It’s officially summer now, which means that many of you will probably be traveling with your children over the next few months. We’re taking the kids on their first trip to Europe at the end of August (don’t worry, you’ll get the play-by-play on how that goes, omg jet lag with kids?!).
We used to joke that traveling with small kids was like traveling with your drunk friends. It’s somehow more bearable when you can shrug off the left-behind personal effects, the inappropriate loudness, and the spilled drink and say “drunk friends!” to your adult travel companion. Now, with kids 11 and 14, it’s getting more like traveling with your hungover friends. For car travel, a designated, larger-than-you-think trashbag is important. No one leaves the car without collecting trash first.
I love the drunk friend reframing. My granddaughter lost her bus pass during the trip they are currently on. A kind bus driver let them on anyway. She begged to hold the next one and promised not to lose it (Narrator: she lost it). They started Uber-ing from there.
Hilarious! Reminds me of that short film from a few years back where they set up the toddler in a mini bar-like set to highlight just how much toddlers are like drunk people.
I subscribe to screen time free for all on planes, but to keep kids entertained at any other point during travels, including waiting at the gate and especially restaurants, I bring a “bag of fun” including a deck of cards, MadLibs, pens/markers, pad of paper, and random dollar store shit to entertain my beasts.
Also, we play this game a teacher friend of mine taught us: Divide a blank piece of paper (back of a menu works) into four with a pen. In each section, draw a random shape -- squiggly lines, a triangle, whatever. Then ask your kiddo to turn the shape into a drawing. So the squiggly line becomes a wave with a boat on top of it. Once my son turned a spiral into a snail. As they get older, the drawings get more and more elaborate. It's fun to see how creative they get with it (and sometimes a little competitive).
Ha, I eagerly clicked the motion sickness link then realized I'd read it at the time it came out without noticing the byline. We also give him unlimited Lifesavers or, if they're not available, Dum Dums, since someone suggested that chewing gum helps but he incessantly swallows gum. The second the flavor fades, he's done with it. (Best quote ever: "I need another piece of gum. I defeated this one.")
When there's any way we can swing it, we try for a suite or other arrangement that does not entail me and my husband sitting on the floor of the bathroom after the kid is in bed. But we still put in a lot of bathroom time. When we went to India with a 17-month-old we were eating room service in the bathroom every night. Honestly though it was still a lot better than staying with my husband's grandparents would have been.
And I think we've learned our lesson on letting him bring the smallest stuffed animals. Too easy for them to get tangled in the sheets of a hotel bed and carried away by housekeeping.
I would love a discussion on how people manage lodging on family trips. We got lucky on our current trip to Halifax, PEI, and New Brunswick using Marriott points. We suffered through one night in a single room with two double beds but after that I splurged on 2 connecting rooms or managed to score 2-room suites at Delta/Residence Inns. We’re at AirBnBs for the rest of our trip but I am hemorrhaging money. That said, I’ll eat PB&J for 2 meals a day to not have to lie still for hours, terrified of waking my kids, especially the grumpy one. Any other hacks for managing sleeping arrangements?
I’m firmly in the camp of traveling with small children is worth it, even though it means heavily managing your expectations, that you’re on a “trip,” not a vacation, yada yada. My 7-year old son is autistic and similar to the schedule suggestion, we always write him a social story ahead of longer trips so he knows where we’re going/staying, who we’re going to see, how long we’ll be gone, etc. It usually works really well to get him prepared and ready for new experiences.
My daughter and granddaughter (she’s 6) are on an extended trip in Australia this summer. My son in law was with them for the first week and my granddaughter was very sad when he came home. There have been equal parts “why did you bring me on this trip” and “this is the best day ever.” My daughter is just trying to roll with the moods. She’s scheduled chill days so not every day is go, go,go. They’ve found playgrounds in each location so there is a place to burn off energy. I think it will turn out to be a great memory for everyone.
Audiobooks have been really helpful for us on a lot of road trips. It keeps my kids from bickering and my one who is prone to motion sickness can look out the window and listen. They are 9 and 11 and are currently listening to the Spy Camp series and liking it.
