I love to travel. It might genuinely be my favorite pastime. When traveling, you have the opportunity to try new foods, immerse yourself in interesting experiences, see a bunch of cool sights, learn about diverse cultures, and make memories with the ones you love. All of that and more ALSO applies when traveling with children.
It’s always been important for us to show other young parents that life doesn’t end when you have kids: if anything, for us, that’s when it truly began. I hear lots of people say: “oh, I’m waiting to have kids because I want to travel”. We were so young when we met (literally broke college students)… Honey, we weren’t traveling anywhere! Then we had our first baby young and if we had allowed ourselves to have that type of mindset: our enjoyment of life would have been over before it even began! But we looked at it from a different perspective and decided that living our best life didn’t have to end… We just had an extra companion to do it all with.
Our youngest daughter has had a passport since she was only 2 months old. We want our kids to be worldly and well-traveled and open-minded about other cultures and walks of life. We want them to experience every corner of the U.S. and also see the world. For us, toys often break, interest is lost in the latest hobby, and kids grow out of phases so quickly, but memories last forever. We would rather limit the amount of toys and material possessions they receive and give our kids the gift of experiences instead.
The biggest concern I hear about traveling with young children is typically surrounding fear of the flight, even more than the trip itself. We are going on a flight soon that is domestic, but might as well be international (almost 7 hours). Our longest international flight with all 3 of our babies was 14 hours total with 1 layover. Thankfully, we survived that flight pretty seamlessly and picked up a few tips and tricks on the way that I’m going to share to hopefully make your next (or first) big trip with your kid(s) go off without a hitch!
Treat it like an Adventure.
Cause it is! Get your kids involved in the process and hype them up leading to the trip. We normally do a “this many sleeps until ______” countdown and the excitement increases with each day that passes. It helps them have something to look forward to and makes them more likely to cooperate when the time comes.
Consider the Time of Day.
When booking your flight, double and triple check the time of day and consider sleep schedules and sleep patterns. For some kids, night flights are perfect because they’ll sleep through the whole thing. For others, who can’t sleep anywhere but their own bed, mayyyybe a night flight isn’t the best idea for you, them, or the others on the plane. Don’t book the cheapest flight to save money if it doesn’t fit the time of day they’ll need: that $20 savings isn’t worth your mental health.
Take. Your. Stroller.
I’ve heard of so many people checking their stroller in with their luggage and it makes my back hurt. I promise you: getting through the airport is 10x easier with a stroller and/or baby carrier (depending on the ages of your children). Then you can check it at the GATE, instead. Strollers save lives, and arms, people.
Bulkhead Seating.
If you are traveling on a long-haul flight with children under two years old, bulkhead seating will be a game changer. Be sure to request the bulkhead seats with a bassinet/baby seat (depending on age) for your lap baby when you book your flight. When I tell you I could’ve kissed the flight attendant when I saw her walking up with that bassinet for our 3-month-old… not an exaggeration. Your lap will thank you later. Each airline has different height and weight requirements for whether a child fits a bulkhead bassinet vs. a bulkhead baby seat so do your research early!
Those itty bitty ears.
In preparation for the standard ear popping that occurs during takeoff and landing, make sure they are sucking, drinking, or chewing something to avoid their ears hurting. A pacifier, lollipop, or bottle can help relieve the pressure. And nursing is an easy option for a breastfeeding baby.
Pack ALL of the snacks.
You can literally never have enough. Especially if your husband also dips in there pretty frequently throughout the flight. *rolls eyes*
Extra Clothes, please!
Not just for the kids, but also for yourself. You never know when a spill, blowout, or spit-up sesh could strike. We use Ziploc bags to store the change of clothes, clean diaper, and fresh socks. Then as soon as we are done changing, the dirty clothes go straight into the Ziploc to seal away the stinky.
New toys, who dis?
I love picking up fun little things, like tiny toys, games, stickers, mess-free coloring books, clings for the window seat, etc. I pack enough new mini surprises to keep them occupied, interested, and entertained. They don’t have to be anything elaborate: the dollar store or the $5 aisle at Target are huge hits with my kids.
Don’t forget their safety blankets.
Whether it’s a literal blanket, a stuffed animal, or a favorite pacifier: don’t. leave. home. without it.
Electronics.
A tablet with downloaded movies/shows and some noise-cancelling headphones have been known to keep a parent’s sanity intact on an airplane. Quote me.
Bribery. Because life.
I am not against bribery, period. A quick “if you’re a good girl/boy, then…” works wonders!
Prep, plan, and then… BREATHE.
Try to relax. Even if not everything goes exactly according to plan. Know that countless other parents have done this and lived to tell the tale. Understand that they are kids! And it’s all a part of the journey.
So, book it!
Love always,
Z.
