Calm Down Travel Bag: What You Should Include

If you’re planning on taking a trip with your child (or children), then you might already be worried about them making a scene in public. When out and about, especially during travel, children can very easily become bored and tired, which means they start losing control over their emotions and start acting out.

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It is not uncommon to see children crying on planes, or having a massive tantrum.

You can implement all sorts of preventative methods, but ultimately, if your child becomes bored or tired, there is not much you can do to change that. What you can do is have a calm down travel bag so that you can quickly subdue boredom, tiredness, anger, tantrums, and more.

So as soon as your child becomes fidgety, time to open up the calm down travel bag, to keep them not only calm (as the name suggests), but also occupied and entertained for the length of the trip.

But what exactly is a calm down travel bag, and what should you include in one?

We will answer all these questions and more so that you can have a perfect calm down travel bag on hand when needed. Let’s get right into it!

What Is A Calm Down Travel Bag?

A calm down travel bag is essentially just a bag, filled with items and things that can help calm down your children when needed.

The bag is personalized to the child in question and includes things that you know for sure are going to help calm them down, tailored to the kind of travel you are going to be doing, location, or situation.

Then, when the child gets bored, tired, or begins to have a tantrum, you use the contents of the bag to deescalate the situation, calm them down, and keep them entertained!

Calm down travel bags are perfect for any sort of journey and form of public transport, especially beneficial for long or stressful trips, such as on airplanes or trains.

They can also be used in any sort of public situation, like when you go to the doctor and have to spend time in the waiting room, or similar!

They are essentially just a tool and coping mechanism to ensure your child remains calm and doesn’t cause a scene in public. That way, you’re not as stressed, and the child is entertained and enjoying the travel.

What Should You Include In Your Calm Down Travel Bag?

Time to get to the important part of the calm down travel bag: its contents. What should you include within a calm down travel bag? Are there any vital items that you should definitely include? How do you know what will work and what won’t?

Let us start by saying that every single calm down travel back should be unique and personalized around the child in question.

Although many people’s calm down travel bags can be similar, they will rarely be identical or include the same exact things. So don’t worry about what you should include, and think about what you think will be useful to include.

Basically, you need to ask yourself what kind of things can help calm down your child in a situation of stress, boredom, anxiety, or even a tantrum.

What works for others might not work for you, and over time you will perfect your calm down travel bag because you will figure out exactly what you need and what you don’t, through trial and error.

But just in case you need some ideas or suggestions, to create your very first calm down travel bag, here are some of our recommendations:

Something To Drink

This is always an important thing to carry with you when you travel with children anyway, but sometimes handing your child a bottle of water or juice can instantly help distract them and calm them down.

Plus, if they’re thirsty, this might be the solution to what is making them restless!

Snacks

Snacks are a great distraction and a highly effective way of keeping a child quiet. If they are hungry, they are more prone to get restless, irritated, and end up with a full-blown tantrum, so handing them some small pieces of food can be the perfect way to stop this before it happens.

Make sure the snacks are travel-friendly (cut into small pieces, in a bag, and not messy). Also, the smaller the snacks are, the longer they will last, and the longer your child will sit calmly in silence, munching on them!

Something Comfortable (A Piece Of Clothing, Small Blanket, Or Similar)

If your child is stressed or anxious during travel, having a comfortable item of clothing, or a small blanket or pillow, can be the perfect way to help them feel safe and at ease.

It can also help them feel cozy, and it gives them a piece of home to hold, which helps relieve restlessness.

Bonus points if this helps them fall asleep on the plane or transport you are on because they will most definitely be calm and quiet!

A Tablet Or Electronic Game

Having a tablet or electronic game on hand is one of the easiest ways to keep children quiet and distracted, especially during long journeys. You can pre-download games and activities for them, and give them to them when they start to get bored.

Headphones And Music

If your child gets easily overwhelmed, or has sensory overload, handing them headphones with which to listen to music can be a great solution. This is especially helpful if your child deals badly with unfamiliar places, large groups of people, or stressful circumstances.

Materials For Drawing Or Doodling

Old-school and highly effective. Having a notepad and some coloring pencils is one of the most trustworthy solutions for keeping a child occupied and entertained during a trip.

They can spend quite a bit of time lost in their drawing, and you can prompt different ideas to make sure they stay focused on the task at hand.

Just make sure that the notepad has a solid back (so that they don’t need a table or similar surface), and make sure to keep the pencils and colors in a travel case so that they don’t end up all over the place!

A Fidget Toy

A small fidget toy is always a very handy tool for keeping a restless child focused on something small, so that they don’t get overwhelmed, bored, or frustrated with the journey and the waiting times.

It is a very simple item to include in your travel bag, and you’d be surprised at how long it can keep a child quiet!

In Conclusion

A calm down travel bag is a bag you carry with you when you travel, which includes different items that can help calm your child down if necessary.

Each bag should be personalized for the child in question, and you need to use it in order to keep your child from getting bored, getting frustrated, or causing a scene in public.

As to what you should include, it completely depends on what works best for your child! From games to headphones, to snacks, and maybe even some colors and a notebook.

The aim is to keep your child entertained, and focused on a task that distracts them from the stress of the trip.

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Liliana

Liliana is a Licensed Montessori teacher known for her passion and dedication to education. She's been a teacher in the United States for many years, and she truly believes that education is the key to making the world a better place because today's students are tomorrow's leaders. Her experience with Toddlers, Beginners, VPK with Montessori methodology approach; Kindergarten, and first grade made her an authority and trusted resource. Liliana's family taught her important qualities like love, a positive attitude, strong motivation, and leadership. These values have guided her on her journey to becoming a professional and expert teacher. Her mission is to help children grow and contribute to a brighter future for the country.