TRAVELLING with kids is not always the easiest job in the world – especially when stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.
But with a few simple tricks, mums and dads can help avoid the summer mayhem – and any tears that may come with it.
Parenting and behavioural consultant Sophie Boucher-Giles, who founded the Gentle Start Family Consultancy, admits there are “plenty of back seat drivers under the age of ten”.
But the expert, who has worked with children for over 20 years, says parents can use a number of tools to manage them.
Here are her top tips for travelling with kids on long car journeys.
“Make sure the snacks you pack are age appropriate,” Sophie told The Sun Online.
“You don’t want them choking in the back seat when you can’t reach them. I also space the snacks – so I do two healthy snacks for every one not.
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“I might also use timers or clocks so they can anticipate when the next snack is coming.
“And for younger children who don’t have much of a concept of time yet I’ll use a tangible queue – so it will be: ‘After we’ve finished the game’.”
She added: “If you really want to hold them off, I’ll say: ‘The snack will come after you see a cow’. Or: ‘As soon as we see a sheep you can have your snack’.”
It can be helpful to plan your route ahead of time, making sure both you and your kids know what to expect.
Sophie advised: “If they’re quite a bit older, or reading age, I’ll do some research and plan the route.
“I’ll write a few of the destinations along the way on a list – or draw a map for them – so they can tick them off and know when they are nearly there.
“I also might let them follow google maps on the phone if they like a very visual idea of how far they are.”
She also says avoiding motorways can help for kids who may need more attention, adding: “If you do have a very tricky child and you avoid motorways, you can just pull over in the car if something happens”.
When it comes to being asked the same question time and time, again, parents can try to “repeat the answer back” until their little one is satisfied.
Sophie explained: “If they are asking ‘are we nearly there yet’, you’ll say: ‘Ten minutes’. Then they’ll say: ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ And you’ll repeat: ‘Ten minutes’.
“Eventually you’ll ask them instead: ‘How long is it until we get there?’
“They’ll then answer you and that usually stops them asking the question.”
Sophie says the “absolute maximum” a baby should be in a car seat is two hours – “ideally an hour for babies six months and under”.
So taking them out of the car for a break and some fresh air is important.
She explained: “It’s because when they’re slumped forward in that position they can’t maintain their airway for very long so their heart rate can do funny things.
“Their oxygen levels may dip a little bit so you need to check them frequently. My baby is four months old so I tend to stop every hour. I get her out, let her stretch and have a bit of a breather.”
She added: “A newborn should be in a car seat for no longer than 30 minutes without a break.”
When it comes to screen time, parents can be divided on the issue.
But according to Sophie, that’s completely fine – as long as kids don’t have free rein.
She explained: “It’s up to you. I tend to say only [use screens] for trips a certain length and manage their expectations before hand. So tell them whether or not this is going to be an ipad trip or not.”
The expert added: “Then make sure you are pre-loading and turning internet off just because you want to be monitoring what they are watching – you don’t want a child to be popping onto inappropriate stuff on YouTube while they’re in the back of the car and you cant see what they’re watching.”
When it comes to preventing arguments in the back seat, Sophie said dividing your little ones with a barrier can be helpful.
“If there are two of them I might put something soft like a pillow between them,” she said.
“They are less likely to fight with a barrier between them.”
And of course, come armed with “lots of games,” which can help “manage expectations”.
Sophie said: “I’ll explain that ‘now we are going to play a game, then we will have a snack and then we will have a break’.
“Then they can keep it in their heads.”
“I spy, alphabet games, music, podcasts and colouring with a magic pen [which doesn’t leave stains]” can all be great ways to keep your kids entertained, according to the expert.
And she believes time in the car can be “a good opportunity to learn from your kids too and a great time for sharing”.
She said: “Use it as an opportunity to find out what they are thinking and how things are going in school as a captive audience.”
Above all, keep your child safe.
Sophie said: “Some children are climbers and you don’t want to have to keep stopping the car – so if you’ve got a child who likes to get out of their car seat, and you’re on a longer journey you can get a car seat safety clip which goes at the top of the car seat so they can’t get out.”
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She added: “Make sure you have lots of water, sun shad and a car seat liner for any accidents. You can also bring potties, wipes and that kind of thing.
“If you do have young kids some people tie things to their car seats to play with. It’s actually not a great idea as they may snap back and hurt the child in a crash.”
