What was your experience traveling with your baby/toddler?

Q. Any tips from your personal experience would be great. Can you also say what age your baby was the first time you traveled with him/her & how you prefer to travel? Etc...

Also, what are some items you would recommend (or you think are absolutely necessary) for traveling with a 6 month old baby? & Do you think it would it be better to drive or take a plane or train?

Thanks :)

Answer
We have traveled by plane and car several times with our infants and toddlers. Very often we visit my parents in Toronto during the winter break, and with seven children, we have brought our fair share of small children back and forth at least once every year.

My tips are pretty common-sense and are probably things you have already considered, but here they are:

1. Bring some plastic bags that are easy to reach during the trip. Why? Because children get messy and a garbage container isn't always close by. Dirty undies, half eaten goodies, wipes, wet clothes... all these things are likely to happen with little ones and you don't want to be puzzled and grossed out while trying to put these things away.

2. Make sure you pack medication in an easy to reach place in your bag. Prescriptions meds go without saying. Things like tylenol, cough syrup, aspirin for you, a thermometer and band-aids could be your life savers. I don't always use them, but the few times I forgot to bring them were the time I needed them urgently.

3. Do not stuff your bags or trunks with toys, coloring books and movies for the children. By the end of the trip you are likely to realize that most of the stuff you carried went unnoticed and it only robbed you of space and energy by having to carry them around. Plus, some things might get lost if you bring tons of things. If your child is old enough, involves him or her in choosing which toys will come and which will wait at home. If your baby is too little, bring a blankie or something to help him or her sleep and a small trinket to keep them entertained.

4. If you are flying and/or if it is desirable, divide the family into two groups for the trip. We do this when we need to be very practical. My husband or I leave first with most of the luggage and the older children, and the other one follows a few days later with the little children. It isn't the idealized image of a happy family trip with road-trip songs and fun, but it gets us where we want to go quickly and more relaxed. That way, we only have to focus on a few things instead of having to juggle everything at the same time.

5. Bring fresh, comfort food for the trip. We always bring our own lunches and fruits, regardless of the means of transportation. Something dry and easy to eat for the kids is my best bet.

6. If your child is old enough to understand, explain the logistics of the trip. Even if it seems pointless, it helps a little to run over the new things they will be facing (airport crowd, homeland security, long hours sitting inside the car) and also announce that potty time is going to be trickier than usual.

7. If you are traveling by plane or train, ask the travel agency about family-friendly seats. I prefer them. Sitting with other children keeps the kids happier and also spares us most of the anguish of facing annoyed adult fellow-travelers.

I love to travel by train, but the chances are rare and far-between. Driving is fun for certain occassions. If we have plenty of time to get to our destination and it is reasonably close, we will get the old suburban out of the garage and enjoy a family trip. I love the plane because it is quick, but the overall experience of airport, airport security and the plane itself isn't fun for the kids or for us.

Have fun and good luck with your trip.

Any tips on travelling with babies/toddlers?

siwso

I will be taking a 5hr flight when my son is 12months and again when he is 15months. What is your experience of flights with kids? What is the best time of day to fly? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Answer
If you're son is a calm baby, you should be ok. If he gets cranky often and screams his head off, you have to be careful. They COULD kick you off the plane! Dr. Phil had a guest on yesterday, that was kicked off a plane before it even took off! Crazy! Just take a bunch of little toys and snacks. Things you KNOW that he likes.
AND, he probably will sleep, if he usually sleeps in the car. My toddlers sleep on our 6hr car ride to Delaware and do really well with it.

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traveling with a 20 month old toddler?

joolsnbump

I am taking my 20 month old daughter on holiday to USA next month and it will be a 7 hour flight from London Heathrow to Boston Logan Airport. Obviously since she is under 2 she will be sitting on my knee the whole time. Does anybody have any ideas on things to keep her occupied for the flight as it is a long time for her to be sat still. Also, we have to be at the airport at 4.30 am so what is the best thing to do? Put her in bed in light clothing and try keep her alseep for the journey to airport or still put her pjs on and get her up as normal?

Answer
Traveling will exhausting enough even w/o baby, so by all means let her sleep through as much of it as possible.

I'm not psychic, but I'll bet I can speak collectively for all passengers on board that they'd prefer sleeping child in comfy P.J.'s to a well dressed crying & fussy child.

When ever she wakes up, you can keep her BZ by pointing out new things around her at airport & while on jet. Show her the light, the air flow nozzle, the window. Describe how you are up in the sky where the birds fly. Lots of new & learning conversation.

