It doesn’t really matter what your family dynamic is, at some point this holiday season you’ll be doing a lot of driving or traveling. Whether it’s to the mall to finish off some last minute shopping, or back and forth across the bridges to visit extended family and friends, and of course the dreaded airport delays and subsequent hours in the air. The holidays can take a serious toll on free time and well.. as much as we tell ourselves to have patience, kids get bored pretty quick and we’re all scrambling for ways to keep them entertained! Over the summer we took quite a few road trips, and as much as try to limit screen time when we’re out and about… something specific saved our sanity and could save yours too!
On our last trip, we ended up stuck in some pretty brutal traffic about 3 hours from home. We had some crayons and some paper but eventually, A was just tired and wanted to relax. She asked to watch something on our phones while she was curled up in her car seat and thankfully – thankfully indeed – dad had a couple of saving graces downloaded on his phone to get her through.
In typical Netflix fashion, they’ve got our backs. Wifi isn’t everywhere (when it darn well should be…) just yet so they’ve come up with a way to save your data plan without costing you a small fortune! Fact is, 1 in 5 Canadian parents say one of their main concerns when traveling is the dreaded “I’m Bored” coming from the tiny person on the trip. Anyone else?
Admittedly, I need some new tips on what to pack to keep squirt entertained, which is why I’m thankful Netflix has some amazing suggestions of shows that are age appropriate, available for download and can help bust the boredom on any trip. My iPhone has a pretty ridiculous memory size, so now before we head out on a long trip I download a couple of A’s favourite movies and 1 or 2 shows that I know she’ll watch over and over again – just in case! Right now she’s really digging Luna Petunia which just happens to be a Netflix exclusive, and available for download!
Whether you’re traveling by land or air, kids want a chance to unwind and relax from all the hustle and bustle of holiday travel, so why not let them choose something they enjoy (that you approve of!) and take a bit of stress off everyone.
While you’re travelling.. don’t forget to make your trip a bit more stress-free too and have something on hand for your own sanity! There’s something incredibly relaxing about a good binge session on a plane – especially if you’re terrified of heights like yours truly, I can get lost in a season of Mad Men while the kids are busy with their own shows.
With Netflix now available on the go, it can make any long trip that much more bearable with everyone content, engaged and you guessed it, NOT bored (hooray!)
