Traveling With Toddlers
Traveling with Toddlers
There is nothing more terrifying than the realization that you have booked a trip, reserved your hotel, and then you realize, I’m bringing a tiny human with me who has very strong opinions and a strict bedtime. Now what. Traveling with a toddler for the first time can be one of the most stressful things for a new parent to navigate. As a parent to two tiny tyrants myself, and a behavior analyst, I have experienced this first hand as a mommy, and as a professional. Whether you are preparing for a weekend away or for a longer stay with relatives over the holidays, you are going to have to deal with major disruptions to routines, sleep schedules, and possibly forgetting their favorite stuffed animal at home, resulting in a major meltdown when the first naptime rolls around and they are forced to sleep without their beloved giraffe. What often results is tears from both parties. There are some things you can do to prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and not have to bring the entire contents of your home with you.
Getting from point A to point B is going to require more luggage than you ever thought necessary. Accept that fact, but don’t bring everything under the sun. Take a look around your home, what items are nice to have around (like that baby swing that has become a permanent fixture in the corner of your living room), and what items are must-haves for your survival? What is going to be available where you are going? Most hotels have a crib or a pack and play available (bring your own crib sheet), and most grandparents have an abundance of arms to hold your baby or read your toddler a book while you shower.
Flying for the first time with a small child can strike fear in to the hearts of the most experienced travelers. We flew for the first time as parents when our oldest was only 2 ½ months old to scope out a new place to live ahead of a cross-country move, it was terrifying. Now, as seasoned travelers, here are some things we have found to smooth out the process. Make sure you have a few copies of your child’s birth certificate. Keep one in your carry-on and one in your suitcase as a backup. If you are a proponent of baby-wearing this is the best way to get you and baby through security. When going through screening TSA typically will not make you take the child out of the carrier when going through the screening process. Even though you are wearing your baby, you can still bring a stroller, and you can usually gate-check your stroller before boarding for free. You can also check your car seat at no charge, however, confirm this with your specific airline before heading to the airport so there are no surprises.
Once on the airplane prepare for the ear-popping madness that is takeoff and landing by either nursing or feeding a bottle during takeoff or asking a flight attendant for some water or juice so your little one can be drinking something to help pop their ears when the pressure changes.
When flying with a baby we have found that bringing a boppy (or whatever nursing pillow you favor) with you may seem over the top, but is extremely helpful. It gives you a comfortable place to nurse or give a bottle, and a hands-free place for them to sleep on your lap during the flight.
When flying with an older child, bring entertainment. As a child, I remember my mom packing presents for us to unwrap on the airplane. In the pre-iPad world, my mom would prepare for a flight by going to the dollar store, buying a few new toys, a box of crayons, a new coloring book, anything to keep us occupied. She would wrap them up individually and let us open a new toy every hour. It was like Christmas and flights flew by. As a parent in the iPad world, I load a few favorite movies and apps on to the iPad and bring a few new toys to bring out as a last-resort. I also order a glass of wine for myself as soon as possible. I’m flying with a toddler, I’ve earned it.
Pack more diapers and clothes than you think you need. There’s nothing worse than experiencing a flight delay with only 3 diapers left. There’s something about the pressure of flying that always causes diaper blowouts on the airplane, so pack several changes of clothes for your child, and one or two for you as well!
Don’t expect the flight to go off without a hitch. Even the most prepared parent will have a crying toddler on an airplane, it’s almost unavoidable. Don’t feel the need to apologize to everyone on the airplane, anyone who has a child will feel for you, and anyone who doesn’t and is annoyed can put in their headphones and watch whatever they want. Lucky them.
Sleeping while on the road presents another set of challenges that can be made infinitely easier with a little preparation. Bring their favorite blanket, favorite stuffed animal, and keep bedtime routines consistent. If you read the same book or two right before bed, bring those books! If they get a cup of milk before bed out of the same sippy cup or bottle, don’t forget to bring that cup! There’s nothing worse than getting ready to settle down for the night and your two-year-old asks for “shark milk” and you left their shark cup at home (Speaking from a very difficult hotel experience I may or may not have had with my own two-year-old).
Sleeping with a toddler in a hotel room can be a specific challenge. You’re on holiday, sleep is essential for a successful day at Disneyland, yet you are expected to sleep in the same room as your toddler and hope they get the sleep needed to not be a complete nightmare the following day. We have been known to completely rearrange a hotel room to create barriers so our child cannot see us as we hide on the floor after bedtime drinking wine and watching a movie on the laptop with headphones. It may be helpful to bring a noise machine (or download an app on that iPad you brought to play Moana on the airplane) to drown out the sound of noisy hotel neighbors or your snoring husband.
Changing time zones is also a challenge. Consider the length of your trip, a weekend away warrants keeping them on their own time zone. It may suck to get up at 4 am with them but you will thank yourself when you get home and don’t have to readjust yet again to a time change.
The last word on sleep. Don’t skip nap time. Even if it means heading back to the hotel for a few hours in the middle of the day, don’t skip the nap. You’ll thank me when dinner time rolls around.
Speaking of dinner time, it is inevitable that when you are away you will be eating out in restaurants far more than you would be at home. This is a challenge with small children regularly, that challenge is compounded when you are travelling with small, tired children. Aim for loud, kid-friendly restaurants that can get you in and out reasonably fast. This may also be the time to bend some rules. Break out the iPad and let your child play on it, yes, I’m saying to be “that parent”. The key here is survival, and to get them to eat reasonably well. If they are distracted by Buzz and Woody, it’s possible you can get them to eat what’s on their plate and leave you to enjoy that well-deserved glass of wine or cocktail after a day of sight-seeing with a toddler.
The last piece of advice I will leave you with is to relax and enjoy. It can be a lot of work to travel with small children but seeing their face light up when they see grandma or experience something new is worth all the effort you put in to your travels. Let grandma babysit and go out for an adult meal, or look in to a babysitting service to hang out with your kids in the hotel room while you go out for a quiet dinner. Hey, it’s your vacation too! When all else fails, there’s always wine.