Traveling Tips for Disabled and Nondisabled Children

Many parents have reported the challenge of keeping a disabled child content while they travel: be it in a bus, airplane or on a train. It is true that children can get bored and quite annoying when traveling for long distances. Here are some tips to help your child pass the time.

You might find it helpful to practice traveling. Sit your child down for a short amount of time and tell them that they will need to practice sitting still for the plane ride. You might start with five minutes of sitting. then, gradually work your way up to twenty minutes. You can't simulate the entire trip especially if it is more than three hours. But, you can get your child use to sitting and you might ask him/her if there is anything that he/she would like to do while sitting. In this way, you also find out what might keep them happy on your trip.

It is important to understand the exact disability. All disabilities cannot be lumped together. While a deaf child might find their favorite picture books quite amusing, it certainly would not hold a blind child's interest. Nonetheless, bring compact toys that will stimulate the child's working senses. Try to keep the toy's size just a bit larger than a kitchen plate. The toy should not have lots of pieces and definitely pack a pair of headphones if the toy makes lots of sounds. You can bring electronic games and or travel size games. The only problem with travel sized games is that... ... the pieces are small and might get lost. Children are happier when you play with them so bring some cards or a book to read to them. Coloring books are also good things to pack, as long as you can control those crayons. You could also bring magnetic drawing devices. You can sit with your child and make up stories of your own. If you bring electronics, don't forget to pack extra batteries. Find a toy or book that they would love to read. Do this in advance and don't let them play with it until you get on the plane. In this way, they will be looking forward to the plane ride.

Some parents make a book of their flight. They help their disabled child journal. they talk about what they saw while in the plane, the airline attendants, about the plane and so on. This helps to distract them while they are flying and makes the time pass more quickly. If you have a camera, have your child take a picture of the flight attendant and maybe even the pilot, if they can. They will put it in a scrapbook that they will make and enjoy later. On rare occasions, the pilot has even allowed children to check out the cockpit. But, you would have to ask in advance.

Gum serves two purposes. Sometimes you will need it for those popping ears. Yet, it can be something to do when those nerves break out. If you bring food, make it finger food such as grapes or peanuts. For younger children, you can play counting games with the grapes or peanuts so that they last longer and you take up a bit of time. While drinking might fill up time, remember that children have small bladders and will need to use the facilities many times during your trip.

It is a good idea to pack a small pillow, their most used blanket or their favorite stuffed toy so that they might feel good about sleeping on the ride. I don't recommend medicating a child just so that they sleep during the flight. Some experts suggest some banderol to help the child sleep through the trip. While this might work, there are also drawbacks. The child might sleep too long and you might have to carry him/her off of the plain. The child might have an accident because they are in a deep sleep. The child might also wake up grumpy because it was not a natural sleep. Lastly, the medicine has been known to cause the opposite effect in some children. I recommend teaching your child how to deal with long trips instead of medication.

All of these tips are universal. they do not particularly speak about the disabled child verses the nondisabled child. Certainly there are few differences, but there are enough commonalities to deal with all types of children. Children hate sitting still. If your disabled child has a hard time traveling, then count them among the "normal." All children have a difficult time doing this.