Then when we get where we are going we typically bend screentime rules more than we do at home so that it feels like a break for us and a treat for them.
Also the podcast But Why: A podcast for curious kids! They might be a little old for it, probably depends on the topic. But my kiddo loves Spy Camp and he still likes But Why.
Just took our almost 2 year old to Portugal for a few weeks. We’ve also done some domestic travel in the US and South America, plus an international move when she was 10 months old. So, lots of experience traveling and moving around with a little one!
Firmly believe that a few solid pieces of good gear can change your life. We cannot live without her SlumberPod, for example. We always travel with her pack n play (Guava Travel Crib - it’s carry on size 🙌🏼), Slumberpod, and white noise machine. Our kid is NOT a naturally good sleeper. Like, she does NOT sleep in car seats or on airplanes. Ever. BUT, she’s never had a problem sleeping in a new place once we have her SlumberPod set up! She even slept in it for several months while we were moving overseas and waiting for our stuff to arrive.
Also, the BitsyBean baby carrier is amazing. Is it as comfortable as our bulkier, fancier carrier? Nope. But it packs down smaller and lighter than a kid’s water bottle, doesn’t get hot, and dries super fast. So worth it.
We always try to book Airbnbs when we can, with a separate bedroom or at least a little nook for her. After spending one trip trapped in dark and silence during naps and bedtime, we’ve really come to appreciate a separate sleep and living space! Also, a dishwasher and washing machine. Kids puke. Kid food stuff gets gross. Did I mention kids puke, especially in countries where all the Ubers have manual transitions on windy roads? Yeah, washing machine has saved our lives in several countries on several trips 😂
The other rules we live by are nothing new: packing cubes, unlimited screen time on planes , buy daytime diapers when you get there (but bring at least two days worth in your carry on - you never know). Changes of clothes and ALL THE SNACKS in carry ons for everyone. Multiple changes if you have someone who is easily motion sick.
We bring enough nighttime diapers for the length of our stay + airplanes or long car rides + a few extras on international trips, because those are less common in some countries.
Gate check bags for strollers and car seats, so they don’t get too beat up (if you need to bring them - if not, don’t!)
And don’t feel guilty about getting your kid McDonalds for dinner when you’re in some amazing culinary capital. Sometimes, we all just need a taste of home.
Wow what fantastic advice here - thank you! And omg, yes to bringing tons of diapers on your carry-on.... I have a very clear memory of having to carry a sleeping and very wet and smelly toddler off a very delayed airplane once and I vowed to never do that again!
We've traveled a lot with the kids, but never longer than a 2-hour flight or a 16 hour drive. Things that have helped us are: the largest size nighttime diapers for as long as they fit (after an unfortunate accident on a plane) and for us this was until my oldest was 7 years old, emesis bags for motion sickness, cheap toys like matchbox cars or new magic ink coloring book, etc. for distraction, their favorite snacks (this is huge for my youngest kid who has a hard time with a change in routine but having the same food/drinks is a big help and helps regulate him), managing expectations and being willing to change plans based on the kid/kids' needs, kids carrying their own backpack with their stuff in it including their favorite blanket and plush, unlimited screen time, eating in our hotel room/rental instead of a restaurant to minimize sensory overload, not over-scheduling ourselves--this usually means 1 activity/tour per day for our family, telling the kids the plans for the trip in advance and reminding them that we encourage them to voice their needs throughout, asking for their input when planning activities and food, and chewing gum when flying. I love reading everyone else's responses!
