Nobody ever wants to go on a vacation and come back more exhausted than they were before. Vacations are meant for relaxing, unwinding, and enjoying a change of environment but when kids are part of a vacation it never sounds or seem like a vacation anymore but rather relocation.
It’s essential to articulately plan and prepare for your vacation more so if kids are involved. Put the right measures in place lest you carry your home to a hotel and continue with the same routine.
Are you planning a vacation with your kids, anxious, curious, well, we at Elimuzazi are here to lift the fog and clear your anxiety with a comprehensive breakdown of how to go about this.
- Choose a suitable destination, not all destinations are kids friendly. Minor details like the kids’ age and personalities can help decide on a suitable destination. Clearly you wouldn’t want to take your beach loving kids to a museum hill; it wouldn’t make sense to them.
- Do not travel so far away to avoid exhausting the kids furthermore your 3 or 2-year-old won’t mind exactly where you take them to as long as they get their necessities. Kids care more about change of environment and more play time than they would destinations. Keep your Paris destination dream in the box for now, its worthless taking kids to places they wouldn’t recognize its worth and beauty. So yeah, travel far enough to feel you are actually away from home but close enough not to be either jet lagged or exhausted.
- Vacation time is meant for unwinding, this is not the time to unleash your parenting rules. Pack the kids tablets and toys, do not ratio screen or playtime. Well there is need to always maintain their reading culture but hey, allow kids be kids for just a bit.
- Engage the services of hotel babysitters. None pays for a vacation only to come for extended mummy duties. One minute you are feeding the kids, the next changing diapers; the vacation was meant for all of you to recharge and reconnect allow the hotel take charge and just unwind. Alternatively tag your nanny along to help with the kids while you and the hubs unwind.
- Allow the kids explore their palate, give them freedom to eat whatever they want as long as your pocket can cover it. This is probably the right time to let them take junks, cake and ice-cream but of course if the weather allows. This will be memorable they will always look forward to another vacation.
- Save well before traveling, well many say you can travel with budget. Vacation has too many miscellaneous activities to fit in a fixed budget. Yes, you can go to pocket friendly hotels but always have something extra to support the kids’ activities and improved appetite.
- Be flexible enough to join the kids in their play ground or pool. This is also a mummy and kids bonding time, a secluded moment to know your kids more and understand them. Could also be a good time to pick out their individual personalities, likes, dislikes and better still talents. Play, swim, take nature walks, story tell, eat and watch movies together. Just so I remind you, it’s a family vacation not mummy vacation.
- Grant the kids the freedom to choose their everyday activity. Do not boss them around, let them take charge and feel good with you honoring their choice. Also keep it at one event a day to avoid exhausting or overclouding their day.
- Take turns in keeping an eye on the kids to allow the free partner some alone or nap time. Being able to rest without worrying about the kids for a while is therapeutic we all need it.
- Keep their bedtime normal. You don’t want to interfere with such milestones sleep training is no joke. Asides that quality rest is needed to wash down the day’s activities and exhaustion. On the other hand early to bed means mummy and daddy can sneak out for a quick intimate dinner.
Unknown to many kids love and always look forward to vacations. This is not really because they finally get to be on the loose or overlook the many grounding rules or stop feeling cooped up all the time but because they get time to connect with you.
Many times we are engrossed in work forgetting there are little humans in our homes craving a let hair down moment with us. Love is not just words but deeds, its shown better in expressions than in words and kids understand this as well. When you take out time to unwind with your little ones, you draw them closer and reaffirm your love to them.
Vacationing with kids may be costly, nerve wrecking and exhausting but it’s also fun and therapeutic. How about you forget about the vacation stress syndromes and just enjoy the moment while it lasts.