Q: We're planning a family trip to the zoo. Any advice on what we can do to make the outing as stress-free as possible for our preschooler and ourselves?
A: Zoo trips can be a lot of fun, but, as you noted, they can also be stressful when you've got a preschooler in tow. Here are some tips that will help to ensure that the trip is fun for the entire family.:
-Decide on a family colour when you go on outings and have every family member wear T-shirts and ball caps of that colour. You’ll find it easier to keep track of one another that way.
-Maintain reasonable parent-kid ratios. One adult per kid is the ideal if you're hitting a busy attraction.
-Find the location of the washrooms in the park the moment you walk through the front gates. That way, you'll know exactly where they're located if your preschooler needs one in a hurry. Hint: If there's a washroom near the zoo gates, encourage your child to use it before you start exploring the attraction. That should help to eliminate at least one impromptu sprint to the washroom.
-Tape your preschooler's contact information to the inside of his shoe. If you own a cell phone, be sure to include that number, too, and then make a point of bringing your cell phone with you on your outing.
-Be realistic about how much of the zoo you intend to take in. If you're visiting a large zoo, you may need to make a number of different trips on different days if you're determined to take in each and every exhibit.
-Avoid any exhibits that your child is likely to find particularly scary. If, for example, your preschooler is deathly afraid of cats, you might want to bypass the lion cage or the tiger exhibit until he's a little older.
-Play games or sing songs while you're waiting in line for an exhibit so that your preschooler will be less tempted to complain of boredom.
-If you're bringing along a picnic lunch, include some frozen juice boxes. They'll help to keep your preschooler's sandwich chilled and, as an added bonus, by the time lunchtime rolls around your child will have an icy cold drink to enjoy. Note: If you use the refillable plastic kind of juice box, don't overfill it or the container may crack when you freeze it.
