Traveling with a Toddler & What Worked For Us
A little over two weeks ago, I was meeting Sai, Olivia and Krystal for dinner. At that point, I was itching to escape the cold for a few days and I knew that Keith, who is smack in the middle of his busy season (he was doing the sound on a couple of movies that were premiering at Sundance), was unable to really travel anywhere. Of course, I always want to go away with my husband and family, but I’ve never been one to turn down a girls trip. Randomly, I asked the girls if they’d want to take the (baby) boys and take a little getaway. I didn’t expect such an eager “hell yes,” thinking everyone had plans or things going on, but luckily, everyone was game!
We warned Krystal, who was the only one without a little child to care for, that this trip would be anything but relaxing and she may want to sit this one out! Because the reality is, if you’re traveling with three little kids who are not your own, things will get annoying…… really quickly. The trip ended up being such a special one, but between three boys under three, we had our fair share of meltdowns and fires to put out.
At this point, I’ve flown with Nate several times and this time around, he was easier than ever before. He’s a few months shy of turning three and I swear, it’s made such a huge difference in his maturity level, his patience and being able to reason with him. He’s always been such a cool, calm and collected kid, but with any child, traveling can be tricky. Especially if you don’t have a second set of hands to help you out. It was just us three and our three boys so we had to get a bit creative. However, thankfully, it was as smooth as we could possibly hope for.
Traveling with a Toddler & What Worked For Us:
Snacks:
Lots and lots of snacks! I packed MadeGood granola balls, Almond butter and jam sandwiches, crackers, fruit, cookies and as an extra special treat in a dire situation – lollipops and gummy bears. Nate does not have candy often, so I wanted something extra special for a high pressure situation.
Stickers:
Stickers are such a lifesaver when flying, in restaurants or anywhere where you need a few moments of pure distraction. I got this pack from amazon and it’s always such a hit because it comes with so many stickers. Just make sure you bring some paper or coloring books to be able to stick on. There’s also so many reusable Melissa & Doug sets, which is perfect to peel on and off plane windows. Always a favorite of ours!
Coloring Book:
This kept him busy for a good 40 minutes- a priceless amount of time when traveling with kids or again, in a restaurant.
iPad & Headphones:
We loaded up our iPad with some of Nate’s favorite shows including Peppa Pig, Bubble Guppies & Daniel Tiger. This was the first time we used headphones and they were such a hit. We used the combo with this rubber case. For the plane ride home, we took the plunge and purchased Moana from iTunes (on this trip, Nate watched it with Sebastian, Olivia’s son, and he loved it so much). He’s never really watched a movie, but I think he may be ready to watch a movie in its entirety.
Tip: if you’re using a newer iphone/ipad, don’t forget to bring an adapter for the headphones!
Travel Activity Pack:
Lastly, I ended up ordering this activity pack and it came in such handy during the last hour of our flight. At that point, he started getting so antsy and was over the iPad and everything else. I busted out a few things from this and it kept us busy until we landed. I still have a few things leftover for the return flight home.
Travel Stroller:
I’ve written about our travel stroller(s) in the past. We have two, the Mountain Buggy and the BABYZEN YOYO; while the BABYZEN YOYO costs a lot more, it’s incredibly compact, easy to maneuver and such a smooth ride.
Tip: Make sure you get stroller hooks so you can easily attach your bag at the airport!
Crossbody Handbag:
Lastly, the night before we left, I started packing my Jumbo Chanel to take on our trip. Not sure what I was thinking as that would completely eliminate the use of one of my arms. Luckily, I came to my senses the morning of our trip and transferred everything to a crossbody bag. Don’t get me wrong, I still had my hands extremely full, but if I ended up with the other bag, it would have been even more of a balancing act.
Did I miss anything? If you have any questions, leave it in the comment section and I’ll be sure to answer and/or edit the post to add them in!
Also, if you’re a pro at traveling with small children and have any tips to share, please do!
If you missed it the first time, here’s the post on our first time traveling with Nate.
