Rarely do we travel without the kids, but when we do, I stress out over all of the details of getting the kids ready for the week without me. Between the baby and 2 school age kids, managing all the different schedules can be tough. Here are a few tips that have helped me make it easier on the grandparents or whomever is taking care of the kids.
Pack each child’s outfit for each day in an individual ziplock bag. Complete with hair bows, socks, underwear. Label on the outside Child’s name and day of the week. Add a bag with sporting or dance wear for each day of the week so that each item is ready to go for practice. Having the sitter track all of these items down adds stress for them. This makes for smooth sailing in the mornings.- Plan meals for each day. If you can make sure that the care takers don’t have to worry about the little details they will be able to focus their attention on the littles that may be having a hard time dealing with you being gone.
- WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING Break each day of the week down and what each child needs each day. From practice to homework times. Write down doctor info and even something as simple as your home address. Bus times to bed times.
- Set up Face Time calls in advance. If you are able to know what time you are able to Face Time makes it easier to make sure that you are able to catch up each day. Otherwise everyone’s schedule may interfere.
- Mark all medicine dosages. Let them know what they
can take and when. - Leave little notes for the kids to read if they are really missing you.
No matter what, leaving your kiddos behind usually makes you feel guilty and you miss them but it is also so good to take some time to focus on yourself or your relationship with your partner. I feel like I come back a better and much more patient parent when I have had a short break. Let us know if you have any helpful tips.
