Travelling with kids

Travelling with kids can be a nightmare. How can you avoid it?

No one wants to be THAT family. The one which other passengers stare daggers at. The one whose children kick the backs of the seats of the passengers in front of them. The one whose children race up and down the aisles knocking into people and creating havoc in their path…

At some point, we’ve all been there. Either as the luckless fellow passengers, or the harassed parents. Flying or taking long train or car journeys with children can be a daunting prospect. Being cooped up in a metal cylinder of whatever description for several hours with young and lively kids can be enough to bring on a stress attack in even the most seasoned parent.

As with many things in life, Positive Prior Planning can Prevent a Poor Performance. Be prepared. Start with the basics. Ensure your kids are well rested the day before and try to avoid timing your journey over the witching hour of early evening when everyone’s blood sugar is at their lowest and children are usually at their worst.

If flying, protect their ears from the changes in air pressure by bringing something for them to suck on (dummies, bottles, gummies) during take-off and landing. Try to sit near the toilet to make those last-minute dashes to the loo less fraught and bring plenty of healthy snacks, nappies and changes of clothes.

Once the essentials of tiredness, hunger and sore ears have been sorted, the next priority is keeping them occupied. Rather than relying on the in-flight entertainment or portable electronic devices for hours at a time which can amplify, even cause, cranky behaviour, you might want to consider slipping one of our Shapeeze packs into your carry-on.

For parents keen to avoid screen-time induced melt-downs, you’ll be looking for something which will completely engage them, keep them absorbed for hours and which they can get on with completely unaided. And, better still, be educational at the same time.

This is where we can help. Shapeeze will do all the above in one neat package. We have designed each pack to be full of brightly coloured, pop-out-and-paste shapes and to have a wide range of designs to keep your little ones busy for hours.

Each pack has a carry handle, space for your child to write their name, a glue stick and a complete set of the Shapeeze specially designed easy-grip colouring pencils and, importantly, no scissors, perfect when travelling by plane. Whilst Shapeeze is available in two sizes: a large A3 version for use at home, the smaller more portable A4 version is ideal for travelling. Shapeeze also comes in two age ranges: 3-5yrs and 4-7yrs to ensure that the activities are perfectly targeted for your child’s age and abilities.

However, Shapeeze is so much more than just another craft and colouring book. It was developed in conjunction with early educators and occupational therapists to introduce basic literacy and numeracy concepts. Crucially, it also encourages the development of fine motor skills and finger strength using the press-out shapes and triangle-barrel pencils. (Another bonus of the triangle-shaped pencils is that they are less likely to roll off the seat tray or vibrating train table!)

Who knows, with the children fed, watered, happy and fully engaged you might even get to read that magazine you’ve been eyeing for weeks! Happy travelling!

Simone Crighton