Planning a vacation trip with your kids? This is when you can expect ‘peak stress’ to hit – and how you can mitigate it

Three and a half hours into a holiday trip with their children is when “peak stress” hits parents, according to a new study.

The survey of 2,000 parents with children aged 5-12 who have traveled on holiday with their child in the past year looked at the highs (and lows) of traveling with little ones during the end of the year.

Parents report being most stressed just over three-and-a-half hours into their journey – but 12% said their stress peaks in the first hour.

Where does this stress come from? Parents said that entertaining their children is the most requested aspect of their holiday vacation (64%).

After that, dealing with nervousness (46%), trying to find a bathroom (43%) and hearing “are we there yet?” from the back seat (40%) were all found to be the main stressors for parents.

In fact, 28% would rather listen to nothing but “Baby Shark” for the entire trip than deal with traveling with a screaming baby. And 13% said getting a root canal sounds like a more pleasant experience.

Commissioned by Welch’s Fruit Snacks ahead of their FruitSide Assistance campaign and conducted by Talker Research, the survey found that despite the stress and difficulties, 93% of parents said traveling with their little ones is still totally worth it.

And in good news, nearly nine out of 10 parents feel much more prepared to travel with their children this year compared to years past.

Planning ahead is key – the average parent has their travel itinerary completely mapped out two months (2.3) before hitting the road.

“During the busy travel season ahead, when the highways are already bumper-to-bumper and cars are bumper-to-bumper, parents know that delays, boredom and tired kids can turn the magic of the holidays into a test of endurance,” said Jason Levine, Director of Marketing at PIM Brands. , the makers of Welch’s Fruit Snacks. “We wanted to help these families by providing kits including everything needed to handle children’s mishaps on road trips.”

Eighty-three percent of respondents said the key to a successful vacation with your kids is a strong grocery list.

This may be because parents use snacks to prevent temper tantrums (78%) – stopping those stress-causing meltdowns from occurring.

But snacks can be good for kids and parents: 80% of respondents ate the snacks they packed for their kids when they travel.

Regardless of who eats them, fruit snacks (73%), biscuits (64%) and cheese powders (50%) were found to be the top three snacks that parents absolutely must have on a trip.

What should you consider when choosing these important foods? According to parents, individual packaging is the most important thing to take care of (63%).

Snacks that are easily transportable (60%), not messy (59%) and do not need to be refrigerated (59%) are also important.

With the goal of making sure travelers have easy access to snacks, Welch’s FruitSide Aid will be available for a limited time on I-95 between New York and Boston, the 5 Freeway between Los Angeles and San Francisco and Interstate 55 between Chicago and St. Louis.

Included within the kits that the van will distribute are coloring activities and games, a blanket, a phone charger, a fruit-shaped scratch toy and fruit snacks.

Along with having snacks on hand throughout the trip, many parents (61%) reported that they tend to be less strict about the rules to keep their kids happy.

Seventy-seven percent said it gives them more screen time than normal, with 62% allowing them to indulge in more junk food. Additionally, 61% of parents said that bedtime goes completely out the window.

And while six in 10 parents agreed that traveling with their kids is the most stressful part of the entire holiday season, that doesn’t mean they aren’t trying to be meticulous in planning to make the trip as smooth as possible.

According to the data, the average parent plans to spend $911 on everything travel-related this holiday season — from gas to lodging to snacks for their kids.

“We know that travel can be unpredictable, so our goal is to help families stay happy along the way. It’s our way of spreading joy, making the journey as enjoyable as the destination,” said Levine.

PARENT TIPS ON TRAVELING WITH KIDS LIKE A PRO (*Answers edited for clarity)

• “Be flexible. Things will go wrong. That’s okay.”
• “Be patient.”
• “Make sure they’re happy. Give them lots of food and electronics!”
• “Be prepared for a meltdown. Pack healthy snacks and their favorite toys.”
• “Make a flexible plan. Decide how much your toddler can handle in a day and then plan a little more, but with the understanding that it’s okay if you don’t get it all done.”
• “Always keep a surprise item in your bag as a sign that your children are well behaved during the trip. It can be a toy or a game.”
• “The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed they will be. Act like it’s normal.”
• “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Babies will cry, toddlers will melt down, toddlers will blow up and teenagers will ignore everyone. It’s just a part of life.”
• “Go with the flow.”

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 parents of children aged 5-12 who have traveled on holiday with their child in the last year; survey was commissioned by Welch’s Fruit Snacks and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between November. 6 and November. 12, 2024.