We just got back from a month-long road trip with our kids who are 6 years old, 4 years old, and 9 months old. This year we opted not to bring any screens for the kids and it worked out even better than I could have hoped! I think we got lucky because the kids were the exact right ages to try this -- my 6 year old just learned to read and is really excited about it, the 4 year old is developing motion sickness so she can’t really use a screen any more in the car anyway, and the baby is just happy she can see and hear her sisters. So the older kid read lots of books to her younger sisters, they colored and drew a ton, they played games like mad libs and license plate hunts, we all listened to music together, etc. Honestly their moods were sooo much better than when they’ve been watching tablets for hours. And their patience for long car rides was better, too! Not having the tablets along at all meant the kids didn’t beg for them all day every day, which was lovely. The toughest day for me was when I flew home solo with all three kids, to spare them the 2,500 mile drive. The kids needed a lot of entertaining on the airplane, and having their tablets would have probably been easier. We made it, though! And it was worth that one tough day to have the rest of the month be so wonderful!
Hotels are really hard for my kids because a hotel room is such a confined space. We opted for air bnbs this year, when we weren’t camping, and that worked out so much better (it was usually cheaper, too). Access to nature is key for us. The more seamless the transition between indoors and outdoors, the better. The best places for us this year had porches or patios where the kids could stage their games, line up rocks or shells, keep a snack to run back and munch on as they played.
Camping tips for 6 and 4 year olds: bring buckets and shovels. Those were the most-used playthings of the month, by far. Make sure everyone stays hydrated -- this was tough for us in Utah because we weren’t used to the dry heat. We have a couple hard rules when we camp: no food in the tent, ever; stay in sight of a grownup at all times unless you get explicit permission to go somewhere with a buddy; no throwing anything around the campsite (sand, rocks, water, balls, etc). Other than that it’s pretty much a free for all. The kids make their own fun and have a great time.
When our son was three, we took him to Switzerland. I was already there on assignment and my husband was flying solo with our kiddo. We made the travel really special. I bought him airplane pajamas in advance and he wore them for the first time on the plane. His bedtime story for about a month before the trip was a tick tock of how things were going to go: You're going to get on the plane, have dinner, change into pjs, watch a little movie, and go to sleep. When you wake up, we'll be in Zurich and mom will be at the gate with a chocolate croissant. It really helped prep him for the whole thing and he was a champ.
Last summer we took him to London and France. He was 7. Our first day in London, we just did one of those hop on, hop off tours. We were seeing things, but in a very low-key/non-exertion kind of way. He'd take a little cat nap (or we would) and then be back up and curious. It helped us manage the jet lag and decide on some of the things we wanted to go back and see/do when we were rested.
Our biggest problem last summer was how off we were with food and meals. We'd eat breakfast too late and that would push lunch. It would be 2:00 and we'd want lunch, but nothing was open. That inevitably led to a meltdown or argument because hanger is real. We're sorting out some strategies on food for this summer's trip. We'll see!
We’ve travelled abroad with our son (now a toddler) a few times, and I get a little better at it each time, which helps to reduce the travel anxiety (somewhat). The first time, I made the amateur mistake of trying to bring a big diaper bag into the airplane bathroom, and there was barely room to maneuver in there. What was I thinking!? It’s so much better to have a cross-body purse for quick-access essentials (Clorox wipes; Disposable Changing Mats; diapers; Wetwipes—not in the awkward pouch that they come in, but in a handy reusable travel pouch instead). Here are some other travel “wins” I’ve discovered:
• Tiny keychain squeeze light—for a nightlight at your destination
• Waterproof Pencil Pouches in a variety of colors—For less than $1 a piece, these are incredibly useful. Even with the best organization, things get moved around during the trip, so color-coded pouches are super helpful to be able to quickly identify and grab things. I had one for medicine, one for first aid, one for small toys, one for toddler toiletries, etc.
• Inflatable Foot Rest/Airplane Bed—We opted for the cheapest and smallest one, instead of the more elaborate ones that are more bed-like, and it was perfect.
• Travel Nest inflatable toddler pillow—Useful on the plane and on trains too!
• Headband-style child headphones (wireless)—comfortable enough to fall asleep in, and they can double as an eye mask
• A roll of dog waste bags—so handy for unexpected trash during the trip
• Sticker Book, WikkiStix, and Anti-Roll Crayons—Entertainment for the flight, and at restaurants during the vacation
• DaVinci Labs Sleep Tight Melatonin Spray—This is great for jetlag once you’re there, but can also be useful on the plane. One spray is enough, which is easy to manage even if they’re agitated.
