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| Published by Pinay.com |
It’s bad enough that you have to endure a long-haul flight with a crick in your neck, seated next to a passenger reeking of the onion burgers he had before boarding. Factor in a screaming toddler in the other seat next to you and you have
yourself a 14-hour long nightmare. Oh, and the toddler belongs to you. As someone with family abroad, traveling with children is
often a reality that I live with. But I’ve managed to lug luggage and little ones
across the world more than a few times, emerging with no battle scars — aside
from a little jet lag. Here’s how to travel with toddlers without resorting to
a bottle of Benadryl.
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| Published by Pinay.com. |
1. Traveling with Toddlers Tip 1: Prepare now
Not days before. Not even weeks before. I mean NOW before you’re
even planning the trip, because a well-mannered child is a great travel
companion. My son is by no means perfect. We’ve had our moments. But we’ve
never had to deal with a tantrum. We’ve either been lucky or maybe the
following parenting technique works:
We never give him an audience. If he cries
for no reason and we’re sure he’s not hurting or needing something, we let him
cry it out. We explain why his behavior is unacceptable, and if he still
doesn’t let up, we leave him alone for a bit.
I believe that trying to appease will only teach
him that if he cries long enough, he’ll get what he wants. If you don’t believe
in the “crying it out” technique, then try a little distraction (“I’m sorry we
can’t go to the store now, but we can start packing instead, because we’re
getting on an airplane! Should we bring Teddy?”). Be quick with the distraction
before the waterworks start. Sometimes a change of scenery will help. Take him
outside. The key is consistency. “No” means no, not yes after the 10th
“no”. If you buckle, he’ll eventually figure out that persistence pays.
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| Traveling with younger children. Read the complete article here. |
2. Traveling with Toddlers Tip 2:
Use your golden ticket
Your child IS your golden ticket. In most cases, they give special
treatment when you have a tyke in tow. Most airlines have kiddie meals and
little toys for younger passengers. If the flight is not full, you may be
bumped up to preferred seats which can give you and your restless travel
companion more room. Other airlines also offer assistance at boarding
especially when you have a lot to carry. You can also request for priority
boarding so you don’t have to wait in line and get off earlier if you wish.
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| Flying with a Toddler? Here’s What Every Parent Should Know. |
3. Traveling with Toddlers Tip 3:
Pick the right location
When my husband once traveled with us, he had this idea of
leaving one seat between the three of us. His rationale? Rarely does one want
to sit in the middle. Besides who can refuse a request from a mother and child
to scoot over to the next seat? The plan worked, because nobody dared to take
the middle seat, giving our boy an extra seat to stretch in.
Like I said, you may have the option to take preferred seats
for free, but I choose not to because they usually have arm rests that can’t be
raised, so my toddler can’t lay on my lap and stretch over to his seat for a
more comfortable sleep. I also prefer aisle seats so we can easily get in and out
without having to jump over a sleeping passenger.
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| Read the rest of the tips here. |
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