Friday, January 5, 2018
Traveling with a Pre-Schooler!!
What a great end to the Year 2017 and a beautiful beginning to the Year 2018. I am so pumped to start writing about all that we did on our Summer Break, but, before I start with that, I wanted to share some important lessons I learned,with all the parents who are planning to travel with a Pre- Schooler....
Mahi is 4 now and we could finally pack her stuff like a normal big person. It was so refreshing to finally travel without diapers, wipes , milk bottles etc. and to not look like a portable Babies R US on a move for a change. To celebrate her travel as a "Big Girl", we ordered a set of an adorable looking Unicorn Luggage.
Mahi is 4 now and we could finally pack her stuff like a normal big person. It was so refreshing to finally travel without diapers, wipes , milk bottles etc. and to not look like a portable Babies R US on a move for a change. To celebrate her travel as a "Big Girl", we ordered a set of an adorable looking Unicorn Luggage.
It was quite charming to see her pack her clothes in their until I learned my Lesson#1.
# 1- JUST PACK IT UP - Do not encourage your child to pack her own suitcase unless you are ready to accept that it's absolutely important to take the 10 big stuffed toys, the ballet gear and the two huge Journey Dolls, more than any of her clothes. If you disagree with her while she is packing up , the whole process of 20 min could take you as long as two hours and not to miss the melt downs . So let it go , just pack it all up for her. There is always next year !!
# 2 - STROLLER, BIG YES!! If your partner says not to take the stroller, agree going without him but not without the stroller unless you are ready to carry your 15 kilo child,after they complain of being tired in the first five minutes of entering a vast Theme park. There could still be instances where she would want to be carried and will want you like never before, but you will still thank yourself for the times she agrees to settle in the stroller. More so, if you are like me and cannot travel light , that extra storage space under the stroller is a relief to just dump your Camera bag and all the paraphernalia you carry along with the little one.
# 3 - HIGH WAIST PANTS- Be prepared to spend an hour looking for the lost crayons and the Sketch pen caps under the seats while traveling. You might want to say hi to the long forgotten high waist pants unless you want your butt crack showing as your ass will be hanging in the Aisle most of the time looking for stuff under the seats.
# 4 - KEEP IT LIGHT- Do not get too excited about loading her suitcase.No matter how excited she seems in the beginning of the trip and pulls it herself ,it would be you and only you who would be dragging that little thing by the end of it, walking clumsily trying to pull it while having to bend all the way to the floor.
# 5 - LOAD UP - I am an Old fashioned Mom and do not encourage my child using phone , I Pad or any other kind of gadget - Yes, true story!! I like to raise her the Old school way , where we painted our world with Rainbow colors and created stuff by actual materials. I wish for her to connect with the real world than be captivated in the Virtual Mirage. Having said that, just load up.... make sure you always carry enough colors of different kinds, a coloring book and materials like play dough and slime to keep her entertained. The number of items in that little fun bag should be directly proportional to the hours of your flight.
# 6 - KEEP THEM PREPARED- Always run the day's agenda through your child. Prepare them for what happens next. After we arrived at the hotel, checked in and got settled, Mahi took one look out the window after her nap and started crying. "I WANT TO GO TO THE BEACH !" "It's late now" “I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO THE BEACH!!!!!!!” “We’re going to the beach tomorrow.” “NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!” Oopsie Daises!! I guess Mahi expected to walk straight from the runway to the beach. We instead settled with the pool and our worries were behind us.
# 7 - OTHER CHALLENGES - Now! No matter how good and sane your child had been, NEVER! and I mean EVER! give them a candy treat before just boarding, unless you want to have a super hyper four year old sitting next to you , holding on to her ears screaming " I CAN'T HEAR" , when all the passengers from the back to the front row have a play by play of how Mahi could not hear anything because of the Air Pressure and how her color went out of the lines while drawing.
# 8 - NO SLEEP - It's quite a possibility that your child would not sleep during the journey , mine never does. Make sure you sleep well the night before or else be ready to be poked right into the eye with a Voice saying " MAMA! DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES! " even when you have just blinked for 10 seconds longer.
SAFE TRAVELS!!
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