Tips For Traveling With A Toddler – Traveling internationally with a small child is quite different than traveling with a newborn. Honestly, I wouldn’t declare one “easier” than the other, but they definitely are
. We traveled between Spain and California when Luca was around six and eleven weeks old, as well as a few small European trips since then. You can read about my tips for traveling with a newborn/infant/baby here.
Tips For Traveling With A Toddler
One of my favorite tips for traveling with an infant or toddler is to call early to reserve seats in the bulkhead row, which are accompanied by a crib or crib. The row itself has extra legroom, which means space for the little one to play on the floor. The bed is attached to the wall and is a small cot where the baby can sleep during the flight. In addition, we have used the bassinet as a place for Luca to play or, frankly, to store all the “things” you need to have nearby during the flight. Most airline bassinets have room for babies up to approx. 20 lbs.
How To Survive Flying With A Lap Toddler
I expected traveling with a one year old who had just learned to walk (a week before the flight) to be challenging. I have to admit, as much as I tried to “shift my mindset” and “maintain a positive outlook”, I was terrified. I could not sleep. I had anxiety for months before the flight. With that said, Luca was a rock star. Was it easy? No. Pain free? No. Did we survive? Yes.
Without further ado… Here are my tips for flying internationally with a toddler.1. Bring brand new toys and books they’ve never seen before.
Children are easily entertained. Be sure your toddler has never seen these toys before. Let the initial shock and awe occur at that perfect moment on the plane. Right before he (or you) is about to lose it completely. Toys with lights, sounds or cool textures are great. Flip books are also a favorite in our family.
Luca to enjoy watching Baby Einstein videos on repeat before the flight. Load it with downloaded videos, or games for older toddlers, to keep them entertained during the flight. We also brought an old mobile phone that he could play with/throw around during the flight.
Tips For Traveling With A Baby/toddler In New York City
Buy yourself a few minutes of peace while the little one munches on cookies, rice cakes or works to vacuum dry a bag of fruit and vegetables.
Tip*: Be sure to pack a few extra changes of clothes for you and the baby as well as a new bib for each meal.
(Many international flights provide glass baby food and bibs for babies and toddlers. Air France even offered organic bags. Score!)
When we planned to embark on an 18 hour trip with our 1 year old, we planned various “changes of state” for him. A change of state can be sitting in the seat, walking in the halls, climbing (anything), playing on the floor or being carried. Our Ergobaby carrier was great for walking up and down the aisle. We also had a very quick layover in Paris and the carrier was perfect for when we literally needed to run through the airport and couldn’t be bothered loading and unloading our baby in a pram.
Greece With Kids: Traveling To Greece With A Toddler Or Baby
Other lifeguards. We usually always travel through Paris on our way between Spain and California. Although you can check the stroller at the gate before boarding the flight, Paris does not allow collection of the stroller upon arrival at the airport. Instead, the trolley is checked all the way with your checked luggage. On our return to Spain from California, we had a five hour layover in Paris. 5 hours without a stroller??!!! Lucky for us, the Doona fits comfortably in the overhead compartment of the larger international planes. We were able to bring Doona as carry-on, and because our flight wasn’t full, Luca hung out (and slept) in his own comfortable car seat in the middle seat of our row. Not only did we have his car seat on the plane, but we then had his stroller with us for the long layover.
This was a great last minute decision. We borrowed this harness from a friend and loved it! Luca could safely sit in his own seat on the plane while we fed him or he watched movies etc. He wasn’t tempted to “escape” as he felt safe in his plane seat, just like he would in a pushchair. Absolutely recommended. In addition, it gave us peace of mind when he was on the plane.
This keeps baby cozy while sleeping on your lap, but also leaves you hands-free. We all know it only takes about 10 minutes for your arm to go numb as your little one’s head suddenly weighs 25kg while they sleep in your lap. You become afraid to move yourself an inch on the off chance that you might disturb these precious moments of silence. While Luca relaxed on the pillow, I was able to eat a meal, control my TV and also move around a bit to take a nap myself!
8. In addition to the tips above, I would recommend the obvious. Do everything you can to travel with a partner. Drink a lot of coffee. Pack your patience. And yes, keep an optimistic mindset. It will go smoother than you think. The adventure and vacation is worth it in the end. 🙂
Tips For Traveling With A Toddler
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A California girl with a love for all things European. A vegan with the occasional exception for a gelato in the summer. A teacher by trade, a yogi by practice, and a mom in training. A soul on the run, looking for meaningful connections in this beautiful world with a (possibly permanent) stopover in Spain.
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Tips For Flying With Toddlers And Little Kids Without Losing Your Mind — A Mom Explores
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All cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function, and which are used specifically to collect the user’s personal data via analytics, advertisements, other embedded content, are termed non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to obtain consent from the user before running these cookies on your website. Flying with a small child can not only be worrying for the parents, but also cause anxiety for the child. Read on to find tips and a checklist for flying with your little one.
With this checklist handy, flying with our son has been great and fun so far! It also includes a list of suggested activities to keep your little one busy on the flight. Although I have assumed a long flight, you may choose to select fewer items if your trip is shorter.
Flying With Toddler Tips
What makes flying with a small child a challenge? Many things can affect the child – unfamiliar surroundings, boredom, flight turbulence, disturbed sleep, or worst of all – ear pain. Therefore, we take the following steps to make it easy for everyone: (a) Talk to our child days before about the upcoming flight, (b) arrive at the airport a few hours early (b) carry a variety of snacks (c) Pack around 6 activities/ toys for a 24 hour journey.
What should you consider when packing toys for the plane? We usually have toys that are – (a) light, (b) small – but big enough not to get lost under the seats, (c) not to roll down.
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Our usual first aid kit in the cabin contains the obvious must-haves: Ear thermometer, Fever Reducers – Tylenol and Motrin.
Helpful Tips For Traveling With A Toddler In A Car Seat
Remember to pack the medicine syringe in your hand luggage. This year our son got sick before boarding. Although we had the medicine, but we had checked in the syringe – it was a far from pleasant experience.
Diapers, napkins, toothbrush,
