Survival Tips when Traveling with Little Ones

With school out and temperatures up, this is the time when most families attempt their great summer adventures. Traveling is stressful enough on most people but I can think of about a thousand other things I would rather do than herding unpredictable children along with me. Don’t get me wrong, not every time turns into an epic meltdown (although that's happened), we have experienced some big wins along the way and learned something valuable with each trip.As first-time parents, each age and stage of his development presented new and sometimes very challenging obstacles to overcome. A 10 hour car ride, flying across the country....bottom line is that we have unfortunately (and fortunately) done it.  With a little preparation, we've been able to mitigate many of our biggest concerns about traveling, especially air traveling with our little one. You don't have to the be the most hated person on the airplane or grow gray hairs from one flight, we've actually been able to enjoy ourselves at times.As a couple, traveling has always been an important part of our relationship and we didn't stop when we had Brock. Our success (or luck) has had to do with us being forced to change our mindset about travel. Vacations have become less about us and more about him. There is hardly anything "relaxing" about a vacation with small children. Once we lowered our expectations, everything else seemed like a bonus.

Brock's First Flight (6 weeks old)

Be Strategic with your Travel Times

When it comes to air travel, the flight you select is one of the most important elements if traveling with little ones. When possible, choose to fly during those times that will support your child’s sleeping schedule the best.  If you have a three-hour flight, try to plan it when your little ones usually nap. At first Brock's excitement takes over when we board the plane and take off, but once he feels the vibration of the plane – it’s lights out. Once your kids are asleep, that’s when your vacation really starts! Quickly have that glass of wine or dive into your book because this peace will not last. While planning travel times during nap times is a good rule of thumb, expecting a child to sleep solid on a red eye flight is not realistic. When you do your best to set them up for success, the better chance you have to be successful.

  Brock went to Utah, Colorado, Florida and Kauai before his First Birthday

Check in "Curbside"

We seem to have better luck when we do curbside check-in. These airline employees are not only paid by the airline, they also accept tips. If you have any special requests (seat assignments, pre-board requests, etc) this is where you want to ask for those flight “favors”. When Brock was under the age of two, we would always ask how full the flight was ahead of time and let them know that we would prefer to have our "lap child" in a carseat during the flight if possible. Not only are children more protected strapped in car seats and the plane seat, it was no fun having a wiggling child in our lap for a whole flight. Brock always passed out longer in his carseat too. Look, a happy child makes for a happy flight and you would be amazed how accommodating airline employees can be when they see you’re flying with little ones.Tip: When transitioning from an infant to a toddler carseat, make sure to buy one that is "airplane approved"

It's all about Distractions

Most airlines allow you to carry a diaper bag in addition to your personal item. That extra bag is allowed because they know you need bulkier items like milk bottles, blankies, pacifiers, snacks, diapers, baby wipes and more. The younger and less independent your little one is, the more stuff you need for them. This doesn't even count entertainment yet—these are just the essentials.My mom used to always fill our backpacks with immersive distractions and not let us open them until we got on the airplane. We looked forward to this activity just as much as the vacation. Now that I'm a mom, I have loved carrying on that tradition with Brock. The strategy works and I'm positive it has saved us from in-air meltdowns. Activity/coloring books, stickers, toys that don't have too many pieces, an iPad, portable DVD player (with a book of his favorite DVDs), and so on have all worked for us. Peacefulness awaits just don't forget the headphones, and make sure everything is charged and working properly a week ahead of time (incase you have to replace something). When Brock was an infant, it helped to introduce new toys slowly over the course of the trip. Now that Brock is old enough, he can carry his own backpack onto the flight which helps even more.You don't have to spend a lot on new travel toys, though. I bought Brock one new Hot Wheel car and an activity book for our last trip. The best $5 bucks I've ever spent if you ask me! The point is, a few "new" things will do the trick. Knowing your children's interests helps so you're bringing things that occupy them most. Brock won't play with a coloring book for more than 5 minutes, however he can spend 30-45 minutes engaged in a pre-school activity workbook. Like most parents, we monitor Brock's screen time so when we get on a plane and hook him up to his portable DVD player with headphones, we know we have at least a few hours to ourselves during the flight.

 Brock insisted he would not be taking a nap on this flight, I put a diaper on him anyways.

Be Prepared for Everything

As much planning ahead that I do for our trips, children are still unpredictable. Besides the basic essentials, I do my best to be as “prepped” for most everything that can possibly go happen or go wrong mid-air.Food & Drink - I always pack a ton of food for Brock when we travel. PB&J's are the usual go-to meal for airplane rides. I also bring an assortment of "snacks" to distract him with. This strategy works well for us because I don't feed him snacks on the regular so they are kind of a treat when he get's them. Crackers, dried mangos, peanut butter pretzels, string cheese, applesauce and fruit bars are some of his favorites.Diapers - More is always better. When Brock was an infant, I used the ratio 1 diaper, per hour in the air plus a sleeve of them in our checked bags too. Now that he's potty trained, I still bring a diaper or two, just incase. If there is a chance he will fall asleep on the flight, I put him in a diaper right before we board. One of my girlfriends just traveled to San Diego and spent the last 2 hours of the flight sitting in a puddle of pee from her toddler that had fallen asleep on her. Ouch!Wipes - I. Love. Wipes. Baby wipes, hand and surface sanitizing. I carry them all!Clothing - No matter how warm or cold the climate were traveling to is, I always have Brock in layers. That is pants, a shirt, a sweatshirt or jacket, socks and close-toed shoes. In addition, I will always bring a fresh outfit for him (minus the shoes). I've had to use one or some of the items over half of the times we've traveled.

Favorite Items We Travel With

Infant Stage

• Huge fan of this Tommee Tippee bottle and food warmer, I have gifted this to many of my friends.
• This stroller toy was great to travel with. You can fasten it securely in place and had a variety of things to stimulate him.
• Melissa & Doug is one of our favorite toy and activity brands. Brock loved playing with this shape sorter and it was so easy to take with us on trips.
• We had this walker for Brock. We learned that the front activity portion unclips so we would take the front part on trips with us all the time.
• We also liked playing with this activity mat.

Toddler Stage

• Travel Doodles like this have worked great for us.
• Triangular crayons are super helpful to prevent loosing them on uneven plane rides. We have this set.
• Brock loves these mess-free activity pads by Melissa & Doug. We have had 3 or 4 of them, his favorite is the vehicle one.
• This book is awesome! No loose or missing pieces either.
• This Inflatable Toddler Bed has been great. A plus is that it uses a crib sheet as the fitted sheet.

As Brock continues to grow and progress, traveling has become easier and more consistent. Don't get me wrong, we're definitely not experts in this, but we have learned a thing or two with our first born. I would love to hear your travel tips, things that have worked for you or any items you cannot travel without. Please feel free to comment below!Have a fun, safe (and sane) summer traveling with your beautiful families!Xo, Shawna