“Can we have ice cream for dinner tonight?”

Vacation season is just around the corner, and for many families, that means: long school breaks, warm summer nights with little sleep, packing for the whole family [Ahhhh, help!], trips to vacation destinations, and a sun that sets much later than the baby should actually be in bed. Sometimes, parents need more than just sunscreen in their bag of tricks. We’ve put together a list of things that might help with long car or train rides, especially when dealing with little ones who refuse to wear sunscreen and get bored easily. And if, for once, you end up having that second ice cream to beat the heat… well, it is summer, after all.

The Annual Sunscreen Fiasco

An Instagram post recently read, “If someone is nagging you about putting on sunscreen, it’s a sign of love.” But that argument doesn’t hold water, especially when it comes to the youngest children. The sun hat gets yanked off their heads, and as soon as they see the sunscreen, the kids run off.

It can help if we approach the matter in a playful way:
It could be a challenge: “Do you think we can put on sunscreen in under 2 minutes?” Or it could be “superhero protection,” which not only shields against UV rays but also grants extra protection points against the villain we’re fighting. We can also use the cream to paint our faces like giraffes, leopards, zebras, or tigers and practice making animal sounds before we rub it in. Or we can try to involve the child right away, for example, by having the older kids draw the dots and the younger ones connect them. For the youngest children, who are still too young for a playful approach, it can be more comfortable—and sometimes less chaotic—to apply sunscreen with a brush or a makeup sponge.

Micro-Adventures in the Garden, Park, or Forest

Get outside once a day, even when it’s warm: Being active outdoors not only helps you burn off excess energy, but it also lifts the spirits of many of us. Even with the youngest children. To turn the walk into a little adventure, we can set ourselves small challenges, such as finding all the colors of the rainbow or looking for leaves and flowers and letting them float in the bucket. We can also use the treasures we find for crafts—by arranging them into a picture and gluing them down, or by cutting shapes out of leaves and making garlands. If you have your own garden, you can quickly set up a great mud kitchen using pots, a colander, and cups, sow flowers together, harvest strawberries, or build an insect hotel.

Breathing New Life into Old Classics

To spark new ideas for play, you don’t always need new toys; sometimes you can breathe new life into the classics with a little twist. Chalk, for example: Instead of drawing a picture, we can also draw an obstacle course and create new challenges for each other. Or we can dip the chalk in water and draw with much more vibrant colors. If you let the chalk soak in water for a while, it turns into a paste that’s great for finger painting and making handprints. If you soak them in sugar water, you can also create amazing works of art on paper.

To Fight Boredom

On vacation, there are always situations where we find ourselves waiting for something—during car rides, at the airport, or at a restaurant. This can get boring quickly, especially for toddlers, which is why it’s a good idea to bring along a small activity bag. In other words, lots of small activities and play options that are quick to set up and pack away and can usually be enjoyed while sitting down. Not only do busy bags keep little hands busy, but they can also be easily customized again and again to suit the kids’ ages and preferences, making them exciting every time. The ideas are virtually endless and range from special glitter coloring pages to adhesive building blocks, beading, and sticker or puzzle books.

There are many ways to structure the first few years as a family and to return to work—how parental leave is divided is just one aspect among many. During our counseling sessions for expectant parents, we’re happy to provide information on parental leave options, parental benefits, childcare options, application procedures, and how to plan your return to work.

Car & Train Trips

We often have to travel long distances by car or train to get to our vacation destination. It can really help our mood if we stick to our normal routine despite traveling and schedule meals and sleep at regular times. Sitting for long periods of time can be very tiring, especially for toddlers who have a strong urge to move around. That’s why it can be worth looking for great places to stop along the way ahead of time and taking a break about every 2 hours: Is there an adventure playground near the highway, a medieval castle, or a fun little museum to visit—or maybe an IKEA ball pit where the kids can burn off some excess energy? For the trip itself, you can, of course, pull out the busy bag again or put on an audiobook. But since you never know what the reception will be like, it’s a good idea to download new episodes and popular books in advance.

6 Tips for Staying Cool in the Summer

Quick Cool-Down: A stop at a drugstore or supermarket can help you cool off.
Whether it’s a lake, a pool, or the ocean: The brighter your swimwear, the easier it is for you and lifeguards to keep an eye on children.
Young children, in particular, are vulnerable to heat because their bodies’ ability to regulate temperature is still limited. That’s why it’s all the more important to cool off every now and then: This can be done in the wading pool, with a bucket of water and a cup, or in the bathtub or shower.
In the city, the air usually gets very hot, and when temperatures are high, it’s exhausting to spend a lot of time outdoors at a stretch. A trip to the woods can help: It’s usually much cooler there because of the shade, the forest floor, and the trees.
Young children, in particular, have a hard time drinking a lot. It helps if the water tastes good: adding berries, lemon, or orange; herbs or cucumbers; making your own iced tea with a little sugar; or eating water-rich fruits—not only does it taste good, but it also helps replenish your body’s water supply.
Soak towels or bed sheets in cold water and hang them in front of the open window. The cold, damp draft causes the air to cool down more quickly.

Sources and additional information on heat protection for babies and toddlers can be found, among other places, on the BIÖG’s information portal and children’s health portal, formerly BZgA.