5 Things I Bring With Me When I Fly With My 2-Year-Old — and 3 Things I Leave Behind
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Traveling anywhere, for any period of time, can be stressful for even the most frequent of fliers. Traveling with a toddler or other small child? Forget it. Kids don’t like to sit still, are prone to make huge messes, and have limited patience for being cooped up in one place. But if you haven’t been on vacation or seen a loved one in a year and a half, or more, what do you do?
You take the plunge and fly.
I am originally from the United Kingdom and my husband works in aviation, and so before our now-toddler turned one, he had already clocked his fair share of air time. Because of this, and many (many) mistakes we’ll chalk up to a learning curve, I’ve become quite the expert in traveling with a toddler. These are our family’s must-haves — and must-have-nots — to get from point A to point B in the least stressful way possible.
Things to Bring:
A sense of humor
No matter how long the flight, traveling with a toddler is not easy. Before you even get on the plane you have to lug them to the airport, check in, navigate security, find your gate, grab a bathroom break and, in all likelihood, deal with a few airport personnel who do not think your child is the cute little button you know they are. This is why before you even think about physical items, check yourself first.
If you go into the day expecting stress, you’ll find it at every turn. Instead, try and lighten up. Your kid spills their entire water bottle before getting to the airport? Hilarious! The TSA agent expects you to take off your shoes and unpack your bag while simultaneously holding your baby at all times? LOL! A blowout rears its stinky head minutes before boarding ends? These are the days. Things are going to happen, so take a deep breath and let them roll off your back.
Food for a small army
Take the normal amount of snacks you’d usually take for your family, then multiply it by three. I’m not sure if it’s because time stands still in airports, or boredom in the air turns into hunger in the body, but whatever the reason, my family tends to consume travel snacks at record-setting rates. And given how expensive airport food can be, thinking ahead can save you money in the long run.
Some easily transportable options we like to carry are Annie’s Original Snack Mix, Whenever Bars, blueberries and apple slices, and fruit snacks. Whatever you bring, decant them into sturdy snack pots, such as Hydro Flask’s Food Jars, before you leave. It makes packing the day of so much easier, less food is destroyed, and you can also use the pots while you’re on vacation. Quality pots are on the pricier end, but they keep hot things hot, cold things cold, and you’ll only have to replace them if your kid throws them to the side at the exact moment you’re not looking.
Sensibly-sized toys and games
There’s a lot of hanging around involved in a travel day, which means there’s also a lot of time to use up. Packing a variety of toys and games is key, but stick to this one rule: Don’t pack anything your kiddo can’t easily carry themself. Items like small action figures, toy cars, and farmyard animals all come in travel-size proportions, and also fit well into kid backpacks (just be sure the toys don’t have any easy-to-break or swallow pieces!). My toddler loves to be assigned a task, and carrying his own backpack — especially if it’s filled with only toys — is a perfect job for his power-hungry brain. Some other great options are Melissa & Doug’s Water Wow coloring pads, which use water instead of felt tips for no-mess situations, and reusable stickers. There’s also the iPad, obviously, but you’re better off carrying that one yourself.
Read the full story: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/toddler-travel-essentials-36951499