• Ride Safer Travel Vest—A safe way to avoid having to carry a booster seat for every Uber ride
• GB Pockit+ All City Foldable Stroller—A lifesaver for travelling with bigger toddlers, and even useful back in our home town too!
• Tons of snacks--Freeze-dried fruit is a nice mess-free way to keep them busy, and prevent ear pressure during takeoff and landing
We seek out playgrounds and parks in the new cities that the kids can explore, as well as local versions of their favorite foods (ice cream, pastries, fruit).
One of our best ever vacation days was in San Francisco when my kids were 6, 8 and 12. We spent a day going to different playgrounds via public transportation. Walking through neighborhoods and finding food gave us a feel for so many different parts of the city, and my kids had such a good time. San Francisco also has some amazing parks.
We haven't traveled a lot with our kiddo, but once when she was almost two and once when she was almost three. I think our biggest win was getting the $60 cosco scenera carseat to take on the plane. It weighs about 7 pounds. It's easy to strap on a plane. It has no bells/whistles, but it's worth it to keep our kiddo contained on a plane. I don't love to fly, and we have a kid who doesn't sit still and loves to climb, and also has found the plane scary both times so far. Having her in a car seat was easily a good choice! We also planned ahead for outside space, packed painters tape (tape things over the blinds to black out rooms, cover up bright lights in hotels, for her to play with, it's really the ultimate thing), and made sure to have down time. We also did all screens all the time on the plane with zero regrets, and made sure to talk with her a lot about what sorts of things we were going to do and who we would see. It's definitely different than traveling before kids, but it's really fun to explore new places with her!
We used to joke that traveling with small kids was like traveling with your drunk friends. It’s somehow more bearable when you can shrug off the left-behind personal effects, the inappropriate loudness, and the spilled drink and say “drunk friends!” to your adult travel companion. Now, with kids 11 and 14, it’s getting more like traveling with your hungover friends. For car travel, a designated, larger-than-you-think trashbag is important. No one leaves the car without collecting trash first.
I love the drunk friend reframing. My granddaughter lost her bus pass during the trip they are currently on. A kind bus driver let them on anyway. She begged to hold the next one and promised not to lose it (Narrator: she lost it). They started Uber-ing from there.
Hilarious! Reminds me of that short film from a few years back where they set up the toddler in a mini bar-like set to highlight just how much toddlers are like drunk people.
LOL I love this.... and also tweens being acting like they are hungover all the time, 100%.
I subscribe to screen time free for all on planes, but to keep kids entertained at any other point during travels, including waiting at the gate and especially restaurants, I bring a “bag of fun” including a deck of cards, MadLibs, pens/markers, pad of paper, and random dollar store shit to entertain my beasts.
Great idea!
Also, we play this game a teacher friend of mine taught us: Divide a blank piece of paper (back of a menu works) into four with a pen. In each section, draw a random shape -- squiggly lines, a triangle, whatever. Then ask your kiddo to turn the shape into a drawing. So the squiggly line becomes a wave with a boat on top of it. Once my son turned a spiral into a snail. As they get older, the drawings get more and more elaborate. It's fun to see how creative they get with it (and sometimes a little competitive).
Our family goes through periods of lots of card games, and a deck of card has been so helpful while waiting.
Ha, I eagerly clicked the motion sickness link then realized I'd read it at the time it came out without noticing the byline. We also give him unlimited Lifesavers or, if they're not available, Dum Dums, since someone suggested that chewing gum helps but he incessantly swallows gum. The second the flavor fades, he's done with it. (Best quote ever: "I need another piece of gum. I defeated this one.")
When there's any way we can swing it, we try for a suite or other arrangement that does not entail me and my husband sitting on the floor of the bathroom after the kid is in bed. But we still put in a lot of bathroom time. When we went to India with a 17-month-old we were eating room service in the bathroom every night. Honestly though it was still a lot better than staying with my husband's grandparents would have been.
