First, let me tell you, I only have 1 child, so I really don't have a whole lot of insight on what it's like traveling with more than 1, so I apologize. But as far as traveling with one toddler, I've made quite a few trips in M's entire first year of life. From birth to 13 months she's taken a total of 12 flights! Quite the little traveler, isn't she?
The first time I flew with her it was just me and her. We flew from Germany to Toronto with a stop over somewhere in the U.S. At that time she was only 4 months old, so she mostly slept in the bassinet you can request. But I'll try and keep this post short and sweet with tips :)
Tips for traveling with an infant:
1. Have all your diaper changing needs in one easy to grab bag/ sack within your diaperbag or carry on. This way you won't have to lug the whole diaper bag to the teeny tiny airplane bathroom. The one I use was a hand me down, so I don't have an specific recommendations as to where to find one, but any small sized bag that fits a couple of diapers and wipe case, and possibly a change of clothes.
2. If you're nursing, good for you! Nurse on take off and landing so as to baby's ear don't bother them too much. If you're not nursing, have some bottles in your carry on. I've yet to find an airline that will warm the bottle up for you, but they will let it sit in some hot water for a while, so that is helpful. If baby refuses the bottle, a pacifier will also do the trick.
3. Use a carrier!!!! My Ergo was my life-saver. I love that thing. The wraps work amazing too, but I've found that with nursing I easily heat up quickly, so the wrap makes me hot, and its hard to take off and put back on with an infant if you're by yourself (no one to hold baby for you while you wrap it around you a million times). Vs. the Ergo, which you can let hang off you and at least let your upper boday air out ;)
4. Have a couple small soft toys stashed somewhere easy to reach. I clipped a couple to my Ergo, along with a pacifier. When they are that small, the toy is mostly for you to dangle in front of them, or for them to hold and feel the softness of it.
3. Use a carrier!!!! My Ergo was my life-saver. I love that thing. The wraps work amazing too, but I've found that with nursing I easily heat up quickly, so the wrap makes me hot, and its hard to take off and put back on with an infant if you're by yourself (no one to hold baby for you while you wrap it around you a million times). Vs. the Ergo, which you can let hang off you and at least let your upper boday air out ;)
4. Have a couple small soft toys stashed somewhere easy to reach. I clipped a couple to my Ergo, along with a pacifier. When they are that small, the toy is mostly for you to dangle in front of them, or for them to hold and feel the softness of it.
5. Wear comfortable, loose clothing with slip on shoes. In the summer I wear flip slops, when it's colder I wear my Sperry's. I typically wear jeans and t-shirt. Ok, ok, ok, I wear sweat pants! Don't wear jewelry or a belt, it'll just be annoying having to take it off at security.
The most recent time we flew with M, she was 11 months going, and over a year coming back, so she was much more mobile and did not want to sit still. These are the years that get a little harder to make such long flights, but even if they scream the ENTIRE time (like M did), it's not the end of the world. I was mortified and felt terrible for the soldiers around us, all in uniform on there way home for a relaxing R&R, with a screaming baby beside them. But remember, no one is as flustered, irritated and annoyed as you, the mother! So just take a deep breath and try your hardest to soothe babe. There's gotta be something bothering and if you're on a 12 hr flight like I was, you have lots of time to figure out what's wrong. Unfortunately for me, it took the entire flight for M to fall asleep. I'll never understand why a baby doesn't just close it's eyes, it's so simple!!
Anyways....
Tips for traeling with a mobile toddler:
1. Ipad or some kind of mobile device that plays games, books, movies, tv shows. We try to limit M's screen time, but flights this long require screen time. We bought 2 episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba, and downloaded an episode of Curious Buddies, along with a ton of free apps for baby, and books.
2. Have lots of snacks on hand. Try bringing some new snacks too, it makes it bit more exciting. A good idea is to make a baby trail mix with different kinds of snacks thrown together, ex. puffs, un-salted pretzel sticks, yogurt drops, chex, cheerios, etc. Then babe gets a kick of each new item they pull out and the snack will take a bit longer to eat ;)
3. Have some board books and toys. Babe gets their own carry on, so I pack an entire backpack for M that has all her toys/ books, snacks and clothes in it. That way I'm not searching through a huge carry on with all our stuff.
