TRAVELING WITH SMALL CHILDREN & BABIES | BEST TIPS, HACKS & PACKING LISTS
If you follow us over at @mothercould, you may have noticed that traveling is a big part of what we do as a family. Whether it's road trips to Disney World, skiing trips to Colorado, or beach trips to Mexico - we have learned so much about traveling with littles and love sharing our tips with you!
You think it, we’ve most likely done it! We have endured a flight delay or two, extremely long layovers, long security gate checking, or even our baggage not making it onto our connection. We’ve learned how to combat any possible disaster that may arise during travel. Because we get it, flying with a baby, or children for that matter isn’t easy, but it definitely doesn’t have to be stressful.
In this blog post, we are going to share some of the best tips we have when it comes to traveling with babies and toddlers. Whether you’re planning short, domestic flights or long flights, we can help you make it a stress-free and engaging experience for the whole family!
Traveling With Small Children & Babies
Why We Choose To Travel With Our Children
It is hard. There is no denying that going on a vacation with children doesn’t always feel restful or easy. Parenting is hard work no matter where you are, and traveling just adds another layer of complexity. There are more bags, strollers, car seats - you name it! And yet while it can feel quite exhausting we have found it very rewarding, not to mention that, since we have family all the way in New York and in other parts of the world, traveling with our kids has been something we started early on.
Some of the things we love about traveling with our children are:
Getting to make memories together
Experiencing different cultures and landscapes together
Getting to teach and talk to our children about the world
My Best Tips to Keep Your Children Content During Travel (By Car or Airplane)
Let’s get right into some of the most burning questions of any parent traveling with their children. How will I keep my child/children entertained and happy? Whether you are going on a road trip or plane ride, we all worry about our children crying/screaming out of boredom or a need to switch positions and move around. If you are traveling by car, stopping at a park or store can be an option, but not always possible (busy highway, bad weather, etc).
But do not worry, here are some of my best tips to keep your children occupied while traveling:
FOR INFANTS
If traveling by car, scheduling the right driving time can make a big difference. This may mean doing the best you can to fit naps or sleep while driving, and planning for many stops along the way (to play, to eat, and take a break from the car-seat). Another tip is to pre-make a lullaby playlist with soothing music and/or playful music to play, depending on the mood!
If traveling by airplane, one of our best tips for parents of little ones younger than 2 years is to board last! Airlines often invite families to board early, and it does seem logical but if you have little crawlers, walkers or even infants you may already know they enjoy movement and there isn't a whole lot of room to move around once you are in your airplane seat. Boarding can take a long time until passengers find their places, store their luggage, not to mention it can get so hot and stuffy! Our recommendation is to let your little ones get their wiggles out until you have to board and that way they do not feel confined any longer than they need to. We also recommend taking an approved car seat on the plane to keep your little one safe, secure, and comfortable for the whole ride and especially during take off and landing.
Offer somewhere comfortable for sleep: If you’re embarking on a long journey, setting up a space for your little one to sleep on the plane or sleep in the car is super important. A child that doesn’t nap makes for a tired child. In turn, a tired child makes for stressed parents when they begin to fuss. Make sure you bring some of their favourite comfort items to help them enjoy their sleep schedule as usual!
Infant Travel Packing List. Make sure that whatever you need (diapers, wipes, food, etc) is ready to go - for when you need it in a short moment’s notice. Some of our favorite things to pack for babies include interactive books, stuffed animals, bubbles (for outside play), spinner toys, window cling stickers, and toys with a suction cup. Check out the top 4 baby products that made traveling with a baby much more enjoyable, from fidget spinners to a sink bath mat!
FOR TODDLERS & YOUNG CHILDREN:
Pack Sensory Activities. Carry a few kid-friendly sensory activities that your child/children haven't done in a while. These activities do not have to take much space, they simply need to feel new and fun and it helps so much if you engage with them too. Check some of my favorite travel kit play ideas here and here.
Pack a few quick travel friendly toys and activities. This can be as simple as taking a coloring book and crayons, magic ink coloring pads, water painting, dry-erase books, doodle boards, suction toys, reusable sticker books, and kid cameras! If you have purchased the Mothercould In Your Pocket Resource, you can print and pack a few of the printables too! Shop a list of travel friendly toys here. Open all activities ahead of time and remove bulky packaging. This is just one less thing for you to do when traveling!
