Margaret Richcreek and Sandy Fenton share their best tips for traveling with kids under 10:
Richcreek:
Each parent can take the children for a few hours so the other parent has some downtime. Tell mom she can go have breakfast or coffee on her own.
There's a lot to be said for organization. If you're going out to dinner with the kids, make a reservation. The worst thing to do is expect a kid to wait for an hour and a half for dinner. If you do have to wait, one parent can sit at the restaurant while the other one takes the kids on a walk. Use your cell phones to notify the walkers when the table is ready.
Buy when you arrive. Wait until you arrive at your destination to purchase things like diapers, wipes, baby food and formula, especially if you are flying. Do pack one or two days' worth of these items so you have enough to get by.
Stick to a routine, but twist it around. If you're stopping for lunch, ask the kids if they want to eat dessert first. That's fun when traveling and relieves the stress.
Apply sunscreen before you leave your beach house or hotel.
If you are flying, have each child fill a carry-on bag with snacks and favorite games and books.
When going through airport security, have everyone's shoes and jackets off and bags ready before you walk through the checkpoint. Move through and find a spot to regroup. Slide-on or Velcro shoes make it easy.
Fenton:
A day or two before the trip, lay out special travel clothes or buy a new article of clothing just for the trip. “I'm telling you, it doesn't sound like brain surgery, but it works.”
Also, before leaving, take kids to a drugstore to pick out their own travel toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap.
Keep kids on a schedule for mealtimes, bath time and sleep time. “The major reason for that is their brains aren't old enough to handle the sudden change.”
Do not pack everything into one day. If you are at Disney World, go to the park after breakfast for three or four hours, then go back to the hotel to cool off, relax and rest. Return to the park or the beach later in the day.
Take along a trusted teen or preteen who knows the kids and can take over for you. That doesn't mean the teenager watches the kids 24 hours. The teen can take an hour in the morning while you straighten up, read the paper and drink a second cup of coffee and then later in the evening while you sip cocktails with your spouse.
Allow kids to help plan. Ask each child to pick one favorite activity to do and meal to eat. What is one thing you absolutely want to do?
If you have only one child, ask him or her to invite a friend to help keep your child entertained.
– NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