And I think we've learned our lesson on letting him bring the smallest stuffed animals. Too easy for them to get tangled in the sheets of a hotel bed and carried away by housekeeping.
As a side note, a weird thing on motion sickness is that it's not supposed to happen when they're babies, but our kid did get motion sick as a baby.
Agree - a suite makes SUCH a difference. I just wish they weren't so expensive sometimes!!
Amen.
I would love a discussion on how people manage lodging on family trips. We got lucky on our current trip to Halifax, PEI, and New Brunswick using Marriott points. We suffered through one night in a single room with two double beds but after that I splurged on 2 connecting rooms or managed to score 2-room suites at Delta/Residence Inns. We’re at AirBnBs for the rest of our trip but I am hemorrhaging money. That said, I’ll eat PB&J for 2 meals a day to not have to lie still for hours, terrified of waking my kids, especially the grumpy one. Any other hacks for managing sleeping arrangements?
I’m firmly in the camp of traveling with small children is worth it, even though it means heavily managing your expectations, that you’re on a “trip,” not a vacation, yada yada. My 7-year old son is autistic and similar to the schedule suggestion, we always write him a social story ahead of longer trips so he knows where we’re going/staying, who we’re going to see, how long we’ll be gone, etc. It usually works really well to get him prepared and ready for new experiences.
I love the idea of a social story!!!
My daughter and granddaughter (she’s 6) are on an extended trip in Australia this summer. My son in law was with them for the first week and my granddaughter was very sad when he came home. There have been equal parts “why did you bring me on this trip” and “this is the best day ever.” My daughter is just trying to roll with the moods. She’s scheduled chill days so not every day is go, go,go. They’ve found playgrounds in each location so there is a place to burn off energy. I think it will turn out to be a great memory for everyone.
Audiobooks have been really helpful for us on a lot of road trips. It keeps my kids from bickering and my one who is prone to motion sickness can look out the window and listen. They are 9 and 11 and are currently listening to the Spy Camp series and liking it.
Then when we get where we are going we typically bend screentime rules more than we do at home so that it feels like a break for us and a treat for them.
Yes to audiobooks! And also podcasts!
Also the podcast But Why: A podcast for curious kids! They might be a little old for it, probably depends on the topic. But my kiddo loves Spy Camp and he still likes But Why.
Yes! We’ve done that one too and they do like it!
Just took our almost 2 year old to Portugal for a few weeks. We’ve also done some domestic travel in the US and South America, plus an international move when she was 10 months old. So, lots of experience traveling and moving around with a little one!
Firmly believe that a few solid pieces of good gear can change your life. We cannot live without her SlumberPod, for example. We always travel with her pack n play (Guava Travel Crib - it’s carry on size 🙌🏼), Slumberpod, and white noise machine. Our kid is NOT a naturally good sleeper. Like, she does NOT sleep in car seats or on airplanes. Ever. BUT, she’s never had a problem sleeping in a new place once we have her SlumberPod set up! She even slept in it for several months while we were moving overseas and waiting for our stuff to arrive.
Also, the BitsyBean baby carrier is amazing. Is it as comfortable as our bulkier, fancier carrier? Nope. But it packs down smaller and lighter than a kid’s water bottle, doesn’t get hot, and dries super fast. So worth it.
We always try to book Airbnbs when we can, with a separate bedroom or at least a little nook for her. After spending one trip trapped in dark and silence during naps and bedtime, we’ve really come to appreciate a separate sleep and living space! Also, a dishwasher and washing machine. Kids puke. Kid food stuff gets gross. Did I mention kids puke, especially in countries where all the Ubers have manual transitions on windy roads? Yeah, washing machine has saved our lives in several countries on several trips 😂
The other rules we live by are nothing new: packing cubes, unlimited screen time on planes , buy daytime diapers when you get there (but bring at least two days worth in your carry on - you never know). Changes of clothes and ALL THE SNACKS in carry ons for everyone. Multiple changes if you have someone who is easily motion sick.
