Life as a SEN mum

I’ve covered this previously, but it’s one of those topics that still cause worry for lots of parents. Whether or not you have SEN kids, travelling can often be stressful, particularly when you might find trips being longer and more frequent. Paired with long days out, they can be exhausting for many reasons. But there are things you can do to make things run just a little bit smoother.

Road trips

Most of us are going to be facing a road trip at some point, whether it’s day trips or heading out on a staycation. The chances of those trips being over an hour are much more likely. I say an hour as from experience, I’ve found this seems to be the point where kids start getting a little bit bored. It’s also the point where you might need to start thinking about taking a break, be it just to get out and stretch your legs or of course toilet breaks, particularly with younger children.

To make things go as smooth as possible, plan those breaks, check where any services are, so that you know in advance where you might want to stop, but it will also help to plan in the event of traffic, which lets face it is inevitable at the minute. If your journey is particularly long, say 3-4 hours plus, maybe have a look whether there’s any places of interest along the way. This is something we’ve done in the past to 1. Break the journey up and 2. Make use of our National Trust passes.

You’re also going to want to think about entertainment. If the kids have tablets then think about downloading their favourite programs. Doing this in advance will avoid any potential dramas when internet connections drop and will probably come in useful if you’re going on a mini staycation. Don’t forget to have any fidget toys to hand and if needed those trusty ear defenders. Which if your kids are anything like mine they’ll wear all the time just to block each other out. Obviously if they’re watching a tablet/phone then headphones will also do the trick. As much as technology really does have it’s place I also like to keep a couple of non tech boredom busters to hand, activity packs and colouring books are also a favourite. As well as travel games/ a pack of cards. If all else fails, everyone always loves a game of I spy, age dependent of course.

Whatever you do, don’t forget those snacks. For any trip out I’d always say have a few snacks and of course water bottles to hand (for the adults as well as the kids). But if it’s a long journey think about snack packs, whether you utilise a lunch box or just any box, with some snacks to last everyone through the journey. Admittedly this can go one way or the other and they might want to devour everything in 2 seconds flat, before you know it you’re at the end of the road and they’ve consumed everything. If this is the case, keep everything in a bag near to a responsible adult who can then dish out as necessary. A quick word of warning though, if you have a child in a rear facing car seat, or their seat is reclined slightly then make sure they are not eating in the car. If you want to stop anyone eating in the car then you can keep the snacks in the boot and then whenever you make a stop you can use it as a chance to have a drink and a snack as well as simply getting out of the car and stretching those legs.

Flying

Everyone will probably have their own tips with this one, and it really is going to depend on the age of the child. I actually found travelling with infants/toddlers much easier than travelling once they’re school age. Not everyone will have that experience, but for me it definitely was the case.

If you’re flying with a baby, the biggest concern is the crying, I think we all panic that everyone is going to be looking at us during take off and landing if we’re the ones with a screaming infant. But when you actually think about it, it is nearly always a reaction to the ears popping, which we all suffer to different extremes. As someone who suffers really badly, usually my ears block and cause me agony for a couple of days before going with an almighty bang, I get it, there’s times I’ve wanted to sit there crying, even despite my best attempts to prevent it happening. The difference? As an adult we develop coping techniques to make sure that the pain is limited, or to distract us from wanting to completely break down and cry in pain. The best tip I found when we flew with Charlotte at just 6 months old, was to make sure she had a bottle on take off, and again on landing. It was only a 2 hour flight, so I made sure she’d had a bottle as usual once through check in, then she just had a few ounces to get her through, and it definitely helped. It’s the same principal as us sucking on a sweet or lollipop. If your child has a dummy then this should also have the same affect. For kids too old for a bottle (or no longer breast feeding) but too young for sweets then make sure they have some sort of water bottle to hand, any type with a straw or spout where they’re going to need to suck consistently.

As with car journeys you’re also going to have to think about entertainment. I actually found when I first took James, all the things I’d packed to keep him occupied were completely unnecessary, because he was perfectly happy just staring out the window, and to some point they both are even now. But Charlotte does need a little something extra, partly to keep her from wanting to jump up and down and constantly press the button that calls the cabin crew. Sticker books and colouring books are always a firm favourite, as well as a few of her favourite story books. Obviously the amount of stuff you might need is going to depend on the child and the length of the flight. This year we will be going on another 4 hour flight, with a child who struggles to keep her attention on one task for long we have to have a variety. However, the flight is reasonably late in the day, so there is the possibility she will nap, particularly on the return flight (or one can hope).

When it comes to flights, don’t forget those snacks. Depending on the time of your flight you probably will have the chance to eat prior to the flight, although eating in the airport can be expensive. If you’re trying to save money it may be worth taking something with you such as sandwiches, or if the flight is later in the day consider having a main meal before leaving for the airport. Make sure you have those snacks ready before getting to the airport though. Not only will you not be restricted to whatever you can find in Boots, but it is so much cheaper to buy any snack foods in advance. This is something anyone who needs to think about their child’s safe foods will already be thinking about. But it’s worth noting for anyone, even if you’re not travelling with kids. Remember, for most, in flight meals aren’t included and can be pricey/ the choices very poor. But you’re going to need something to get through the long travel times.

Train

There’s not much different to cover with this one. A lot of the same principles apply as with other travel. If you are travelling with kids though, it’s probably going to be worth booking your seats in advance and for a long journey maybe see if you can get a table seat.

Feel free to share all your travel tips in the comments below and let’s help each other out this summer.

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