Meal service will be another distraction and time to keep her BZ.
Bring favorite books & a new brightly colored book. Read with expression & animation. This may be a bit intrusive to other's ears, but again, much better than crying. After mel & stories, take her for a walk to bathroom. Hold her hand & let this be a slow process. She should be interested in every person she passes. Let her be. It's more exciting for her & walk gives her some activity. If aisle is crowded, pick her up & step back into seat area to let others pass. Do not shorten walk. the purpose is for her activity. Go to bathroom. Show her all the features. Be amazed that water comes from faucet. Let her see toilet flush. Give her a tissue to hold. Proceed back to seat just as slowly. (If you're close to bathroom, make trip to other end of jet & then back to bathroom and seat.)

When returned to seat. Can play, "Where's Mommy's nose? Where's your nose? Touch my ear, touch your ear. Touch something pink. Show me a bunny (if on her PJ's)..." Then feign tired with some yawns. Ask her to help put you to sleep. (Rub Mommy's face. Pat my neck...) Maybe you can get her into one more nap B4 landing. If she fidgets, talk about each person she saw on her "walk." Inform how everyone was quiet. (He was reading his book very quiet. She was playing on her computer very quiet. No one was mad at the lady who was knitting very quietly. You are being very quiet & everybody likes your good behavior...)

Have a doll that she can dress & undress, tie shoe, put barrette in hair. Help her get dolly ready for deplaning.

Other toys without noise as back up.
Keep talking to her while awake. If she fusses to do something not appropriate, explain why it's not a good idea now and quickly distract with what she CAN do. ("No we can not take another walk b/c it's somebody else's turn, but you can help dolly get her new dress on for when we get off of the plane. Where did mommy put her dress?" -- Let her look through travel bag.)

If awake for landing, get her excited to watch & feel things as plane comes down from sky like a bird does, "Let's see how it's different on a plane!" Talk her through it. Talk about things you will get to do when off of the plane. ("We will have to find our luggage. There is a big circle that moves. Will you help mommy find our bags on the moving circle?") Again, step by step. All details. Keeps her expectations up. She'll know what to expect. She may have her own questions that will add to keeping her entertained.
Ask her questions to keep her mind working on solution instead of her restricted movement. ("What was the color of our bags? How many did we bring? Do you think it will be cold when we get off of the plane? What else does dolly need to be ready to go?") Note: She does not need to know answer to the questions. It's all about keeping her mind BZ. Wears you out, but worth it to keep child happy & other passengers comfortable for such a long trip.

I did this ONCE with 10 month old. Even though she could not speak, she could understand words & they seemed to keep her mind BZ. But that was one, mentally exhausting trip for me.

Has anyone got any advice on travelling with a baby(4 mths) and a toddler(2 yrs)?

rae

I am due to fly from Australia to the U.k soon. Does anyone know of any websites or have any hints how to make this flight as painless as possible, Very worried about flying too.

Answer
Toddler:
-get her in a good hype about the journey. make sure that she is informed of all the things which will happen on the way, so that she is not frightened by anyhting unexpected.
-let her take her own little bag with her favorite toy, her pacifiers, her books, her crayons etc
-do not change her sleep schedule to fit around the journey. it is mor elikely to backfire and leave you with a cranky, irritable child.
-take - separately -
*a sippy cup for water. juice may give her a sugar high and causes terribly sticky spills
*spare pacifiers
*2 security blankets or whatever she uses, if any
*little notebook for scribbling
*spare clothes
*wipes for hands and faces
* sugar and stick free snacks - carrot sticks, pretzels, cucumbers. make sure you take some of the favorites for comfort and some new ones to relieve boredom
*diapers (if she is toilet trained, you might want to put herin diapaers for the journey)
-let her run around the terminal as much as possible so that she is not fed up of sitting. board the plane last, even thought the stewards will encourage you to board first.
-use a stroller to get around and for luggage etc

baby
-keep to her sleep schedule
-request and confrim a basinet and dont let them make you board the plane if you dont have one. we once were told that they could not give us one even though we confirmed it and we refused to board. believe me, they found us one fast
-take a blanket for the bassinet. the ones they give are rough and too large. it will come in handy for the cold airport terminal
-take bottles of sterile water (if bottle feeding) and small bags with pre-measured formula. take at least 2 more than you reckon you will need
-take a sling or baby pouch for the airport so you can keep your hands free. it is also useful for the plane if the baby wont settle in the bassinet
-you can always ask for hot water on the plane to heat the bottle. just pour it into the bottle before you add formula, shake and test, and then add formula
-remember to take diapers and wipes

general
-pack hand luggage in a bag with a lot of pockets so you can keep it all neat and handy. if you find the time every so often, neaten the bag so that it is all handy for those times when both kids need something fast
-take your money and passports in a small fanny pack for ease of use and to avoid you needing to take all the luggage into the toilets...
-take a bottle of water for yourself so that you dont need to go find drinks. make sure that you are well rested and hydrated before the flight
-ignore other passengers when they stare at you when you kids is crying or whatever - you will never see them again :)

good luck!

