Bonggamom's Travel Tips with Kids

Yesterday I reposted an old SV Moms piece about traveling alone with the kids. I've flown alone with a 7-month old Pea, in a middle seat on the longest 6-hour flight in history. I've flown alone with an almost-3-year-old and 2-month-old twin infants on a trans-Pacific flight with a stopover. I've flown when the twins were in their Terrible Twos and when The Pea was 5. People always react in horror and admiration when they find this out: How do you do it? You're so brave! You super mom, you!

In truth, you just do what you have to do. In our case, our families live in the Philippines and the UK, so flying long distances is a must, and with all that jet lag, extended visits are only practical. Alfie could never stay as long as we wanted due to the #%&*# vacation policy that seems to be common in the US (compared to the 21 day standard in the UK and Europe), so it was up to me to go solo with the kids.

Back in those crazy days I had to plan each trip with the precision of a military campaign, but --at the risk of jinxing myself -- I have to say that now the kids are older, things are much easier. They can go to the bathroom by themselves, and they don't need me to cut up all the hotdogs and chicken pieces in their meals. They are content to sit quietly in their seats, taking turns playing on the PSP or drawing in their journals. When they do get too rambunctious and out-of-control, a sharp word (or the threat of some punishment) is all that's needed to get them back in line. I can actually read a magazine or sleep during the flight without worrying that they'll pour applesauce down some poor traveler's neck or throw up all over themselves. What bliss!

To all moms of preschoolers, toddlers and babies: if you're traveling alone with your kids and feel like you want to tear your eyeballs out with stress, trust me: This Too Shall Pass. In the meantime, here are some tips that have worked for me:


Preparing for your first plane ride with baby or toddler

* Take some new toys along on the plane ride so your baby/toddler has something new to play with.
* Play-Doh is a great toddler toy because it can stick to the the tray table. Do NOT take anything that can roll away and get lost in the seat cracks or under the seat because you will be contorting yourself to fetch it while your toddler wails and screams for his lost toy!
* Make sure baby is sucking on something during take-off and landing (i.e. pacifier, teething biscuit, nursing, etc..) to minimize discomfort in the ears
* Be prepared to take several walks up and down the aisle.
* Be nice to the flight attendant. She *may* offer to hold your child for a while. No one can resist a cute baby :)



Helping your kids deal with jet lag or wonky sleep schedules

* A couple of days before a trip that crosses multiple time zones, start moving your child's bedtime forward/backward to get closer to the local time zone. Even 30 minutes per day helps.
* Once you arrive at your destination, get out in the bright sunlight.
* Take it easy the first few days. In my experience, it will take approximately 1/2 - 1 day for kids to adjust for every hour difference between your home time zone and destination time zone (i.e. when we go to the UK, the time difference is 8 hrs so it takes at least 4 days, and as much as 8 days for my kids, to fully adjust).

Minimizing boredom during long car trips

* Play games like "I Spy" or "license plate bingo".
* Listen to books on cd.
* This is one time to let loose on the electronic entertainment! Videogames like the PSP (check out my PSP review on Bonggamom Finds) are great because you can preload content on the unit and you don't have to deal with packing lots of game cartridges that clutter up the car (the screen is also nice and big so they don't strain their eyes too much while the car is moving.)


Minimizing motion sickness during long car trips

* Have your child face straight ahead, not to the side and definitely not facing backwards
* Sometimes sucking on a boiled sweet can calm nauseous feelings.
* Open the window a bit so that fresh air can stream into the car.
* If all else fails, make sure your child has a bucket or plastic bag to throw up into.


Here's hoping that you and your family enjoy safe, entertaining, stress free -- and clean -- travels!

Aloha Friday -- The Comics of my Childhood

About Aloha Friday: Aloha Friday is a fun, simple meme from Kailani at An Island Life. Every Friday she asks a simple question on her blog, invites participants to answer her question in the comments section, then invites participants to ask a question of their own on their own blogs. Every day feels like a summer Friday over in Hawaii, so I'm making Aloha Friday one of my summer blogging goals -- to join the meme every Friday until school starts!


Today's Aloha Friday Question: Who is (are) your favorite comic book character(s)?

Comic books were difficult (and expensive) to find in the Philippines during the 70's, so my siblings and I never really got into comic books, but we borrowed some from friends and got some as presents and checked some out at the library, so we got a pretty good dose of comic book fun. Here are my favorites:

1) Tintin -- without a doubt, Tintin was my favorite. This was the only series that my sister and I obsessively sought every episode out. Fortunately, there aren't that many and over half were available at the library of the country club that my grandmother was a member of. I found all the Tintin comics at my kids' school library recently and I checked them all out, on the pretense that I wanted to introduce Tintin to my kids. They weren't interested, but I had a great time reading them all!


