The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-08-17
Taking Children Travelling

It is natural for children to be
necessarily wriggling and moving
actively about; it is unnatural for
them to sit still. It is often hard
for parents to understand this, and
they will try and keep child quiet
for long hours on the train or on
an auto trip until he is nearly burst
ing with suppressed energy. A
temper outburst or fretfulness re-
suits; sometimes the child becomes
actually i'll.
! A teacher told us she has come
to dread the Mondays following
nice warm Sundays because the
children are so tired and restless
and irritable in school from having
been dragged all over the coun-
try" on Sunday. Whenever it is
not possible to leave the children
home when you are going on a far
trip, you will want to make the
journey as little upsetting as you
possibly can. From walking age to
about three is the most difficult age
to travel with, because it is the
most active and restless age. But
if you plan a bit for the trip, the
experience need not be distressing
for either you or the child.
Autos have the advantage in that
you can stop wherever and when
ever you wish. Make these stops
often; every hour or so stop at some
pleasant, shady spot, or at school
playground, and let the tired little
legs stretch by walking, running
and resting on the ground for a
while or by playing for half hour
on the playground.
And by the way, if you are TAX
ing the children on a long auto trip
don't crowd them. Let them have
the back seat to themselves-never
more than three of them-and don't
cramp their feet by crowding the
back seat with luggage-or worse,
asking them to sit on a hard piece
of baggage or an extra seat in the
tonneau. Even if children's feet
don't take up much room in the
tonneau, they need a good deal of
space for stretching, and they
mustn't be either dangling OF cramp-
ed.
Don't permit pop, candy, bananas,
ice cream between meals. Most
people make the mistake of allow
ing children to eat constantly in or
der to keep them quiet on a jour
ney. Hard cookies, graham crack
ers, fruit that's not too messy,
and plenty of water is all the extra
food that's wise to take along. A
canteen in the car where it may be
easily reached for frequent drinks
of water is really necessary when
ever children are along.
Keep the child's diet nearly the
same as he is accustomed to hav-
ing every day. On the train order
simple wholesome dishes; the same
kind you have at home. On the
auto a small portable ice box can
be utilized to carry a two days
milk supply for the baby, but prob
ably the easier plan is to take cans
of powdered mild and cocoa which
can be boiled along the way. Sand
witches, hard cookies, soup, crack
ers, ETC.; can be CARRIED for lunch
along the wayside, and fruit and
ice cream can be purchased. A
small stove to heat food for the
child and boil water is indispensa-
BILE on long trip through open
country or towns where the food
and water is questionable.
Dolls with which to play house,
and alphabet and guessing games
help to while away the time on a
long auto trip.
If possible, take the long trip by
train in short laps. One mother
described three-days' journey on
the Pullman with two small boys in
an article in Parents Magazine sew
eral years ago. Her simple, but SO
wise, preparations, for the trip
avoided any upsets, and both she
and the children arrived at their
destination fresh and rested.
They took Pullman section to
avoid disturbing people seated
across from them and to give the
children more room, and they were
seldow without the table between
the seats. They had two meals
brought them from the diner; the
third consisted of apple sauce the
mother had brought with her In a
glass jar, graham crackers, animal
crackers, ready-cooked cereal and
milk from the diner. The few dishes
were washed in the washroom. The
porter and waters were most help
full. For amusement she brought
along colored crayons, kindergarten
paper and scissors. beads and a