1. Pack less than you think you’ll need.
You’re sure to run into something you forgot no matter how much you pack, but shopping for necessary items in your new surroundings will be a fun way to explore and learn some new vocabulary. Plus you’ll have some cool and practical souvenirs of your trip (e.g. "hey, these are the socks we bought in Buenos Aires!")
2. The above rule does NOT apply to your carry-on items.
There is nothing worse than being stranded with a young child and no snacks, juice, entertainment, or clean shirt — and you definitely don’t want to have to ration your diaper stash!
- Pack more diapers than you could possibly use.
- Separate your diaper stash between two different bags.
Said from the experience of being stranded on a cross-country flight with NO DIAPERS — really, don’t ask. - Take at least TWO spare outfits per child.
There is no easier way to guarantee a major blow out, than to change your child into your only spare outfit! - Have spare clothes and essential toiletries for the adults in a carry-on bag.
You want to have what you need if you or your bags don’t reach your destination on time.
3. DO NOT pack anything with sentimental value in your checked bags.
If your child can’t fall asleep without the magical-threadbare teddy, don’t be a moron — keep it in a bag that never leaves your sight.
4. Avoid stocking up on baby gear.
If you’re a traveling family, try not to get addicted to a bunch of fancy baby equipment. Bulky strollers, portable cribs, etc., are for people who plan to stay really close to the minivan.
- Obviously the carseat is a necessity.
A hassle to haul through the airport, especially since one of you is most likely carrying a kid - This handy strap
fastens your carseat to a rolling suitcase so you can haul both at once.
You can also use this kind of contraption to turn your carseat into a stroller. - Although the above feature may be useful for some. I would really recommend carrying a young child in a pack like this Baby Bjorn
5. Repeat after me — versatile and comfortable.
The weather at your destination will always be different from the weather you packed for.
- Pack your kids soft and comfy clothes that you’re ok with getting dirty.
- Make sure they mix and match and layer as much as possible.
- Don’t pack things your kids will refuse to wear.
- Pay extra attention to safe, durable, comfortable footwear.
- Break in new shoes before the trip.
- If you might need a special outfit for a specific occasion — buy it there.
6. Snack Hacks
- Packing flight snacks in individual-sized packages is a good idea.
- Putting your own snacks in small Zip-locs is a money-saver.
- The snack trap
- Spare yourself spills, stains and sugar highs by doing WATER in SIPPY CUPS.
Yes, even for kids old enough to not use sippy cups at home.
- Beware of juice or milk in sippy cups.
They are hard to clean especially when traveling and you don’t want to arrive with food poisoning.
- If your little dictators absolutely demand juice boxes, consider investing in this little contraption.
7. The Mighty Boobs
As I’ve mentioned before, breastfeeding is ideally suited for feeding a child while traveling — always available, always at the perfect temperature — you don’t even have to take your child out of the pack or sling.
- Nursing has the added bonus of equalizing the pressure in your babies ears during air travel.
- If you aren’t nursing or have an older child, make sure you have drinks, snacks, or gum to help with this issue.
- Given the new airline regulations limiting the liquids you can carry through security, make sure you give yourself time to buy water, etc, if you need it before your flight.
8. Make a "Waiting Kit".
You’ll be eating in restaurants more than usual, which means — WAITING.
- Have crayons and paper or a travel etch-a-sketch
This will keep your kids occupied between the ordering and the arrival of the food. - This is also a good time to work on that stack of postcards you’ve been meaning to send.
- Save the beloved electronic entertainment for the plane.
No need to further depreciate our respect abroad!
9. Travel Day
As you know, your child’s level of happiness is closely tied to your own, and, in this case perhaps, the peace of mind of the other people on your flight. Don’t get so distracted with packing for your final destination that you forget the travel day.
- Making sure your child is not hungry, cold, hot or bored will go a long way toward getting your trip off to the right start.
- Pack something to eat you know they will like.
Peanut butter sandwich, cheese crackers, fruit, etc. - Dress them very comfy and IN LAYERS.
- Slip on shoes (definitely no laces).
This is essential for going through security, and it is also great to be able to take them off during a long flight. - Buy a few cheap NEW toys or books ahead of time.
These don’t have to be anything fancy, but the novelty will really help them stay attentive. - Don’t forget some sanity savers for yourself.
An audiobook on your iPod or a secret chocolate stash will go a long way towards keeping you in "good Mommy mode".
10. Now, it’s your turn.
What do you think Rule #10 should be? Leave us a comment. We’d love to hear it.
Not necesarrily a #10, but something I would advise is that if you have sippy cups that require “plugs” then bring extra plugs incase you lose the one designated for that specific cup. Basically a sippy cup with no plug will still leak in any and every direction. We hate it when we cant find any of Zeke’s plugs for his cups. A total mess usually comes next!
Great article! Not everyone can be single in their travels.
