Four Tips for a Successful Spring Break with your Adopted Child.

Spring Break is a great time for families to get out of town and break free from the day to day. However, it is important for adoptive parents to keep in mind that things like leaving home, packing suitcases, staying in hotels, eating new foods, and being exposed to new environments can be very triggering for adopted children. These experiences can bring up memories related to their placement in your family, which can create big feelings of uncertainty and anxiety. Here are tips to support your child during your spring break vacation:

1) Create a trip itinerary for your child.

A trip itinerary is a great way to prepare your child for what is ahead. It should start with the day you plan to start packing for your trip and should include information about travel, arrival time and location, sleeping arrangements, some of the things you will do there, and when you plan to return home. Bonus points if your itinerary includes relevant photos. Begin sharing this information with your child with enough time for them to process and ask questions, but not so much time that they ruminate over the upcoming event. This will vary depending on your child’s needs and developmental level. Make sure to keep the itinerary in an accessible location in your home so that they can access it as needed.

2) Plan for creature comforts and extra accommodations.

Being away from home and in an unfamiliar environment is likely to create some feelings of anxiety and dysregulation for your child. Plan ahead and bring their favorite snacks/foods, water bottle, sensory regulating items, and a lovey from home. It can also be helpful to travel with their pillow and blanket from home. Food is also a big source of comfort and security; it will be important to prepare meals that your child enjoys. Your child may also need extra accommodations, like close sleeping or support with tasks that they typically have mastered at home.

3) Try to keep important parts of your schedule the same.

One way to help reduce your child’s anxiety while on vacation is to keep important parts of their day at the same time they occur at home. This should include meals, snacks, naps, and bedtime. This allows your child to experience some consistency in an unfamiliar space which will decrease their overall experience of stress. In addition, good sleep and nutrition are important factors in regulation and increasing your child’s ability to adapt to a new environment.

4) Flexibility and low expectations are your friend.

It is important to stay flexible and be prepared to change your plans at any time. At any point in time, your child may experience big emotions or sensations that result in difficult behavior and/or dysregulation. This can come from anxiety, overstimulation, or the triggering of a conscious or subconscious traumatic events. Parents need to be prepared to be responsive to the needs of their child, change plans, and potentially head home early, depending on the level of need of their child. It is important to keep your expectations low, which will help everyone be more prepared for all possible outcomes.