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.
{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
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.
Don’t forget the sharpener!
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.
A few ideas for traveling.
Playdough, or the homemade version in a small plastic container makes a great distraction for most children in restaurants.
Young children (but old enough not to eat toys any longer) love little things. A med-large sized pop-top recipe box makes a great treasure box for a trip. Contents can include a small bouncy ball or mini frisbee for a roadside stop on the trip, mini books found in most stores selling children’s books, (some can be really small), Polly pockets dolls and other similar toys like mini petshop animals, Toy cars, miniature animals and/or dinosaurs, Small notepads and miniature crayons and pencils. Many party favor toys sold for birthday parties will work as well. Decorate the treasure box ahead of time with sparkle glue or stickers. You can include a sheet of stickers inside for them to add their own. Sparkle glue is also great for writing their name on the box.
A small folder to hold paper and stickers works well anytime. If you have access, print out coloring sheets ahead of time. There are all kinds online so these can always be new. A pencil case with pencil crayons and a pencil sharpener that can catch the shavings is a must.
If the road trip is long, and the weather allows, skip the restaurant. Pick up lunch to go and head to a park. Even the smallest town usually has a school, and a school has a playground. Eat lunch and then it’s playtime. This gives the kids incentive to eat without fooling around. It gives everyone fresh air out of the car and time to stretch. After eating mom and dad can have a little quiet(er) time while the kids play, make noise and burn off some energy. Even 15 minutes after eating can do wonders for everyone’s mood.
I’m an old mother now, but I still like to read these type of tips. One of my favorite tips from the old days was to pack a clothes pin. I used it to convert any napkin into a bib.
Your tips are fun. Happy traveling!
If your baby is bottle-fed, teach him/her to drink room temperature bottles.
In our hot climate, it was inadvisable to go out with pre-prepared bottles even for a day trip, and I couldn’t always find a place to warm a bottle.
My plan became – fill enough bottles to last until the next ’safe water’ stop, with ’safe’ water (whatever your usual method is).
Buy a formula dispenser. I’m remembering back over the years now, but it was a plastic container divided into thirds, with a snap on lid, to hold 3 serves of formula powder.
At feed time, use dispenser to add powder to previously prepared bottle of water. Shake. Feed.
This got me through 24 hours of long-haul flights without needing anything that I hadn’t brought from home.
Having done the same trip previously with a breast-fed child, I will agree that breast-feeding when travelling is sooo much easier.
If you need to take along liquid medication be aware of the ounce limitation for carrying on board the plane. Put the balance in a zip lock in the check through bag.
Have a list of each traveler’s medical history in a handy place just in case you have a medical emergency (allergies, blood type, list medications currently taking, ages, names and phone numbers, advance directives, etc)
Take plenty of wet wipes and hand sanitizer and have them handy at all times for everyone’s use.
We are heading out in a month for our first plane ride with our 3 year old. Thank you all for your wonderful tips – I took a lot of notes!!!
Happy Travels!
Bring a full box of quart sized ziplock bags. They are the do-it-all travel trick.
- On the plane, ask stewardess for a cup of ice cubes, put in bag, entertain baby for 30 minutes or so.
- Great for mess/wet storage
- Use to separate souvenirs on a multi day or city trip so that you know where you got them when you get home.
- Pack kids’ restaurant leftovers for when they inevitably want them later.
- Easy ice packs to keep food cold, treat ouchies
- Preferably you won’t need them for this use, but they make much better in-flight sick bags than the ones provided.
A portable dvd player is a must!
A baby carrier such as an Ergo is perfect to hold the little ones while on the plane. I wore my daughter in it during a flight and while she slept I had my hands free.
FYI: baby food jars need to be in those quart size bags for the security check. I did not know this and got stopped. They inspected my daughters bag of food and opened one to test it. I was free to go after they decided it really was chicken and vegetable puree. I never thought of baby food as being considered a liquid.
Our favorite tip for bottle fed babies is to get a small thermos and fill with hot water and then bring a small bottle of cold water. One of those small trial size cans of powder and you are good for a day of feedings. Just pour some hot water into your baby’s bottle and then add cold water to the right temperature. Add formula and shake well.
Play Office – I save our junk mail and bring tape, post-its, hole puncher, plastic scissors and ink stamp. My busy body 4 yr old loves opening the mail, making money,etc. Throw away when you reach your destination. Also, save some of the activities to do on the way home so that there is something new to do.
Play Doctor – (same idea as Play Office) Bandaids, gauze and tape, thermometer strip, etc.
Make gift bags of little $1 treats with temp tatoos, creepy crawlers, rubber bands, etc. When they are absolutely melting down you can bring out the “gift”.
One toy that I have found young boys will spend a long time playing with, and also seems to stimulate their imagination, are (my grandson calls them “guys”) figures with MOVABLE JOINTS (the moving joints are a must). They can be bought fairly inexpensively $5-7.00 range with a motorcycle or some other object to stimulate their little brains. Some of the stories they make up up with while playing are quite interesting. I have seen my grandson play with a couple of these “guys” for hours.
I also found the many tips listed as quite good, and very useful for trips with children. Enjoy your travels.
For long distance air-travelling with a young toddler, put on a set of reins (that buckle round his chest and over shoulders) and hold the strap while letting him walk up and down the aisles until tired enough to sleep. Saves him from falling or going too fast. Often people like to chat to a little one, certainly better than they like listening to an active child kept sitting and not tired enough to sleep!!
