Hello friends! We recently got back from a family vacation in Scottsdale, AZ which I will be doing a post on in the near future! This was the first time the kids have ever flown! They have each traveled with us since they were little (we actually left our house for two weeks when Felix was just 2 months old)! But I feel like flying is a whole different world. Seeing this was a new experience for us, I wanted to be as prepared as possible, and did a lot of research. Thankfully it paid off, the long day of traveling went off with out a hitch!
I complied our favorite, and most useful items that we had with us throughout our week vacation in hopes of making life a little easier for other families traveling with toddlers.
1. Snacks are life. Bring lots of them, I packed these along with other healthy (not super messy) snacks in a gallon ziplock bag. I also packed a bag with special “take off treats” to help with their ears during take off, making sure they were sitting. Keeping these bags separate is key, then they will only be choosing healthy options when you want them too, and limiting the “treats”.
2. I ordered these cute backpacks for the kids. They each had special blanket, stuffed animal, and a small notepad activity book inside. They loved carrying them around, and we had no issues of leaving their special items behind because they had their own place!
3. This double stroller, I wanted to bring along one that is lightweight, sturdy, and compact folding. This one fits the bill, you can recline each seat independently, it has two large UV canopies, mesh pockets in the seats, three cup holders and two zipper pockets that are easily accessible. It is one smooth ride too! We gate checked this and used it all throughout the airport and our trip!
4. We ended up purchasing two lightweight car seats that have great safety ratings, but don’t break the bank to use for travel. It ended up being more cost effective than renting, which I was not fond of doing anyway. We checked them with our luggage and used these car set cover bags.
5. I brought along this bag as a carry on and a backpack that I use as my diaper bag the majority of the time. In my “diaper bag” I had a change of clothes for each of them, diapers, wipes, and my favorite organizer. It comes with a changing mat, various pockets even some that are insulated as well as a key chain ring. You can take it out with ease for a diaper change and kept me organized as always!
6. These are our favorite water bottles, they don’t leak and come in the cutest designs. I kept the waters in my carry on. Along with the snacks, my camera and a bunch of cute items I found at the target dollar spot. A little matching game, coloring books/crayons, little superhero dolls, silly puddy etc. Take out one little “prize” at a time it keep them busy and buys them time.
7. I brought this carrier in case it was needed. I didn’t end up using it in the airport or on the plane but was super thankful we had it on a hike! My active 20 month old fell asleep in it on the way down the mountain!
8. My in-laws bought the kids these tablets as early birthday presents which was super kind. We didn’t have to break them out until the last hour of the second flight on the way there. We explained to the kids that these were special travel prizes and can only be used during certain times. They knew we had them on the way back, so they were of course used more frequently on our return. I put a few of their favorite shows, music and some puzzles on there, they were a big hit and help! I also had these headphones which they love!
I thought for sure that we would be taking turns walking them up and down the aisles, dealing with few tantrums, accidents or apologizing to those around us immensely but guess what, none of that happened! They we AMAZING, I could not have been more proud of them! Our first flight was about 1.5 hours, we then had an hour lay over in Chicago (which was a perfect amount of time), and then a four hour flight. Same thing upon our return, no one napped either way (which was crazy) but they behaved SO well.
Remember, although you might be a little stressed it’s best to stay as calm as you can, because the kids will feed off of your mood and energy. You are not the first person with a child on a plane, kids will be kids, just do the best job you can. Being prepared for anything that might get thrown at you is key!
Safe travels and I hope you find this helpful! What are your traveling with kids must haves?
xoxo,
Jenny