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What was your experience traveling with your baby/toddler?

travel toys for babies and toddlers image

Any tips from your personal experience would be great. Can you also say what age your baby was the first time you traveled with him/her & how you prefer to travel? Etc...

Also, what are some items you would recommend (or you think are absolutely necessary) for traveling with a 6 month old baby? & Do you think it would it be better to drive or take a plane or train?

Thanks :)

Answer
We have traveled by plane and car several times with our infants and toddlers. Very often we visit my parents in Toronto during the winter break, and with seven children, we have brought our fair share of small children back and forth at least once every year.

My tips are pretty common-sense and are probably things you have already considered, but here they are:

1. Bring some plastic bags that are easy to reach during the trip. Why? Because children get messy and a garbage container isn't always close by. Dirty undies, half eaten goodies, wipes, wet clothes... all these things are likely to happen with little ones and you don't want to be puzzled and grossed out while trying to put these things away.

2. Make sure you pack medication in an easy to reach place in your bag. Prescriptions meds go without saying. Things like tylenol, cough syrup, aspirin for you, a thermometer and band-aids could be your life savers. I don't always use them, but the few times I forgot to bring them were the time I needed them urgently.

3. Do not stuff your bags or trunks with toys, coloring books and movies for the children. By the end of the trip you are likely to realize that most of the stuff you carried went unnoticed and it only robbed you of space and energy by having to carry them around. Plus, some things might get lost if you bring tons of things. If your child is old enough, involves him or her in choosing which toys will come and which will wait at home. If your baby is too little, bring a blankie or something to help him or her sleep and a small trinket to keep them entertained.

4. If you are flying and/or if it is desirable, divide the family into two groups for the trip. We do this when we need to be very practical. My husband or I leave first with most of the luggage and the older children, and the other one follows a few days later with the little children. It isn't the idealized image of a happy family trip with road-trip songs and fun, but it gets us where we want to go quickly and more relaxed. That way, we only have to focus on a few things instead of having to juggle everything at the same time.

5. Bring fresh, comfort food for the trip. We always bring our own lunches and fruits, regardless of the means of transportation. Something dry and easy to eat for the kids is my best bet.

6. If your child is old enough to understand, explain the logistics of the trip. Even if it seems pointless, it helps a little to run over the new things they will be facing (airport crowd, homeland security, long hours sitting inside the car) and also announce that potty time is going to be trickier than usual.

7. If you are traveling by plane or train, ask the travel agency about family-friendly seats. I prefer them. Sitting with other children keeps the kids happier and also spares us most of the anguish of facing annoyed adult fellow-travelers.

I love to travel by train, but the chances are rare and far-between. Driving is fun for certain occassions. If we have plenty of time to get to our destination and it is reasonably close, we will get the old suburban out of the garage and enjoy a family trip. I love the plane because it is quick, but the overall experience of airport, airport security and the plane itself isn't fun for the kids or for us.

Have fun and good luck with your trip.

Does anyone have the book Baby Bargains Secrets to Savings?

mommy2sam

I am looking for booster car seat information that is in "Toddler Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Toddler Furniture, Clothing, Shoes, Travel Gear, Toys and More". I have looked at the book store and library. I really don't want to buy one because when I looked at the table of contents this is the only section I was wondering about. If anyone is willing to share this information with me I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

Answer
Check out www.paperbackswap.com. You have to sign up (it's free) to participate, but I think you can browse the catalogs without signing in.

You get 3 book credits upon signing up and posting some of your own books for swapping, and you can then "order" the book(s) you want and it should arrive in a few days.

Good luck.

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What toys are a must for a toddler on a plane?

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March

If you flew with a toddler ( 18 months ), what kept your little one occupied for a while? We have a long overseas flight ahead of us.I expect he won't sit for 8 hours, but I would like to find out what are some best little toys to pack. Thank you so much for the tips!

