5 Tips for Traveling with Babies and Toddlers
Can you believe we are already in MAY! Where has this year gone?
I guess staying at home doesn’t really slow downtime now, does it? If anything, the days, weeks, and months have flown by faster than ever before, at least in my opinion. Last summer was a blur as we were quarantined at home and staying safe. This summer may be a little different with more travel but still taking precautions and safety measures.
I know we have a few summer travel plans. How about you? Did you know that my daughter had been on more than 20 flights before she turned 1! 🤯
We did A LOT of traveling in her first two years because we wanted to take advantage of her free flight status as much as possible. Comment below if you also did this with your children and be sure to list all the places you visited with them.
We learned so much about traveling with littles during our trips. Looking back, I wonder how we even had the energy to do it because these days it’s a struggle to even travel to the next city with two littles. The picture below is from Samaira’s first international trip to India when she was only 5 months old.
Here are FIVE TIPS to help you during your next trip with your littles:
Book a house/condo instead of a hotel if possible. Or better yet, stay with family/friends. This will give you more space especially if you have more than 1 child. If a hotel is your only option then try to get a room that has a separate living space and bedroom. Some hotels that have this are Embassy Suites, Hyatt House, and Fairfield Inn and Suites just to name a few.
If you are flying, then book a flight around the child’s sleep time. For example, if your child naps from 11-2 then try to book a flight during those times so they can sleep on the plane. If this is not a possibility, then you can also book an evening flight since they are less excited and tend to have less energy in the evenings.
Bring a baby carrier such as a wrap (for infants) or an ergobaby (for older babies and toddlers). If you are flying then I would also recommend wearing your baby throughout the airport to make it easier to go through security. Some flights also allow you to keep the carrier on throughout the flight while others make you take it off during takeoff and landing. Keeping your baby in the carrier also makes naps and nursing sessions a little easier on the flights.
Bring tons of snacks, milk, games, coloring/sticker books, and headphones (for older children). This is a given for all modes of transportation- planes and cars. If you allow screen time then you might also want to bring your device to play a movie or show for your children. Be sure to download it in advance onto the device though in case the internet service is patchy.
If you are driving with potty-trained children or even those in pull-ups that you are currently potty training, I would suggest keeping a portable potty seat in the car. This has greatly helped us on some recent road trips because we would just have my 3.5-year-old sit in the portable potty, do her business, then we would dispose of it in a plastic bag and throw it away. You can even wrap a plastic bag onto the potty that way they do their business directly into the plastic bag. Makes clean up a lot easier if you ask me.
Here is a list of things I recommend packing for your littles while traveling:
In order to keep some normalcy and consistency, I would recommend packing some toys, books, and stuffed animals to remind them of home. Packing a few bath toys can also be helpful.
The slumberpod is great to put over a pack ‘n play, toddler cot, or mini crib. It helps maintain darkness and is great for hotel rooms or other shared spaces. I personally always pack it on all trips just in case I need it. Fits perfectly into a carry-on bag. You can use code NESTEDTORESTEDSLEEP for 5% off if you are interested in purchasing one for your next trip.
Whitenoise is KEY to block out any excess noise. In our case, it would be my preschooler. Our favorite is the Hatch. It’s perfect to travel with and can be easily controlled through an app on my phone. The Hushh one is great to keep attached to car seats/strollers when on the go.
Bring sleep sacks and any other bedtime essentials like loveys, stuffed animals, and blankets that your kids are attached to. This will help them adjust to the new sleeping environment and bring them comfort by reminding them of home.
I always recommend traveling with a thermometer especially during this current COVID era. Remember to check temps morning and evening just in case. Better to be safe than sorry.
If you are staying in a hotel room then you may not need a camera but we always travel with one if we rent a condo or house to help keep an eye on the baby/kids. Our Nanit travels great and even comes with a portable travel stand for the camera which is great.
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