7 holiday hacks every parent should know

If you’re after some advice for the road, nothing beats talking to people who’ve lived and breathed the same experiences. This is never truer than when we’re trying to navigate yet another parenting issue.

Holidaying with children can be an endless list of tasks and toys, and if you don’t have a few tricks up your sleeve, a vacation can quicky turn into a chore.

But when done right, family holidays are a chance to bond as a family and make some wonderful life-long memories.

Whether you’re jet setting or travelling by car, planning ahead and using some clever travel hacks from the parents who have done it all before can make sure you get off to a good start.

Pre-kids, a half-day road trip may have included one or 2 stops. But when you’ve got little tots coming along for the ride, regular stops are a must.

“Before I go on any long trips with kids, I plan out our entire route based on where we can stop for food, play and use the toilet. Timing the drive to coincide with nap time is also a game changer. There’s nothing worse than an overtired, bored, irritable toddler on a long drive,” says writer Stephanie Margerison.

For journalist Tracy McBeth, taking food on a trip for kids is essential. As well as keeping your kids full, snacks can be a good distraction and time-killer.

“My kids love little containers filled with interesting finger foods. They’re somehow more interesting than a big lunchbox and there’s less food to spill if the whole thing gets dropped.”

Counsellor and Health Content Specialist Nicole Vanderkroef recommends “[packing] snacks that are durable and you know your kids will definitely eat. There’s a good chance kids will reject unfamiliar food on the road, so have tried and true options.”

There’s nothing quite like trying to focus on the road with a loud chorus of fighting and screaming playing in the back seat. Consider changing your usual seating plan on long trips.

“My 2 boys used to fight, so sometimes I’d have to move to the back seat to sit in between them, or when they were older, they could take turns in the front,” says Jenny Boss, Nutritionist and Health Content Specialist.

Entertainment can come in all shapes and sizes and when you’re travelling, and you’ll want to pull out all the stops.

“I’d buy cheap, small toys from the dollar store and give them one at a time if they got bored on a long journey,” says Jean Jacobs, medical doctor and Health Content Specialist. “Then as my oldest got a bit bigger, she started making home-made activity books for herself and her sister, like printed colouring-in sheets or lists of things to spot on a long car journey.” 

Tracy recommends trying out “free educational games and puzzles that you can download on a tablet. [They’re] a great way to mix things up on a long trip”.

As a parent you can’t always predict what’s going to happen when you travel, but if you plan for the unexpected things at least you won’t be totally ill-prepared.

“I think I’ve had it all,” says Stephanie, “projectile vomiting, poo explosions, cut up knees. These things always happen when you go on a trip. Outside the usual nappy bag essentials, I always carry a first aid kit with extra band-aids, paracetamol, vomit bags, tweezers, baby wipes and hand sanitiser.”

Whether your kids are throwing a tantrum at home, in the car or on a plane, Stephanie has found a good song can diffuse the biggest of meltdowns. These tips will help you prep for the storm ahead.

“You may have some regrets once ’Baby Shark’ is on repeat but having a playlist the kids have compiled means they’ll have fun taking turns playing their tunes. And when you’re after a bit of quiet time, there are some great kid-friendly podcasts that even most parents don’t mind listening to such as ABC’s ’Imagine This’, ’Kinderling’ or ’Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls’ and ’Story Pirates’ for the older kids.”

While it’s usually a good item idea to keep screen time to a minimum, it’s okay for some rules to go out the window when you’re travelling.

“Don’t be afraid of screen time, long trips are not the time to be a hero,” says Nicole. “Make sure everyone has a fully-charged tablet and headphones.”

For Stephanie, the most important thing is to be prepared.

“You might think you’ve nailed the travel prep by charging all the devices, but if you’ve failed to download some of the content before you leave the house, you’ve got nothing when the wi-fi is out of range in the car or plane. Plan and download ahead of time.”