We bring enough nighttime diapers for the length of our stay + airplanes or long car rides + a few extras on international trips, because those are less common in some countries.
Gate check bags for strollers and car seats, so they don’t get too beat up (if you need to bring them - if not, don’t!)
And don’t feel guilty about getting your kid McDonalds for dinner when you’re in some amazing culinary capital. Sometimes, we all just need a taste of home.
Wow what fantastic advice here - thank you! And omg, yes to bringing tons of diapers on your carry-on.... I have a very clear memory of having to carry a sleeping and very wet and smelly toddler off a very delayed airplane once and I vowed to never do that again!
We've traveled a lot with the kids, but never longer than a 2-hour flight or a 16 hour drive. Things that have helped us are: the largest size nighttime diapers for as long as they fit (after an unfortunate accident on a plane) and for us this was until my oldest was 7 years old, emesis bags for motion sickness, cheap toys like matchbox cars or new magic ink coloring book, etc. for distraction, their favorite snacks (this is huge for my youngest kid who has a hard time with a change in routine but having the same food/drinks is a big help and helps regulate him), managing expectations and being willing to change plans based on the kid/kids' needs, kids carrying their own backpack with their stuff in it including their favorite blanket and plush, unlimited screen time, eating in our hotel room/rental instead of a restaurant to minimize sensory overload, not over-scheduling ourselves--this usually means 1 activity/tour per day for our family, telling the kids the plans for the trip in advance and reminding them that we encourage them to voice their needs throughout, asking for their input when planning activities and food, and chewing gum when flying. I love reading everyone else's responses!
Great suggestions - thank you!
We just got back from a month-long road trip with our kids who are 6 years old, 4 years old, and 9 months old. This year we opted not to bring any screens for the kids and it worked out even better than I could have hoped! I think we got lucky because the kids were the exact right ages to try this -- my 6 year old just learned to read and is really excited about it, the 4 year old is developing motion sickness so she can’t really use a screen any more in the car anyway, and the baby is just happy she can see and hear her sisters. So the older kid read lots of books to her younger sisters, they colored and drew a ton, they played games like mad libs and license plate hunts, we all listened to music together, etc. Honestly their moods were sooo much better than when they’ve been watching tablets for hours. And their patience for long car rides was better, too! Not having the tablets along at all meant the kids didn’t beg for them all day every day, which was lovely. The toughest day for me was when I flew home solo with all three kids, to spare them the 2,500 mile drive. The kids needed a lot of entertaining on the airplane, and having their tablets would have probably been easier. We made it, though! And it was worth that one tough day to have the rest of the month be so wonderful!
Hotels are really hard for my kids because a hotel room is such a confined space. We opted for air bnbs this year, when we weren’t camping, and that worked out so much better (it was usually cheaper, too). Access to nature is key for us. The more seamless the transition between indoors and outdoors, the better. The best places for us this year had porches or patios where the kids could stage their games, line up rocks or shells, keep a snack to run back and munch on as they played.
Camping tips for 6 and 4 year olds: bring buckets and shovels. Those were the most-used playthings of the month, by far. Make sure everyone stays hydrated -- this was tough for us in Utah because we weren’t used to the dry heat. We have a couple hard rules when we camp: no food in the tent, ever; stay in sight of a grownup at all times unless you get explicit permission to go somewhere with a buddy; no throwing anything around the campsite (sand, rocks, water, balls, etc). Other than that it’s pretty much a free for all. The kids make their own fun and have a great time.
So much great info here, thank you! And I'm so impressed the kids were so great at going screen-free!
When our son was three, we took him to Switzerland. I was already there on assignment and my husband was flying solo with our kiddo. We made the travel really special. I bought him airplane pajamas in advance and he wore them for the first time on the plane. His bedtime story for about a month before the trip was a tick tock of how things were going to go: You're going to get on the plane, have dinner, change into pjs, watch a little movie, and go to sleep. When you wake up, we'll be in Zurich and mom will be at the gate with a chocolate croissant. It really helped prep him for the whole thing and he was a champ.