Answer
Portable DVD player.
Stickers.
Play-dough.
Colouring books but be prepared to have to keep crouching down on to the floor to pick up the crayons.
Etch-a-sketch is handy.
Little story books and her favourite teddy.
A good idea is to wrap up little toys in gift-wrap and put them in a bag and every half hour or so let her choose one.
Bring plenty of drinks and snacks.
His little ears might hurt so make sure you have a bottle or soother or something similar for him to suck on when taking off and landing.
It can be a nightmare travelling with babies so just ignore anyone who tut tuts about his making noise. It seems like a long flight but you'll get there in the end! Good luck.

What do you do about car seats & strollers when you travel?

ck

I'm thinking of packing up the car seat and checking it in. Then taking an umbrella stroller on board. The problem is hauling the car seat around along with the rest of my bags plus the baby! Is there a better solution? I'm traveling with my 20 month old toddler. Thanks!

Answer
This sounds like Deja Vu! I just flew in May when my daughter was 19 months old and I had to think about all of that as well. Here's what we did and it worked great!!! We checked her luggage in with all of the other suitcases because we didn't need it on the plane. She sat on our laps, we didn't buy her her own seat. Is your toddler in their own seat? If so, then they'll have to sit in the carseat. However, at the end of each flight, I would ask the flight attendant if they're able to transport the seat to the connecting flight's plane, that way, when you arrive at the gate to board the plane, it's there and you just have to install it. I would think that they could easily do it! They move luggage to the connecting flight after all!!! As for the stroller, I brought my normal full size stroller because it was more comfortable for my daughter so that she could lay back and sleep. When you check in explain to them that you need to "gate check" your stroller. They'll give you a tag to put on your stroller so that you/they can identify it. When you go to board the plane, you just take out your toddler, break down your stroller, and leave it right there. They'll take it and store it in a special compartment below the plane. When you land, they automatically bring your stroller out so the moment you step off the plane into that connecting hallway, it's right there! It was so convenient and hassle free to fly that way. I know you didn't ask about this...but here's some other flying pointers that worked for me. I went to the dollar store and bought cheap little toys and stuff and I wouldn't let my daughter see it until the day ofthe flight, that way it was something new for her to play with. Also, if you have a portable DVD player I recommend you bring it. My daughter just sat on our laps and watched her movies most of the flights. Good luck flying!!!

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Any advices for traveling on an international flight with a baby and a preschooler?

travel toys for babies and toddlers image

Mod W

I am wondering if anyone could give me an advice for traveling on an international flight with a baby and a preschooler? I am planning a trip to visit my family in Thailand at the beginning of next year. My children will be 3 years old, and 4 months old. It is scaring to think about being alone with 2 little ones on a 20 hours flight from US to Thailand. Please let me know. I need an advance suggestions to prepare. Which airline is the best for traveling with the children?

Answer
bring some toys (noiseless ones would be very much appreciated by fellow flyers). Try to time your babies feeding so that it is happening during take off. Helps stop ears from popping and therefore no crying.

Bring books to read for them, snacks are good too. you may want to bring a comfy pillow for your toddler as the ones on the plane aren't comfy.

20 hour is an insanely long flight for them. wow! good luck. But just try to bring as many comforts of home and as many things to keep them amused as possible.

Good luck!

What is the best way for a toddler to sleep on a plane?

Kaytee

I will be soon travelling alone internationally with my 16 month old daughter. She will be on my lap. When she was a baby, she could sleep in an airplane bassinet during flights, but now she won't fit. I am wondering, how can I make her sleep longer and more comfortably on my lap? What position would you recommend? She's a bit of a fussy toddler, so I expect it may be hard to put her down.

Also, any other life-saving tips for toddler air travel?

Answer
the people who said give your baby benedryl before the flight got a lot of thumbs down, but it really wont hurt. I wasn't too crazy about that idea when I was going to fly with my son at that age for the 1st time so I asked his pediatrician if that's ok. He said yes its totally fine and they told me exactly how much to give. It goes by weight, so to keep your sanity you may want to try it. It wont hurt her, unless she's one of those freakish kids who has the opposite reaction to benedryl and bounces off the walls. toys work for a little bit but cramming a toddler into a small space like an airplane seat confined to your lap.....youre going to want her asleep. As far as what position...I asked the flight attendant for a pillow and then i opened up the little tray in front of me, put the pillow on it and my lap...his head was on my lap his legs up on the tray part. it was a 5 hour flight and most of it went smooth since he was sleeping. When he was awake he kept trying to get off my lap and was kicking the giant guy next to us :)

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