vacation, make sure to take some time for self-care before and during your trip. You might be busy with work right up until the day you plan to leave, but it’s not a good idea to start your vacation feeling drained and burned out.
Traveling with children requires extra patience and empathy because your children will have to deal with new and uncomfortable environments and varying schedules that make them tired and confused. The better you feel when you leave for vacation, the better you will be able to support your children. So set aside time for a pre-holiday massage and a few weekends for downtime before you get on the plane.
Stock-Up on Snacks
While you’re on vacation, stock up on snacks for yourself and your kids. For both children and adults, many tantrums and meltdowns are rooted in hunger. Bring your children’s favorite snacks from home so that they have some familiar foods, and keep an eye out for child-friendly foods that you can pick up from local grocery stores. You may want to explore child anxiety medication over the counter for your anxious kid who hates flying.
Keep Everyone Hydrated
Along with snacks, make sure you always have water on hand so that everyone stays hydrated. This is even more important if you’re traveling during summer or you’ll be outside for long periods. You will have to remind everyone to drink water, so you might want to set a regular timer on your phone. Hydrated kids are happy kids.
Break Up Your Days
Remember to break up the activities you have planned for your vacation days While you might be able to visit every national museum and gallery in D.C. in one day, your kids will most certainly put up a fight to sit down and rest. It’s tempting to cram as many fun activities in as you can, but you will have better-behaved children if you balance rest and play.
Traveling with children can be a struggle, but you aren’t alone. If you’re looking for ways to support your hyperactive child, explore the benefits of homeopathic medicine to treat ADHD in 5 year olds.
