Traveling with kids during the holidays? Parents reveal their secrets

The holidays is a busy period with people traveling around the U.S. to visit friends and family. Those doing so with children often run into difficulties when taking flights, often finding it difficult to settle their kids or keep them entertained during long journeys.

A new survey by Talker has revealed the time during a trip when parents usually start to struggle most with their kids. The survey questioned 2,000 parents of children aged 5 to 12, who have traveled for the holidays with their child in the last year.

The survey revealed that 64 percent of parents said that they tend to be most stressed about keeping their kids entertained during their vacation over the holidays.

Forty-six percent said that dealing with temper tantrums is a struggle when traveling with their children. Following that, the third biggest cause of stress for parents traveling with their kids over the holidays is trying to find a bathroom for them, with 43 percent of parents surveyed calling it a struggle.

Forty percent replied that the age-old questions “are we there yet?” was a source of stress when traveling with kids, and 28 percent would rather listen to nothing but “Baby Shark” for the entire trip over hearing a screaming child for their whole journey. Meanwhile, 13 percent said getting a root canal sounds like a more pleasant experience.

The survey was commissioned by Welch’s Fruit Snacks and completed by Talker Research.

Recently, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said that it was gearing up for the busiest Thanksgiving period for travel on record. They expect to screen 18.3 million people from Tuesday, November 26 to Monday, December 2.

The survey found that, despite the stress experienced by many parents, 93 percent of them said traveling with their children is still completely worth it.

Additionally, almost nine in 10 parents feel much more prepared to travel with their children this year compared to years past. Meanwhile, 83 percent of respondents said the key to a successful holiday with your kids is a plentiful amount of snacks. Seventy-eight percent of parents surveyed said that they use snacks to prevent or control temper tantrums.

Furthermore, 61 percent of respondents reported that they tend to get less strict about rules to keep their kids happy, allowing them snacks they might not usually be allowed to have.

Jason Levine, chief marketing officer at PIM Brands, the makers of Welch’s Fruit Snacks, commented: “During the busy upcoming travel season, when highways are jam packed, and cars are bumper to bumper, parents know delays, boredom and tired kids can turn holiday magic into a test of endurance.”

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