Having just traveled on my own with two under 3, my tip is to never say “no” to someone offering to help. Especially if they will carry the car seat ten gates for you.
@Thia - I couldn’t agree more. Which reminds me of something wonderful we experienced in Argentina. The Buenos Aires Airport has official family ambassadors that help traveling families navigate immigration, customs, baggage and airport transportation. It’s works like this.
When you deplane you are approached by an official looking man or woman. They guide you to a special “no waiting” immigration line (also used by the flight crew). Then, they get a baggage cart, help you get your luggage and take you to customs. Finally, they make sure you are loaded into a taxi/shuttle and send you on your way with a smile. It is so civilized. A model for how traveling families should be treated worldwide.
If you’re going some place for a lengthy stay, take toy inventory before you go. Tell the kids to pick out what toys they want to bring, then itemize them. When its time to pack to come home, instead of just saying “Do you have all your toys” you can run through the list “Do you have blue barbie? Do you have wedding cinderella? Do you have candy pop girl?” No toys lost or left behind!
This is a cool list. Darn, I feel shameful that I put traveling on hold because of my youngest kid is too young. Having read this list makes my dream alive again. Can’t wait to share with my wife this. Great tips.
BTW, thanks for dropping by Michael.
We take a lot of day trips and long car trips with our kids and we have bag of special car toys/books ready to go all the time. These are little toys that can be played with in the car and lots of durable books. I rotate the stock every now and then. Each kid has their own bag.
We travel frequently with our 2 year old twins and have since they were 6 months old. This is a great list, but I’d totally recommend skipping the Bjorn and getting a more versatile baby carrier. A sling, pouch, wrap, or mei tai will serve you well for the newborn, the 40 lb toddler, and all ages in between.
Rhonda- Thank you so much for the comment. I absolutely agree with your assessment. I mentioned the baby bjorn because it is one of the more popular mainstream baby carriers, and i figured the majority of parents would know what i was talking about. However, other carriers are much more versatile, not only for the child’s size and carrying postiion but the parent’s comfort as well. I’m quite petite–5′2″ and 100lbs–and i usually have more success getting a comfortable fit from a sling or wrap than a pack-type carrier. I considered listing more carrier options in the article, but there are such a variety, i thought it would be better to delve into it more in a future post instead. I would welcome your input on what should be included!
Here’s a couple more snack hacks:
- If you’ve used your sippy, ask the stewardess to rinse it with the hot water they use for tea service. The water is hot enough to do a good job with milk, formula, or juice. Don’t ever rinse a sippy or bottle in the airplane bathroom as that water is not always safe to drink.
- Some airlines stock only enough milk for coffee service, if you expect your child to drink milk on board, grab some shelf stable milk boxes in the airport just to be safe.
- Bring a few straws for days out. Not all restaurants have them (especially if you’re travelling in Europe) and it’s much easier than taking a sippy with you.
- Even if you weren’t offered a child friendly snack, a kind stewardess might be willing to bring you some fresh fruit or a roll from first class. Ask nicely & be specific about who it is for and what will work.
Excellent post. We do a ton of traveling with the kids (ages 3 and 6) and that new toy (even if it is just a 99cent hot wheels car, works wonders!
Great post! Now I’m itchin’ to travel!
Toy idea:
We don’t use the water pen that came with it - we use the ones that go with his Aquadoodle mats. We also have a travel-size Aquadoodle that helps keep him occupied. They’re handy and not messy and fun. Hurrah!
This is one of my 3 year old son’s favorite go-everywhere toys -
the Sesame Street Water Wow book.
In addition to bringing spare clothes for the kids in my carry-on, I bring at least a spare shirt for me. Nothing like experiencing vomit all over your shirt to ensure that you always remember this. If you get stuck without spare clothes, remember that airports always have stores with souvenir t-shirts….
Colored pencils are way better than crayons for traveling. Especially if you are doing any car travel since they do not melt.
I have a website dedicated to luxury travel with kids, and I know from experience that these are great tips. We just returned from a trip with our 3-year old and 11-week old and thanks to nursing and lots of toys, we had pleasant flights (and vacations). To Abel, I say there is no such thing as too young. I mean, I wouldn’t take a total newborn on a plane for health reasons, but if you’re worried that it’s going to be difficult to travel with a baby, I can tell you that my 3-year old daughter is actually harder to travel with now, relatively speaking, than at 3 months when we first started. When they become mobile, it gets more difficult. So to those with babies, take advantage of it now!
My only other tip, especially for carryon, is to be sure you include a small sanitizer or antibacterial towelettes. Public transportation, especially planes, are notoriously dirty, even when they look clean,and that especially includes the bathrooms. (I’ve also found cute soap sheets that I posted about but of course you need water to activate them properly…)
Love the tip about the family ambassadors. Something to look forward to when we head to Argentina! Thanks for the tip!!
