We all know that travelling with children can be hard work.
With this in mind, Diamond, a direct motor insurer specialising in car
insurance for women, has come up with
ten top tips to make sure car journeys
with children are as hassle free as possible.
-
Safety is paramount - always make sure your
children are properly restrained in
the car. Make sure small children
and babies are in car seats and not on an adults lap.
-
Plan to travel off-peak to avoid unnecessary
traffic
problems.
-
Pack plenty of snacks and drinks for the
journey.
Try to avoid caffeine and sugary snacks.
-
Have a pack of wet wipes handy, they always are
welcome on hot, sticky days or after an in-the-car
snack. A readily
accessible change of clothes is also useful in case drinks get spilt
or there are
any other unfortunate accidents!
-
Books-on-tape are
great when travelling with
children of any age. Everyone can enjoy them and they make the trip
go by
much faster.
-
If your children tend to fight in the
car try
putting one child in the front seat and one parent in the back seat.
You can also get the
children to change seats so they're not always
sitting in the same spot and with the same person.
-
Frequent stops are a must when travelling with
children. A good rule of thumb is to take a 15-minute break for every
2 hours on the road. Pack a ball, a frisbee
or a skipping rope for
your children to play with when you stop. This burns off excess energy
before
they get back in the car.
-
To make their car ride as
comfortable as possible,
you might want to use car shades to keep the sun out of their eyes.
-
To avoid travel sickness keep windows open a
little to
ventilate the car and give children mints or boiled sweets
to suck.
-
If you want kids to fall asleep, make sure you
pack plenty of pillows and blankets and
their favourite soft toy.
Nicole Joyce, managing director of Diamond, said,
"We
want parents to enjoy trips with their children and hopefully these tips
will make car journeys
more enjoyable for everyone."
