Oh, no! Do you have some traveling with a toddler coming up? No worries, I got you covered! After the thousands of miles flown and driven, we have this down to almost an art form. Well, we are dealing with small children, so let’s go with organized chaos! Ha!
This handy guide with some quick and easy tips for traveling with a toddler by plane or car, plus a couple of bonus tips will help you arrive safely and sanely wherever you may travel. These the three tips for traveling with a toddler will help to make the journey a bit smoother for all parties.
Bonus tip before I share the details: first off, breathe. It is not as hard as you think, I promise.
Three Tips for Traveling with a Toddler
Tip 1
Snacks! Have a lot of them! As simple as that but a key thing to remember is mess-level. Pouches are great for airplanes during takeoff and landing to help with the changes in cabin pressure. Snack mixes, homemade or store-bought, in small
- Animal crackers (our favorite are from Costco)
- Pepperidge Farm goldfish or Annie’s Organic Cheddar Bunnies
- Dried fruit, such as raisins.
If you are going the homemade route use a reusable plastic sandwich meat container, it keeps things from getting crushed. And can double as a maraca.
Tip 2
Activities! I create my own toddler activity bags for every trip. They do not have to be fancy or expensive, but they do need to have “new” to the toddler things in them. Click here to access an article with a step-by-step guide. Word of advice, always count how many crayons you dole out and get returned, nobody has time for a melted crayon.
Tip 3
Take breaks! Yes, the trip will feel like it is taking forever but your sanity and their sanity depends on it. If you trip involves plane travel, a walk to the back of the plane to visit the flight attendants is a great break from sitting in the row for hours. Traveling in the car, bring along a ball to play a quick game of catch or soccer when you stop to hit up the bathroom.
One more bonus tip!
Ask for help or take offers of help! You do not have to be Super Mom (or Dad). If your stranger-danger radar dings, politely decline, otherwise if that adorable old woman who says she has five hundred grandchildren wants to play peek-a-boo with your kid, do it! That nice man who offers to put your bag in the overhead, say “yes, please, and thank you!”
Want to share travel woes? Please feel free to drop me a line, comment! I am sure we can trade funny/horrible toddler travel stories along with all the other fun we get into.
