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What to pack on a weekend getaway?
On many weekends throughout the year, we go on a little adventure within Texas. Sometimes we just drive and don’t even stop anywhere. Our kiddos like and are used to being in the car, so we go on one big road trip a year.
Last year we went from Austin, Texas to Burlington, Vermont and back. Jude was 1 and Charlie was 3. Needless to say, we’ve become road trip masters. This year, we didn’t get a chance to go on a long vacation so we’ve been going on family adventures on some weekends to explore Texas.
I want to share with you a few tips for your perfect family day trip this summer.
Tips for a successful family getaway
1 – Bring a tablet. Of course, we all want to keep our children away from screens as much as possible but electronic devices come handy during road trips. Don’t give it to your children right away. Save it as a last resort.
2 – Hit the dollar section at your local store and buy new toys. Coloring books, figurines, puzzles, or flash cards, whatever you can find. The novelty will keep them entertained for a while.
3 – Comfortable clothes are a must. Bring clothes that are easy to put on and take off for diaper changes and potty breaks. Pack an extra outfit and keep it at the front of the car in case they spill food or drinks on themselves. You don’t want to have to dig inside a big bag or suitcase.
4 – Pack plenty of water or other drinks. Extra tip: If your baby drinks formula, prepare a few bottles with just the formula powder. When your baby is hungry, just add the necessary amount of water!
5 – Bring yummy and nutritious snacks. Avoid chocolate snacks as they’ll melt. Right now, the boys are into these yummy Danimal smoothie: https://ooh.li/25dcdb5 – It’s our choice for a quick, easy, and nutritious snack when we’re in the car or just busy at home. You can buy them at Walmart. Danimals needs to be refrigerated so bring a cooler! Pro tip: Pop a straw through the foil lid for a mess free snack!
![Charlie’s Therapy Center Reported us to CPS.
I debated sharing this for obvious reasons, but I believe this will be helpful for many parents. I also know a lot of you follow me for my honesty and vulnerability, so it didn’t feel right keeping this a secret now that this is over.
A few weeks ago, Charlie pushed a chair up to the counter to access our vitamin cabinet. He grabbed a bottle of children’s melatonin gummies, opened the child-resistant lid, and ate most of the gummies. We called poison control right away, who told us we needn’t worry—what he ate was not dangerous to his health. Still, as parents, we felt terrible.
Because of what happened, we ordered locks the same day and kept the cabinet sealed with several feet of Charlie-proof Gorilla tape along the edge of the door.
A couple of weeks later, Charlie ate a dog treat. Again, we took action right away by moving where we store the dog treats to the pantry that has a lock.
Willy and I take full responsibility for the incidents that happened. We’re good, loving parents, but we’re also busy, flawed humans. Raising a severely autistic child who has no sense of danger means you either need to have eyes on them at all times, or have a highly-secured environment if you’re going to, say, step out to go to the bathroom. It only takes a second for something bad to happen. It’s stressful, but it’s our responsibility. We know it.
We told our team of therapists what had happened because while securing cabinets is our responsibility as parents, we rely on them to help Charlie gain fundamental skills. PICA is common among autistic children, and Charlie doesn’t have the skill-set to discriminate between consuming safe and unsafe items. So we went to our ABA team hoping they could help.
Instead of support from our BCBA, we heard a knocking at the door a few hours later to announce that because of those incidents, she filed a report with CPS. No warning. She didn’t even check to see if we had hidden the dog treats and secured the cabinet. She reported us to the same agency that takes children away from abusive and neglectful parents.
[End on the blog —LINK IN BIO]](http://scontent-lhr3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/e35/c12.0.1416.1416a/s320x320/79520802_109469130385707_1638510406839191628_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-lhr3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=103&oh=46e7b48c0ccc174bac50ff122ed860ba&oe=5E7F52DB "Charlie’s Therapy Center Reported us to CPS.
I debated sharing this for obvious reasons, but I believe this will be helpful for many parents. I also know a lot of you follow me for my honesty and vulnerability, so it didn’t feel right keeping this a secret now that this is over.
A few weeks ago, Charlie pushed a chair up to the counter to access our vitamin cabinet. He grabbed a bottle of children’s melatonin gummies, opened the child-resistant lid, and ate most of the gummies. We called poison control right away, who told us we needn’t worry—what he ate was not dangerous to his health. Still, as parents, we felt terrible.
Because of what happened, we ordered locks the same day and kept the cabinet sealed with several feet of Charlie-proof Gorilla tape along the edge of the door.
A couple of weeks later, Charlie ate a dog treat. Again, we took action right away by moving where we store the dog treats to the pantry that has a lock.
Willy and I take full responsibility for the incidents that happened. We’re good, loving parents, but we’re also busy, flawed humans. Raising a severely autistic child who has no sense of danger means you either need to have eyes on them at all times, or have a highly-secured environment if you’re going to, say, step out to go to the bathroom. It only takes a second for something bad to happen. It’s stressful, but it’s our responsibility. We know it.
We told our team of therapists what had happened because while securing cabinets is our responsibility as parents, we rely on them to help Charlie gain fundamental skills. PICA is common among autistic children, and Charlie doesn’t have the skill-set to discriminate between consuming safe and unsafe items. So we went to our ABA team hoping they could help.
Instead of support from our BCBA, we heard a knocking at the door a few hours later to announce that because of those incidents, she filed a report with CPS. No warning. She didn’t even check to see if we had hidden the dog treats and secured the cabinet. She reported us to the same agency that takes children away from abusive and neglectful parents.
[End on the blog —LINK IN BIO]")
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