Parents Handling stress of the kids during the holidays

Photo Credit: Getty IMages

While millions of Americans head over the river and through woods to get to Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving this week, send some positive vibes to any of them traveling with young kids. Being on the road or dealing with airports during the holidays can be hectic, but with little ones? It can be so much worse.

It only takes three and a half hours into holiday travel with kids for parents to hit “peak stress,” according to a new survey. It asks 2-thousand moms and dads of kids between the ages of five and 12 about the highs and lows of traveling with them during the holidays and finds:

• While most parents report being the most stressed three and a half hours into their trip, 12% feel that in the first hour.
• But where is this stress coming from? Parents say keeping kids entertained is the most demanding part of a holiday vacation (64%), followed by dealing with meltdowns (46%), trying to find bathrooms (43%) and of course, hearing “are we there yet?” from the backseat (40%).
• Temper tantrums are no joke, with 28% admitting they’d rather listen to nothing but “Baby Shark” for the whole trip than travel with a screaming child.
• And 13% think getting a root canal would be a more pleasant experience.
• Despite all the stress and challenges, 93% of parents say traveling with their young kids is totally worth it.
• Being prepared helps, and the average parent has their travel itinerary completely set 2.3-months before they depart.
• In addition to planning ahead, 83% of those polled say the key to a successful holiday trip with kids is a tasty snack lineup.
• For 61% of parents, being less strict about rules keeps their kids happy while traveling. That includes giving them more screen time (77%), letting them have more junk food (62%) and ditching the concept of bedtimes (61%).

Source: SWNS Digital