Guest Blogger: Unplugged Travel with Toddlers - Road Trip Edition

Summer is here and for many families that means road trip season!

While watching movies or playing tablet games can be fine for some, many strived to focus on unplugged travel with their little ones. By working with your child’s natural cycles, you can turn a device-free road trip into engaging, quality, family time and provide a childhood full of treasured memories instead of just another viewing of Frozen.

Don’t rush. 

As adults, we usually plan a long-haul drive trying to get to our destination as soon as possible, but we have to change this mindset when traveling with kids.  Planning is key when it comes to road trips with toddlers. Kids have three main cycles; eat, sleep and play. The length of these cycles varies by age, but for infants and toddlers, the time in between can be quite short. Plan to stop approximately every two hours to stretch everyone’s legs, enjoy a snack and a bathroom break, especially important for toddlers in potty-training! Frequent breaks and taking your time will ease the stress of your child having their normal routine disrupted and help them enjoy the experience more. Try to end your day at 4 pm so that your child can eat dinner at their normal time and maintain their bedtime schedule. You can’t expect them to fall asleep right after checking into a hotel! 

Pack accordingly.

Depending on the length of your road trip, it’s important to prepare for the unexpected. For short trips (under 3 hours), snacks, water, wipes and extra clothing/diapers are a must. For longer trips, several changes of clothing may be necessary along with extra wipes. Don’t forget a leak-proof storage bag for dirty clothing! Motion sickness can be unpredictable, so a few sick bags may also be in order. A thermos of warm milk is a surefire way to get toddlers to fall asleep once the car gets moving! Get a full packing checklist here! 

Anticipate their needs.

Place a bag or other container that your toddler can reach next to their car seat and fill it with all the things they may want or need. Healthy, car-friendly snacks like sliced fruit or cheese (think non-crumbly) and water to keep them hydrated are important. Favorite sleeping comforts such as blankets or soft toys along with the white noise of the car is enough to put most toddlers to sleep. Coloring books or picture books with few words are a good choice for the car as reading will often lead to motion sickness. Audio books are something the entire family can enjoy. Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, Frog and Toad are Friends, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz are toddler-approved (over 4 years old) and enjoyable for all!

Make the most of play time. 

While many parents aim to drive when their kids are sleeping, playtime in the car helps kids stick with their regular daytime schedule much better. Here are some activities you can do with your kids while still keeping your eyes on the road.  

What would a road trip be without sing-alongs and car games? When your toddler is at their most active, it’s a great time to engage with them and build those road-trip memories! Make a couple of playlists in advance, especially if your child enjoys calming music before bed or naptime. Fill another with road trip classics and your toddler’s favorite dance music for a robust sing-along and in-your-seat dance party! It’s a great time to teach your kids the songs you sang at camp or in the car as kids and relive a little of your own childhood too. 

Age-appropriate road trip games can be fun for kids of all ages. Simple scavenger hunts such as car colors for young kids and state license plates for older ones or a game of I Spy are good diversions. The Alphabet Game is great for toddlers, either spotting items outside the car that begin with each letter or through a scenario such as “I’m going on a picnic, I bring…” something beginning with A and so on. Twenty Questions is another classic your toddler will enjoy!

There are a lot of benefits of unplugged travel with toddlers, including building memories. Skip the DVDs and tablet time and help your kids be present. Also, work with their schedule to make naptime work for you. What are your best tips for road trips with toddlers? Let us know in the comments below!

-Compiled by Miniware

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GUEST MOMMY BlOGGER: Raising an Only Child When More Were in Your Plan

From the heart of the Mommy of an Only Child..

Being the parent of an only child...this was never my plan! Growing up with a brother who was only one year younger than me, I always had a fierce protector, confidant and yes as anyone who has a younger sibling knows, someone who sometimes annoyed the heck out of me! I say all this in love because my bond with my little brother was then an forever will be unbreakable with an adoration for each other that is unmeasurable.

Because I had my little brother aka my room-mate, I grew up dreaming that when it was my time I would have at least two children and in my mind ideally 3....2 girls and a boy...I had a plan.