2) Archie and friends -- actually, now that I come to think about it, Archie might be my favorite. We actually saved up our allowances so we could buy these comics, and we put them on our Christmas and birthday lists. Archie comics were easier to find, so we also had a lot of friends who owned Archie comics and were able to borrow from each other. Archie and his gang just seemed like the perfect All-American kids and everyone wanted to be like them.


3) Asterix -- my sister and I discovered Asterix when we were in high school or so; one of our cousins received quite a few as a present, so we were able to borrow them and laugh over the antics of Asterix, Obelix and the gang. I think you have to be a bit older to really appreciate all the puns and the humor, but even young kids love it!


4) Spiderman -- kind of a weird choice for one of my favorites, but we really got into Spidey after one of my brothers received a bound set of Spiderman comics as a present. We were able to read about Spidey's story from the beginning, so I guess we just kept going.


Which comics would you walk a mile in a storm for?

Different Airplane, same Activity

A couple of Wordless Wednesdays ago I posted a photo of the kids on the airplane. Here we are again on our flight to the UK, and they're still at it. I know, it looks bad -- but honestly, they have not been on the PSP nonstop between airplane photos! That said, it was a 10-hour flight from San Francisco to Heathrow, and we were stuck inside a pressurized canister, hurtling through the skies with hundreds of people, all breathing in and farting out the same air. In circumstances like that, I let the kids play all the PSP they want if it keeps them from screaming with boredom, or worse, panic.



This is my Wordless Wednesday post. For more WW posts, click here.

Oh, the Places You could Play (videogames, that is)

One of the great things about portable videogame systems like the PSP is just that: they're portable, and kids can take them anywhere. With thanks (or apologies?) to Dr. Seuss, here's what my kids would say if they were asked to wax poetic about the places they could use the PSP:

That PSP!
That PSP!
I do so like that PSP!

My sweet mother,
My sweet mommy
Please, may I play on the PSP?

Where would I play on the PSP?
There are so many places, you see!

First, I would play it on a boat.
Then I would play it with a goat.
And I would play it in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
The PSP's such fun, you see!
So I would play it in a box.
And I would play it with a fox.
And I would play it in my house.
And I would play it with a moust.
And I would play it here and there.
Say! I would play it ANYWHERE!
I do so like the PSP
Please let me play it, sweet mommy?


Am I the next Dr. Seuss or just a copycat (in the hat)? Any comment you leave here counts as an extra entry into my $50 PlayStation Network gift card giveaway!


Disclosure: I am participating in Sony's PSP Summer Family Fun blogger program; I received a "Summer Fun" kit which included a Sony Playstation Portable (PSP-3000) , an assortment of content (games and movies) for the PSP, as well as a journal and videocamera to capture our summer adventures. I have not been paid or required to review the product or give my opinions. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Aloha Friday - Must-See Summer Movies

About Aloha Friday: Aloha Friday is a fun, simple meme from Kailani at An Island Life. Every Friday she asks a simple question on her blog, invites participants to answer her question in the comments section, then invites participants to ask a question of their own on their own blogs. Every day feels like a summer Friday over in Hawaii, so I'm making Aloha Friday one of my summer blogging goals -- to join the meme every Friday until school starts!

Our trip to the UK is getting nearer and nearer, and I'm starting to think about loading up our new Sony PSP with movies to keep the kids occupied during the 10-hour flight. Most international flights have a decent selection of movies in the on-demand video system on the backs of people's seats, but only 1 or 2 of those are kid-friendly. So it would be nice to have a movie or two on the PSP as a backup for them to watch. And since it's an overnight flight, Alfie and I might even get a shot at the PSP once the kids fall asleep, so we ought to choose a couple of movies for ourselves as well. There are so many movies that we meant to catch at the movie theaters, but never got around to -- and by the time they got onto DVD, we had already forgotten them.


Today's Aloha Friday Question: What must-see movies have you missed on the big screen?

Here are three movies that we kept saying we'd catch on DVD or Pay-Per-View:

1) Avatar
2) Up in the Air
3) Precious

I sometimes wonder whether I ought to try watching one of the Twilight movies, but I'm not sure I want to get (pardon the pun) sucked into them. Besides, if Alfie sees Twilight or New Moon on the PSP, he might divorce me out of sheer scorn.

And for the kids:

1) Planet 51
2) Fantastic Mr. Fox
3) Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel


What do you think? Which movies should we load up onto our PSP? Any comment you leave here counts as an extra entry into my $50 PlayStation Network gift card giveaway!


