Travel Essentials for Summer

Posted by Stuck On You on June 17, 2010  |  1 Comment

If your vision of traveling with the children is a groan rather than a giggle, you may be suffering from the get-out-of-town blues. Just the thought of organizing your luggage and your family can seem like a monumental task. Here are some tips to help to make it easy and fun!

• Pack light. Summer travel is definitely easier than winter because the clothing is less bulky. Plan outfits for yourself and the kids. Place each outfit (including socks and underwear) in plastic Ziploc® bags labeled with the day of the week so there’s no thinking about it while you’re relaxing on vacation. Keep it to a minimum: Two pairs of shoes each (flip flops/sandals and sneakers). We know moms are the exception when it comes to shoes. Thank goodness sandals don’t take up much space!
• Keep track. Although you’re excited about site seeing and visiting amusement parks with you kids, the keeping track of them can be challenging. Amy Lipton, President of Stuck on You USA, says, “I’m always out and about with my kids and have often wondered what I’d do if we became separated—especially when we’re in unfamiliar places or on vacation in another town or state. The Stick-with-Me Wristbands have become an essential safety item when we are out of town or at a big public event or shopping center.” Order a set for all the children, and hand-write their names yourself.
• Carousel Chaos Controlled. Collecting your bags from the luggage carousel can be chaotic, so play “who can spot the bag tag” with your children. The brightly-colored Stuck on You bag tags can be personalized with each child’s name. They are waterproof and UV resistant, which also makes them great for beach bags.
• Beach & Pool Toys. How many summers have gone by where, by the end, you’ve inadvertently misplaced sand and pool toys because you couldn’t identify whether they were yours or someone else’s? We’ve all done that. You congregate at the beach or pool with other families and before you know it, all the toys are co-mingled and you can’t tell what belongs to whom. The Stuck on You large name labels or jumbo dots take care of that! They are waterproof and stay stuck. When it comes time to pack up, you can easily identify what’s yours and the labels make it fun for kids to help with clean up too!
• Shoe Labels. Kids can easily identify their flip-flops if they have a shoe label on them, and if they are left behind at the community pool or Hotel Kids Club, they won’t wind up in the Lost & Found because whoever finds them will know they belong to your child!

Clothing Labels These work great on beach towels, bathing suits, beach bags—anything made of fabric! Helps kids keep track of their own stuff!

Remember to always involve your children in the packing, unpacking and toy clean up. Great training for later when you may only have to suggest they get their stuff together versus doing it for them!

Spring Break Travel with Children

Posted by Stuck On You on March 18, 2010  |  No Comments

Traveling with kids can be easy and fun. It’s not as complicated as it might seem. The key is to be organized relax, take a minimal amount of stuff, and just get out and be with your family.

Kids of all ages can handle some form of responsibility. Whether it’s airline or car travel, each child needs his or her own bag. Kids of all ages can easily strap on a light-weight backpack with his or her stuff inside. They will also feel a sense of ownership if they have their “own” bag.

When it comes to packing the bag, you’ll want to help your pre-schooler select items. Leave some room in case you pick up a trinket along the way, but start off with the basics: An activity book, favorite soft toy, snack and water bottle. They may want to put their favorite blankie and change of clothes in the bag too. Let tweens and teens pack their own bag. Give them guidelines, tell them they’ll need to keep themselves occupied and they can choose what’s important.

Here are some travel tips for both car and air.

Tips for Car Travel:

1. Bring a few surprises—To keep your kids occupied while driving, surprise them with a new travel game once your well into the car ride. Tell us your favorite!
2. Assemble a car travel bag filled with snacks, books, and toys or games that are age appropriate.
3. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a pillow and blanket.
4. Even if you no longer have a baby in diapers, stash a box of baby wipes in the car. These are great for clean up after a snack or an unexpected sticky spill.
5. Designate a trash bag and toss it in the trash can when you stop for a bathroom break.
6. Remove your shoes and enjoy the ride.

Tips for Airline Travel:

Getting through the gate can be a huge production, especially with today’s security measures. Limit what you carry on, if at all possible

1. Gate-check the car seat or stroller—You want to do this just in case you didn’t book a seat for your 2-year-old or younger and one becomes available. The flight attendance can more easily retrieve the car seat for you make sure it’s labeled with a hanging bag tag or label for easy identification.
2. Wait to board the plane until last—Many times airlines will call children first, but if you have an energetic 3-year-old who doesn’t sit still for very long, you may want to wait as long as possible before boarding and buckling him in.
3. Bring a few surprises—To keep your kids occupied while flying, surprise them with a new travel game once the plane is in flight.

Label EVERYTHING, especially if you’re traveling on an airplane. The Top 2 Toe pack has got you covered. It contains 25 clothing labels, 25 small vinyl labels, 20 shoe dots and one Bag Tag.

There’s also the customized Back Packs, which make it easy for your child to identify his or her bag immediately. Choose a style that they like and they’ll proudly take full ownership of their stuff!

The Personalized Pencil case is great for family travel too. It may be called a “pencil case” but many of our Facebook fans have identified lots of other uses for this durable case that is 12.5” X 6.25”, perfect for holding airline tickets, boarding passes, passports and travel itinerary. Other ideas include: Children’s handheld games, coloring supplies, ipods, travel first aid kit, sunscreen and bug spray.

Happy and safe travels!