We will be driving to Montagu with all of the children (for those who don’t know – there are FOUR of them). It is a long trip. We all get gatvol and we all get a little tired and irritable but we do it because the destination is so worth it.
I am trying to be a bit more organised this year (and not arrive back from an overseas trip the night before we leave) and have ordered these snack trays for the babies that attach to their car seats so they can draw and just have a little more space to do stuff on.
Ford recently sent me this survey that was done in Europe where kids say their parents annoy them when driving on long trips by singing and picking their noses (?!)
- A new Ford survey shows most parents annoy their kids on car journeys, especially by singing at the wheel, shouting at other drivers – and picking their noses
- The survey of 2,000 children in Europe reveals parents hand children smart phones to get them to behave, and serve up DVDs and snacks.
- Most parents lose their temper or swear in front of kids, in particular in France. When it comes to who’s the best driver, dads have the edge – especially with boys
The Ford survey was conducted in order to better understand what children like and don’t like about travelling in cars and reveals surprising differences from country to country:
- Singing parents are least popular in the U.K. where 39 percent of children ranked this their biggest pet hate. Children in France, the only country that didn’t rank singing as the worst habit, were twice as likely to complain about their parents shouting at other drivers
- Across Europe, 61 percent of children revealed parents got angry or used “naughty words”, with French parents the worst offenders (74 percent). Italy is the only country where less than half of parents lose their temper (39 percent)
- Asking: “Are we there yet?” when bored is the most likely response overall (63 percent). Children in the U.K. and Italy are more likely to ask mom and dad to put on some music
Apparently parents in Europe use iPads, DVD players and other gadgets to keep their kids entertained in the car and no surprises here but the German kids were the best behaved on long trips.
If you are planning a long trip and need a new car then the B-Max is one to check out. I haven’t driven this car so I can’t say if it is better than my all time favourite the Kuga!
“The recently launched spacious Ford B-MAX is the ultimate family vehicle. It is among one of the most advanced small cars, featuring Ford’s SYNC® voice-activated in-car connectivity system. Parents will enjoy the ingenious design that allows unparalleled access to the front and rear seats, a full length panoramic roof to keep the kids entertained as well as the child observation mirror that allow parents to keep an eye on the kids.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrHV-5SRos
Regardless of the car you drive, long trips with kids can be a challenge and by the end of the day pretty much everyone is annoyed with everyone but usually by the time the first person has seen the sea (or the mountains) all is forgotten!
How do you keep your kids entertained in the car? Or do you avoid long trips?
7 Responses
i aslo have one of the snack tray things, also always take lots of snacks and i like to take stickers and a book for her to stick them in
I am hoping they are ok to have them on because it will just make life a little easier!
Havent done a long drive with the kids for a while. Last trip was to jhb and we were “guilty” of giving ipad for a short distance of the trip (when the road was long and boring otherwise I told the kids to be count the different sheep,cows and horses they saw along the way.
Some trips though I may also be “guilty” of singing in the car
We also sing and play iSpy and hand out the iPad. Its a sanity saver!
Enjoy your family time away….and wishing you loads of strength for the road trip xx
I am skipping the car trip this year to Plett. Cliff and Kade are road tripping it and Gemma and I are flying to George. I’m sorry but I cannot do another trip like this year’s one where I was wedged between two carseats trying to calm a hysterical Gemma and trying to keep both entertained withe ONE Ipad.
Our next holiday I might be able to try the road trip thing again!
xxx
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