Disclosure: I am participating in Sony's PSP Summer Family Fun blogger program; I received a "Summer Fun" kit which included a Sony Playstation Portable (PSP-3000) , an assortment of content (games and movies) for the PSP, as well as a journal and videocamera to capture our summer adventures. I have not been paid or required to review the product or give my opinions. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

At the Airport

When you've got an hour and a half delay at the airport, watching planes for 90 more minutes just ain't gonna cut it. Thank goodness Sony sent us this PSP to review!


This is my Wordless Wednesday post. For more WW posts, click here.

Aloha Friday - the Verdict on Videogames

About Aloha Friday: Aloha Friday is a fun, simple meme from Kailani at An Island Life. Every Friday she asks a simple question on her blog, invites participants to answer her question in the comments section, then invites participants to ask a question of their own on their own blogs. Every day feels like a summer Friday over in Hawaii, so I'm making Aloha Friday one of my summer blogging goals -- to join the meme every Friday until school starts!


This week I began a six-week series of posts as part of Sony's PSP Summer Family Fun blogger program. I'll be blogging about how video gaming (and the PSP in particular) is (or isn't) becoming a part of our summer lifestyle. Since I'm also making it a goal to post an Ahola Friday meme every week this summer, I thought it might be fun to combine some of my PSP posts with my Aloha Friday questions (or infuse some of my Aloha Friday questions with PSP / video gaming themes, however you want to look at it). I'd also love to know how video games are (or aren't) a part of your family's entertainment.


Today's Aloha Friday Question: How do you feel about kids and videogames?


I've blogged at length about my constant struggle with this question. I swore I'd never let my kids sit in front of a videogame console all day long.

Well, that's like me swearing I'd never let my kids eat at McDonalds. Or eat candy as a snack. Or watch tv with (gasp!) commercials. Or all those other things I swore I'd never let my kids do -- before I actually had kids.

Needless to say, I've lightened up. I've learned that not all videogames are bad and violent. Some are actually educational -- for example, you can get Scrabble, Uno, and chess for the PSP. And they're a GREAT way for kids to pass the time in the car or on an airplane. Yes, I do see that it's all too easy for kids to get stuck in front of a videogame screen. But I like to think I'm the parent and I can be in control. We don't do violent videogames, we set limits on videogame use, I try to ensure they engage in physical, literary and creative activities. And they always put their consoles down when I ask them to.

Besides, these devices are not just videogames anymore; the PSP lets you watch movies and listen to music in addition to playing games. Music doesn't count -- I remember listening to my Sony Walkman day and night (boy did I think I was cool) and I don't have any problem with having my daughter plug into her PSP to listen to her favorite tunes all day long (as long as she can still hear me when I yell for her).

What do you think? Are videogames the Devil Incarnate or a Godsend? Any comment you leave here counts as an extra entry into my $50 PlayStation Network gift card giveaway!


Disclosure: I am participating in Sony's PSP Summer Family Fun blogger program; I received a "Summer Fun" kit which included a Sony Playstation Portable (PSP-3000) , an assortment of content (games and movies) for the PSP, as well as a journal and videocamera to capture our summer adventures. I have not been paid or required to review the product or give my opinions. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

On the Plane

Since we didn't have preassigned seats for today's flight to Chicago, I had to sit several rows away from the kids. The airline rep managed to get them all seats in the same row, so they didn't care. It was actually great to be able to say, "Sorry kids, you'll have to sort all your squabbles by yourselves, I'm all the way up here and I can't get past the line to the bathroom"! They were good as gold, keeping themselves busy with their activity books and the PSP:




It looks like some other parents had the same idea -- the 3 boys seated across the aisle from my kids were flying solo, and each of them had a PSP!




This is my Wordless Wednesday post. For more WW posts, click here.

PSP Summer Family Fun

I'm thrilled to have been selected by Sony Corporate Entertainment America to participate in their PSP Summer Family Fun blogger program! They have generously provided my family with a PSP-3000 and some games to load on it so we can try the PSP out and make it a part of our summer. Our Summer Family Fun package arrived a few weeks ago, and it was like Christmas all over again. Check out the smiles on their faces:


Over the next six weeks I'll be sharing thoughts, photos and videos about how the PSP is helping to fill all the "Are-We-There-Yet" time that's sure to crop up on our summer travels to Chicago, England and France. Since they're on summer vacation, I'm letting them have more videogame time, but I also want to share my thoughts on how to balance onscreen time (not just time on video games but also tv and computer). Once we get the hang of this system I'll post a review of the PSP on my review blog, Bonggamom Finds. But for now, here's a great giveaway to get the program started -- I'm giving away a $50 PlayStation Network gift card over on Bonggamom Finds!