Traveling with a baby in a car: Practical tips
Young parents are often hyper-responsible. With the advent of children, moms and dads completely rebuild the rhythm of life for the most important family members and give up many of the usual pleasures.
Traveling is just one of those pleasures. It is not known in advance how the child will feel in transport and how a flight or a long trip will affect children’s health.
But it is not necessary to deny yourself the pleasure of visiting new places – traveling with a child by car can be the most comfortable way to go to another city or even a country!
The main thing you need to do before you go on a trip by car with children is to carefully plan everything. The first question to be solved is whether to take your own car or rent a car from a hiring company.
A rental car is preferable if your auto is not suitable for long journeys or there is not enough space. It will be expensive to get somewhere very far in your own car. Therefore, if you are flying to the United Arab Emirates, for example, then it will be much more profitable to rent a car in Dubai.
Before you travel by car with children, make sure that you are fully prepared for the trip. List of things to prepare and do in advance:
- Plan your itinerary according to your child’s needs. Try to choose good roads so that you have the opportunity to refuel, eat, and even spend the night if the journey is long. It is good if there are interesting places for children on the route – for example, game centers, amusement parks, and water parks – where they can relax and return to the car with renewed vigor.
- Include in your holiday budget the cost of children’s entertainment and a small reserve for unforeseen expenses. Perhaps the child will see an unusual toy that he has long dreamed of, and you will not be able to refuse a purchase.
- Make sure the car is in perfect condition. Sudden breakdowns on the road can greatly overshadow the journey by car, especially if you are traveling with children.
- Prepare the necessary documents for yourself and the child. Specify what documents you may need if you plan to cross the border. Never forget to make health insurance and insurance for the car.
- Take a supply of food, and drink, and collect a children’s first aid kit.
- Think about what your child will do on a road trip. Get your toys ready, download your favorite cartoons, and explore age-appropriate road games.
- If the child is still small, it would be useful to consult a pediatrician before a long trip and possible climate change.
Use apps to avoid getting lost
Specialized applications can be downloaded to your gadget and used offline. So you won’t get lost even in places far from civilization where there is no Internet: the application will still display the desired region and build a route. You can use offline, for example, Google maps or Maps me.
Plan your stops
Plan long and short stops based on the age of the child: with young children, you will need to stop more often, for example, for 30 minutes every 2-3 hours. Older children can ride non-stop for longer.
In any case, be guided by the characteristics and needs of your child. And don’t forget that adults also should get out of the car to walk for a while – sitting in the same position for a long time can be dangerous. So one of the ways to make traveling more comfortable is to do some warm-ups periodically.
Pack food and drinks for the road
For a road trip, especially a long one, products that do not deteriorate for a long time are suitable. For example, nuts, crackers, and cookies. To make your food more healthy and varied, take fruits, vegetables, and baby puree on the road.
If you take fruits on a trip, choose pitted ones that you can safely give even to a small child: bananas, pears, and apples.