Well as my mother would say, “man plans and God laughs” because after two heart breaking miscarriages I had my daughter at the tender age of 22 and she would end up being my only child.

You might ask, how do you go from having a lifelong dream of having three children to only having one? You had her so young, why did you stop?

Here’s the thing: I did have my daughter at a very young age but from the moment I first held her in my arms I felt a love I had never known and could not even explain. I wanted to be and do everything for her. My primary purpose in life became discovering all that I could about this little human that I had been entrusted to steward over. For me this was the greatest responsibility I had ever been given and I did not take it lightly. I studied her, nurtured her gifts, encouraged her to strengthen her strengths and manage her weaknesses. I spent countless hours at theatre, art and dance classes. Sought to get her a great education and traveled around the world with her to cultivate and express her talents. As the years went by I realized that I was learning about myself as I poured into her...we grew up together.

In my youth I thought that being a parent meant to be a steward and it does but I have come to learn that in my stewardship there were aspects of my being that were unveiled and blossomed in my role as Mommy.

Now do I think that myself and my daughter may have been different people had I had more children? I do think that the dynamics of our relationship would have been different because I would have had to share my time and energies with her sibling(s) but ultimately I think we would have grown into who we are today...same destination different journey.

Some think that it’s a disadvantage for one to grow up as an only child because that only child can be showered with so much attention from their parents that they may become selfish and socially inept.

I must admit that there were often times when my daughter was growing up that when were in the presence of other children and attention was being given to them, my daughter would be come upset and give the standard pouty face and arms crossed over her chest. I would tell her, “ it’s not your moment,” and she would most often shake it off and join in with what was happening or go off and do her own thing. Only children are good at doing their “own thing.” I’m not sure if this behavior was because of the “only child syndrome” or because my daughter was an entertainer from birth and always wanted to delight people with her talents. Either way, there were times when I had to tell her NO and as a Mommy I could not be afraid to do so because in this world she will not always get a YES, them what?!

Two life principles that I have learned are critical when it comes to raising only children, they are “balance is the key to life” and “relationships are the network for life.” Though my daughter did not have a sibling in the home that she had to share Mommy’s attention with, I always made it clear to her that it’s not always going to be her “moment.” I taught her that she needed to be mindful of the needs of others because we all have an innate desire to feel loved and wanted and when that need is not met that it when abnormality expresses itself in ways that can be harmful not only to the individual but to the society at large.

We grow in community and not isolation so I always made sure to bring my daughter around our extended family, scheduled play dates with friend and kept her engaged in social activities that developed her socialization and communication skills outside of her parents. You can not develop a muscle unless you exercise it.

I would tell anyone who has more than one child as difficult as it may be to share your time talent and treasury equally with each child, do your best to see them as individuals, uniquely and wonderfully made and designed for a specific purpose. Take the time to study their unique traits, characteristics and abilities, help your children to discover them then put in the work to nurture them.

I believe God in His infinite wisdom knew WHO my daughter was and what she would require from me and that’s why she is an only child. I don’t have any regrets because my daughter brings me so much joy and I see her as the best of me...my one and only!

- Heather Hughes

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Routines or Nah?

I set my alarm for everything. Yes, even to remember to call my mom, there is an alarm for that. With all there is to remember in my professional, personal, and family life staying organized is key. If its a new routine I want to implement, it needs an alarm or calendar notification.

Children tend to be as habitual as us. I found that if I kept a routine for eating, sleeping, and playtime, Chase and I were happy campers. The more we break routine the harder it is to get back to normal. 

What happens if you and your child can’t get into a routine? I say keep trying until you find something that works for your family. If you have a hectic schedule that changes every week, find ONE thing you can do to keep that consistency even if its something as simple as Saturday morning waffles and cartoons. 

The book I mentioned in episode 10, The New Contented Little Baby Book by Gina Ford, covers everything from preparation for birth, helps you week by week with scheduling, as well as separation tips for when the baby is older. Though the book gives great advice, it is not the end-all manual to parenting. Take the tips you like, but ultimately do what works for you and your family. 

- Chanel Rae