Excellent post! I have a lot of experience with traveling with a child. From the USA to Europe and Asia on numerous occasions, our son has always done better than expected. All of your tips were right on. Another thing I found to be useful while traveling are disposable placemats and bibs. The brand new toys are a must - sticker books work well. There are tons of interesting little “pictures” and they have a ball picking them all off the pages and sticking them back on.
Take some zip lock bags with you as well.
Hi everybody! Michael here…speaking for Hannah who is buried under residual mess of Susie’s birthday party. She just wanted to thank everyone for their terrific tips and additions to her article. Now, how do you get frosting off of the ceiling?
1. But new multipacks of staple packing items like onesies. They are packed more compactly than you could probably pack them, and the extras will always come in handy after you return home. (Also, these are cheap items that you’ll miss less if you lose them.)
2. Make a packing list as you pack. Use it when you repack to return home, to make sure that you at least aren’t forgetting anything you can’t do without.
3. Absolutely right about the new toy. I strongly recommend a car or other small toy vehicle for most boys, or a toy with a face for most girls.
Hi folks,
Just wanted to leave my 2 cents on the toy subject… We also bring my sons favorite toys on any trip we take, but you can be sure that i’ll use the “Toy Checklist” advice that you gave for our next trip… We forgot, or lost, my oldest son’s “red tractor” in a hotel room this summer, and let me tell you, the trip was never the same !!!
Thanks for the Great Tip !
A little late, and a variation on another sugestion here. We travel frequently with out three-under-five and found it easiest to type up two lists, one for short trips one for long, and simply print one off when we are headed somewhere. We found that 95% of the time we were packing the same things, and just left some blank space for the trip-specific items. And as Duane does, we bring the list along to make pack-out easier.
ANTIBACTERIAL WIPES (a large pack MAY last your entire trip) use these to sanitize the armrests, tray tables, buttons near child’s seat on the plane, easier than holding child over the sink in the bathrooms, booster seats and highchairs in restaurants, you name it. GO-GO KIDS TRAVELMATE car seat attachment. This allows the carseat to roll much like a rolling suitcase. This attachment is VERY durable, the wheels are excellent quality and EVERYONE in the airport will want to know where you bought it. The ONLY drawback is you will have to take the attachment off the carseat while your seat goes through the x-ray machine during your security screening, but even though a hassle, the convenience of this product really outweighs this minor glitch. I’ve never had to take the attachment off the carseat in order for it to fit in an airline seat and I’ve flown all the major airlines - even on small planes. My daughter loves it and it could even be used as a stroller once you arrive at your destination. SNACK-TRAP (this is an obvious one). I read on another website a mom brings packets of instant oatmeal and requests a hot cup of water from the flight attendant once on board the airplane. We will definitely try this one on our next flight. BREASTFEEDING. There is nothing more reliable or convenient than breastfeeding in flight to soothe a baby. A nursing cover such as those sold by Bebe Au Lait, will not only provide a cover-up for mom, but can also be used as a blanket or car seat, stroller cover too. A NEW TOY, BOOK, or DVD is also a must. And finally, I think #10 should absolutely be a PORTABLE DVD PLAYER or IPOD with video capabilities. A real lifesaver on the plane - just make sure you have earphones that are comfortable for your small child as well as a pair for yourself.
Thanks for the mention, Ashlye. A Bebe au Lait nursing cover is a flight essential for breastfeeding mothers!
It may be an NZ thing - I recommend eucalyptus (wipes or liquid) for sniffing when the plane is descending. They are great for helping ears pop especially if you have a bit of hayfever or nasal congestion.
please excuse grammatical error! It may be a NZ thing, not an NZ thing. Cheers.
#10 should be ROLL ROLL ROLL. When packing for long trips lay a shirt, pants, undies and socks out, each folded in half. Then starting at the bottom, we roll the entire outfit together as tightly as possible and place in a quart or gallon sized plastic zipper bag, depending on the size of the child. On the plastic bag’s label, we put the day of the week the clothes should be worn. This works with pajamas and swim suits/beach towels too. Clothes come out NOT WRINKLED! We recently took a two week vacation with our seven children ages 6-11, and our total luggage count was one backpack per child, one duffel for each parent. We also have found that packing travel sized lotion, shampoo, conditioner is much better than using one full size item. The kids love to have their “own” toiletries and we can buy tons of them with coupons, making most of them free or less than $0.25! We also label EACH item with the child’s name using a permanent marker, then place the kids toiletries in a sandwich sized bag labeled with their name. No leaks on clothes, no discrepancy about whose shampoo it is. Dirty clothes get rolled back up, but do not go back in the plastic bag, that way the younger children have an easier time telling which clothes are clean and which are not.
For our older children, (10, 11, 12) We purchased a cheap (less than $30.00) digital camera for each. They spend much more time taking pictures and getting involved since they will be able to “save” their memories as well.