Along the lines of small gifts for the long flights: For long train trips home from her older cousin’s house, my mom (as a child) used to receive hand-me-downs from her cousins, gift-wrapped, to open one every hour. It was pretty exciting for a little girl, even though the gifts were used paper dolls and such.
Here’s my accumulated wisdom re: good restaurant toys:
I think it’s Out Back Steakhouse that gives kids wax-covered string to make sculptures. About 6 strings per child are fine. I’ve seen boxes of 100 or so strings for sale (at Scholastic Book Sales).
Z Cardz™ at 50-75 cents each are credit card sized plastic toys with diecut pieces that you punch out and build into three dimensional micro-models. Slide the pieces together to build dinosaurs, planes, cars, bugs and much more. Unfortunately it looks like they are no longer selling the fish ones, which are the only ones that are fun to use again and again. Still 50-75 cents for a disposable toy is sometimes worth it. sold in packs of 5 at Toy Stores and on the web.
A shoebox size box of Legos or K’nex keeps our kid quiet for hours, although he is not typical. (Don’t bring irreplacable parts.) My rarely talkative son did an elavorate show and tell about his new rock collection for an interested elderly couple when I let him bring it home on the train.
By the way, trains can be nice for kids because you can walk around – some have a play-room car but you have to bring toys to share.
Something I have found very useful not only during travel, but any time I leave the house – toilet seat covers. With little children they are always touching everything and sitting and putting their hands all over the seats to hold on. There are several different disposable covers that are thick and oversized with a waterproof barrier, that even have sticky strips to hold it in place for a fidgety two year old taking care of her business which can sometimes be a rather long production.
Does anyone have any tips for changing diapers on a long flight? This is one of the things I am most nervous about. All of your tips are very useful. Thank you for sharing. I know it will help our family on our 8 hour flight to Tahiti with our 6-year-old and 18-month-old.
I seem to recall on the larger planes I used the drop down shelf over the toilet. Also take pull-up pants. They are much easier when only wet because you don’t have to lay the child down to fasten them. I have traveled by cars and planes since my oldest was two months old. Currently travel with 5yr old girl, twin 3yr old boys, and 19mon girl. Have experienced bottle feeding, extended and tandem breastfeeding. You may ask questions direct. Green4n1@gmail.com
rule #10 the spouse who thinks you are an octopus will be no help on the plane allow for that and have your every useful batman belt on that has something for each kid……
Great list! My kids are now 7 and 14, but my all time don’t leave home w/o it is #10.
Take at least one age appropriate audio book per kid, preferably with a device/headphones they can use themselves over age 3. On car trips with one adult or with adults who get car sick if they read, this is indispensable for reading time! We’ve actually had kids EAGER to get back in the car to continue the story! I usually visit the library for free materials, just make sure they don’t get left behind somewhere en route! My kids almost never ask “Are we there yet?”
Thks for those nices tips! We are also travelling parents and it’s always usefull those kind of tricky tips
If you come a day in France/Belgium Europe our parent website could be usefull for you (sooner in English too …): http://www.lepetitmoutard.com
Tell us, we have some good french wine for you Michael
Small games are good, but make sure the game pieces have magnets!
If your little girl doesn’t know about papeer dolls, teach her before
you leave home. Then make outlines and let her color the garments.
If she’s small, YOU cut them out!
Having travelled extensively with my kids when they were babies I have done several of the above. There are some great suggestions here for anyone who is worried about travelling with little ones. A suggestion for #10 should be RELAX it will all work out in the end and you will get there.
One thing I used to do when they were babies ,was beg that my stroller be kept in first class so that when the plane landed it was at hand. Several times I had it removed and had to walk a long way to get it back. Hard time when both kids were fast asleep and I was on my own!
Another one of the things they love to bring with them for the flight and for the restaurant waiting time is the magnetic stones or Zingos. For a couple of magnetic rocks they keep the kids (and big kids) amused for hours seeing what tricks we can do with them.
Relax is a great #10. Things happen: delays, meltdowns, blow-outs. Something will likely come up on the trip, but you just ahve to roll with it. Don’t worry about the people around you – if they are grumpy that your baby is crying, tough!
On our last trip to Hawaii, I bout a magna doodle for my then 13-month old. It is the best $15 I have ever spent as she still loves this thing. It has an attached pen (very helpful) and 4 magnet shapes (hard to find when they fall on the plane floor, but I digress…)I got it at target and highly recommend.
For the lady that asked about tips for changing…some might find this rude, but I change my daughter in the seat (easier if you’re flying first class). Most of the normal sized planes don’t have the pull down shelf in the bathroom and it is DIRTY and really awkward to try and change without the shelf. You could use swim diapers if your child is too small for actual pull-ups. We’ve never had an issue with changing, though. I carry the little mat from my diaper bag, the disposable absorbant pads and a roll of plastic bags to discard the dirty ones.
If you can afford it, buy your infant his/her own seat (even if they are young enough to be a lap-child) and then bring your car seat….especially if it is a long flight. Our kids are so used to traveling in their carseats anyway, they do much better just knowing they can’t get up…it’s a lot easier than having a wrestling match.
I have 2 year old twin girls and we do a lot of traveling. The best accessories that my husband and I try to take with us on trips are grandma and grandpa. They keep the kids calm, they change diapers, they entertain, they watch the kids while we are getting food etc. What else could you ask for!
{ 8 trackbacks }