Last summer we took him to London and France. He was 7. Our first day in London, we just did one of those hop on, hop off tours. We were seeing things, but in a very low-key/non-exertion kind of way. He'd take a little cat nap (or we would) and then be back up and curious. It helped us manage the jet lag and decide on some of the things we wanted to go back and see/do when we were rested.
Our biggest problem last summer was how off we were with food and meals. We'd eat breakfast too late and that would push lunch. It would be 2:00 and we'd want lunch, but nothing was open. That inevitably led to a meltdown or argument because hanger is real. We're sorting out some strategies on food for this summer's trip. We'll see!
We’ve travelled abroad with our son (now a toddler) a few times, and I get a little better at it each time, which helps to reduce the travel anxiety (somewhat). The first time, I made the amateur mistake of trying to bring a big diaper bag into the airplane bathroom, and there was barely room to maneuver in there. What was I thinking!? It’s so much better to have a cross-body purse for quick-access essentials (Clorox wipes; Disposable Changing Mats; diapers; Wetwipes—not in the awkward pouch that they come in, but in a handy reusable travel pouch instead). Here are some other travel “wins” I’ve discovered:
• Tiny keychain squeeze light—for a nightlight at your destination
• Waterproof Pencil Pouches in a variety of colors—For less than $1 a piece, these are incredibly useful. Even with the best organization, things get moved around during the trip, so color-coded pouches are super helpful to be able to quickly identify and grab things. I had one for medicine, one for first aid, one for small toys, one for toddler toiletries, etc.
• Inflatable Foot Rest/Airplane Bed—We opted for the cheapest and smallest one, instead of the more elaborate ones that are more bed-like, and it was perfect.
• Travel Nest inflatable toddler pillow—Useful on the plane and on trains too!
• Headband-style child headphones (wireless)—comfortable enough to fall asleep in, and they can double as an eye mask
• A roll of dog waste bags—so handy for unexpected trash during the trip
• Sticker Book, WikkiStix, and Anti-Roll Crayons—Entertainment for the flight, and at restaurants during the vacation
• DaVinci Labs Sleep Tight Melatonin Spray—This is great for jetlag once you’re there, but can also be useful on the plane. One spray is enough, which is easy to manage even if they’re agitated.
• Ride Safer Travel Vest—A safe way to avoid having to carry a booster seat for every Uber ride
• GB Pockit+ All City Foldable Stroller—A lifesaver for travelling with bigger toddlers, and even useful back in our home town too!
• Tons of snacks--Freeze-dried fruit is a nice mess-free way to keep them busy, and prevent ear pressure during takeoff and landing
We seek out playgrounds and parks in the new cities that the kids can explore, as well as local versions of their favorite foods (ice cream, pastries, fruit).
One of our best ever vacation days was in San Francisco when my kids were 6, 8 and 12. We spent a day going to different playgrounds via public transportation. Walking through neighborhoods and finding food gave us a feel for so many different parts of the city, and my kids had such a good time. San Francisco also has some amazing parks.
We haven't traveled a lot with our kiddo, but once when she was almost two and once when she was almost three. I think our biggest win was getting the $60 cosco scenera carseat to take on the plane. It weighs about 7 pounds. It's easy to strap on a plane. It has no bells/whistles, but it's worth it to keep our kiddo contained on a plane. I don't love to fly, and we have a kid who doesn't sit still and loves to climb, and also has found the plane scary both times so far. Having her in a car seat was easily a good choice! We also planned ahead for outside space, packed painters tape (tape things over the blinds to black out rooms, cover up bright lights in hotels, for her to play with, it's really the ultimate thing), and made sure to have down time. We also did all screens all the time on the plane with zero regrets, and made sure to talk with her a lot about what sorts of things we were going to do and who we would see. It's definitely different than traveling before kids, but it's really fun to explore new places with her!