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Service Appointments with Kids

How to Keep Your Kids Entertained at a Service Appointment

 

We’ve been fortunate, both at the dealership and other service stations, to have generally good experiences. The customer waiting areas are clean, and most of the time, the time estimates are accurate. However, when you need to bring your children with you, things can get tricky quickly. Despite all our good luck, we’ve had situations where we’ve been sitting much longer than anticipated, or the waiting room is just not kid friendly. Here are some ways to keep your kids happy and entertained while you wait!

  1. Expect a new experience.

Even if you’ve been to that particular service provider before, don’t count on having the exact experience. Maybe you remember that they had plenty of toddler books or great WiFi, but you can’t count on everything being exactly the same.  It may be great, it may be sparse. Either way, kids are fickle. Last time they may have been watching a kiddie movie on the TV, but this time it’s tuned to cable news. Be prepared for nothing, and you’ll only be happily surprised.

  1. Be over prepared.

If you’re waiting, don’t expect to have access to your car. Maybe you keep a spare set of clothes in your trunk for accidents or diaper blowouts, but that won’t help if your car is in the middle of service. When my kids were little I brought a fully stocked diaper bag with me: spare outfits, extra diapers, and basically anything we might need. I’m sure I earned myself some eyebrow raises, but better to be prepared!

  1. Bring Snacks

My kids are the worst when they are bored and hungry. Most of the time there’s a coffee machine or a water dispenser, and sometimes we’ll really luck out and get donut holes or popcorn, but you can’t count on that. I make sure to bring a few small snacks – granola bars, fruit snacks, pretzels – along with water bottles, and have them ready to fill the void.

  1. Bring PLENTY of Activities

Options are good here. Obviously, it’s important to tailor to your own family, and to avoid anything you don’t want to get lost. Small toys aren’t a good idea, no matter how much my kids may beg to bring Legos. Some good ideas are:

  • Books
  • Coloring
  • Toys – my kids love to bring little characters that they can arrange.
  • I Spy books – you can even make I Spy bottles!
  • Electronics – CHARGED, with HEADPHONES (and plan on not having access to WiFi. You might, but it’s best to assume you won’t)

A little bit of preparation, and even waiting in a service department can be a fine day!