Family days out are great, for all sorts of different reasons. They help you and your loved ones to develop shared experiences together, they are typically fun and interesting in their own right, and they are a great way for everyone in the family to relax, unwind, and shrug off any stress that they might be experiencing.

If you have a young child, taking them out on regular family day trips can help to expand their sense of wonder at the world, and open all sorts of doors to them, along the way.

Of course, there are certain considerations that have to be made when taking a young child out for a day trip.

Here are a few tips for having a great family day out with a young child.

This is a contributed post and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meet The Harris Family.

Be sure to pack the right supplies

If you’re going to go anywhere outside of the house with your child, it’s essential that you remember to pack the right supplies and take them with you.

As opposed to when visiting family, there are not likely to be many opportunities during a day trip to acquire emergency baby diapers, formula, and a change of clothes, if you forgot yours at home. So, don’t forget yours at home.

Plan for as many contingencies as you can, and take as many supplies with you as you can to reduce the odds that your child is going to be forced to deal with discomfort, or that you and your partner are going to have to scramble frantically to try and make a plan.

Avoid staying out longer than your child can enjoy

As adults, we’re all typically pretty accustomed to the idea of spending at least eight or nine hours out of the home on any given day.

Therefore, if we are going to be going on a day trip, there’s always the risk that we could keep our kids out for longer than they would find comfortable, and could therefore compromise their enjoyment of the day.

Of course, this is bad because it’s bad when our children feel miserable. But, it’s also bad because an unhappy child will tend to annoy others and stress their parents out, and because if your child creates negative associations with days trips in their own mind, they are less likely to enjoy future outings.

Avoid staying out for longer than your child can enjoy – and try to end each day trip on a high note.

Try to make the outing something that you and your partner will enjoy, too

A family day out isn’t just meant to be a treat for your kid– although, it should be that as well. It’s also supposed to be something that you and your partner can enjoy, and that can serve as a great opportunity for the whole family to bond and create some positive memories.

So, try to do things that everyone in the family can enjoy – whether that means going to a dinosaur exhibit at the local museum, or watching a child-friendly performance at the local theatre.

If you are forcing yourself to sit through something that bores you to tears, you’re not likely to be very happy and upbeat, and that negative energy is likely to influence your child’s enjoyment of the day, too.

A day out should be fun for everyone, not fun for the kids, but an unpleasant duty for the parents.