Think of outside of the box activities like giving them a wipe to “clean” their seats, or window. You would be surprised how enthusiastic they feel to be able to clean with you! This is especially fun to do in the airplane seats where they can wiggle a little more. You can also ask your flight attendant to share some of their favourite travel tips or destination highlights to engage your little ones!
Snack Boxes. Whether by car or airplane, snack boxes are our favorite kid-friendly way to pack snacks, plus it's easy and fun! Use my favorite boxes that are modular, food grade and dishwasher safe. Some favorite snacks to pack them include carrots, cubed cheese, sliced grapes, dry cereal and small treats!
Road Trip Packing List for Toddlers. Here is a quick list of ideas of what I have packed for my toddlers when going on a long road trip. Without the strict weight, liquid, or size restrictions you can be a bit more creative when traveling by car. Some of our favorite items to keep toddlers entertained are window clings, dry erase board books, suction cup toys, soft animal toys, and water pens. Check out all of my road trip recommendations here!
Road Trip Packing List for Older Children. The biggest things to note here are some quality and comfortable wireless headphones, a camera and a tablet that has games you can play without the internet. Some of our other favorite finds for older kids are Wiki Stix, puzzle balls, magnetic drawing board, travel art kit, activity books, and handheld water games. Check out all of my road trip recommendations here!
My Best Packing Hacks
Packing can feel like a puzzle with little children. There is limited space, but so many things we hope to take along with us. It can be tough to know what is worth cramming into our suitcase and what isn’t. Space is so valuable.
Check some of our favorite packing tips below:
Plan Your Outfits. Make a list of musts, plan for only one outfit per day, and pre-plan all of both your and your kids’ outfits.
Use Travel hanging shelves. These shelves completely replaced our packing cube system as you do not need to unpack when you arrive at your destination. Everything stays organized and it is easy to put in and out of the suitcase. The bottom compartment is perfect for dirty clothes, cosmetics and or shoes.
Pack a quick Emergency Travel Bag. Better safe than sorry, and especially with little ones. Check out our emergency kit checklist here and download a quick list of what to pack in your kit including medications, tools, and other over the counter products (e.g. thermometer, sanitizing wipes, sunscreen…etc).
Use clear small bags for your carry on organization. These mesh zipper bags are my favorite to organize and pack baby’s or our own carry-on because they are see-through, wipeable, waterproof and come in tons of different sizes.
Save so much space and keep everything organized, clean and dust free with these bags! I know people usually use them for storage but they make excellent travel bags too. You will be shocked at how much space they will save you, especially if you are packing bulky coats, blankets, etc.
We put together some printable packing lists so you won’t forget any essentials. There’s one list for a beach vacation, and one for a trip to the snow. Kids can be involved too, and help check things off as you pack!
Our Best Traveling Hacks
White Noise. Whether for a stroller nap or car nap - if you have an iPhone you don't need to use youtube or search in spotify for a white noise playlist. Find it easy without having to use an app. Simply go to settings>accessibility> Audio/Visual >Background Sounds.
Water Bottles. Pack empty water bottles and fill them after you pass through security. This will save you money from having to buy expensive airport drinks, and allow each kid to have their own bottle they can access independently. If traveling with a baby, only take two bottles for milk and one cup for water.
If traveling with multiple children, we found that dressing them in matching long sleeve/pant tracksuits keeps it easier to identify them at just a glance and they can find each other quicker too!
If traveling with kids, you will want to make sure to pack a few small toys. Especially as hotels and airports will charge you triple for the same simple toys!
If you are curious about how to use points for traveling through a credit card, Marc shared in our stories a little of how we re-arranged our finances to fund some of our travel. See the full saved highlight here.
Travel Guides. We have traveled with and without the kids to a few destinations, so we made a few travel guides for you to check out if you are planning to travel to the cities of New York, Paris, London, Miami and Los Angeles. See the full saved highlight here.
We hope you have found these tips helpful for your family as you plan your future travels whether by car, or plane, domestically or internationally! You now have what it takes for that long haul flight or quick domestic trip. If you would love to see a fun segment of these tips for Hoy Dia in Spanish, check out our feature here.
Safe Travels,
Xx Myriam + Mothercould Team