4. Still have a carrier on hand. Even though M is 1 and an expert walker, I still utilize the Ergo. If she gets sleepy and has a hard time falling asleep, I put her in the Ergo, that way I can nap also without worrying about her waking up and leaving her seat, or someone snatching her (Ya, I know.....I have a crazy fear of that happening, all these darn movies about that). I also walk with an umbrella stroller for in the airport if there's a delay or you want to move around, but you're tired of carrying babe in the carrier. Then I just check the stroller at the gate. I've never travelled with the B.O.B stroller bc I'm terrified it'll get damaged, bt the umbrella stroller is nice and light and can strap to my suicase easily.
The most recent time we flew with M, she was 11 months going, and over a year coming back, so she was much more mobile and did not want to sit still. These are the years that get a little harder to make such long flights, but even if they scream the ENTIRE time (like M did), it's not the end of the world. I was mortified and felt terrible for the soldiers around us, all in uniform on there way home for a relaxing R&R, with a screaming baby beside them. But remember, no one is as flustered, irritated and annoyed as you, the mother! So just take a deep breath and try your hardest to soothe babe. There's gotta be something bothering and if you're on a 12 hr flight like I was, you have lots of time to figure out what's wrong. Unfortunately for me, it took the entire flight for M to fall asleep. I'll never understand why a baby doesn't just close it's eyes, it's so simple!!
Anyways....
Tips for traeling with a mobile toddler:
1. Ipad or some kind of mobile device that plays games, books, movies, tv shows. We try to limit M's screen time, but flights this long require screen time. We bought 2 episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba, and downloaded an episode of Curious Buddies, along with a ton of free apps for baby, and books.
2. Have lots of snacks on hand. Try bringing some new snacks too, it makes it bit more exciting. A good idea is to make a baby trail mix with different kinds of snacks thrown together, ex. puffs, un-salted pretzel sticks, yogurt drops, chex, cheerios, etc. Then babe gets a kick of each new item they pull out and the snack will take a bit longer to eat ;)
3. Have some board books and toys. Babe gets their own carry on, so I pack an entire backpack for M that has all her toys/ books, snacks and clothes in it. That way I'm not searching through a huge carry on with all our stuff.
4. Still have a carrier on hand. Even though M is 1 and an expert walker, I still utilize the Ergo. If she gets sleepy and has a hard time falling asleep, I put her in the Ergo, that way I can nap also without worrying about her waking up and leaving her seat, or someone snatching her (Ya, I know.....I have a crazy fear of that happening, all these darn movies about that). I also walk with an umbrella stroller for in the airport if there's a delay or you want to move around, but you're tired of carrying babe in the carrier. Then I just check the stroller at the gate. I've never travelled with the B.O.B stroller bc I'm terrified it'll get damaged, bt the umbrella stroller is nice and light and can strap to my suicase easily.
5. Wear loose, comfortable clothing again, but also pack a change clothes for you too. Toddlers spill constantly, and are always climbing all over you with their little grimy hands :p
Here are some pics of what I use:
Here are some pics of what I use:
The car seat is just my traveling car seat, it's super light and easy to use, unlike our huge gazillion pound convertible seat in the car. Anyways, I strap the car seat to that foldable trolly, and that's the exact umbrella stroller I have. My suitcase/ duffle bag has buckles on the side of it, and I strap the umbrella stroller in the buckles and make sure it's nice and tight. M goes in the Ergo, on my front, so I can use the front pocket of the Ergo for passports and tickets and money. Then her baby back pack on my back, and a gym back across my body for my carrier on. Seems like a lot, but it's quite easy once you get used to it. Plus, if you don't have a choice it's a lot easier as well ;)
And once you arrive at your destination and put all your stuff down, you'll be amazed at how much you carried, and so will everyone else! We truly are super women, us mamas!
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