Successful travel with kids is dependent on so many factors. From weather, to moods, to naps it´s really beautiful when everything comes together to make a holiday a pleasant memory for all family members. I recently flew from Europe to the United States on my own with my three kids age 5, 2, and 9 months. I wanted to share some tips that I used to make our journey a success.
1) Toys for travel
I went to the junk bin at a second hand market and I gathered a variety of items. You know those little toys you don’t ever want in your house collecting at the bottom of the bin, but the kids love to play with? I tried to find things in pairs, so if one was getting smurf figurines, the other would be as well, to avoid arguments.
Here you see my organisation. I wrote my child´s name and numbered the gifts so they would get the similar toys at the same time. They went into the planes with empty backpacks and by the time we landed they were full of goodies. Some ideas of the toys I gave were small figurines, small compartments for storing said figurines, jacobs latter style manipulating toys, little plastic animals that suction onto plastic (plane windows, tray tables etc). Other essentials I would say are these Water Wow books by Melissa and Doug. If you haven’t used them yet I highly recommend them. With a little bit of water in the pens the kids can uncover hidden characters around the page, the thick paper dries and they are reusable. Also sticker or activity books are perfect for travel. They each had a handful of markers or crayons in an easily accessible zipper in their backpacks. If you don’t want to buy new toys you can just wrap up old ones. The fact that things are wrapped make them more enticing even if its a toy they already know. I did that for another flight and my son liked to make a game of guessing which of his toys was wrapped in each bundle.
Other toys not pictured are UNO, guessing games, I spy. We would try to guess animals by describing them without words. We would count everything in sight, play with every compartment and latch in our vicinity. Bags and pouches for collecting things, my son is a big collector we never leave home without a few cloth sacks.
2) I don’t recommend traveling with an iPad or tablet
Perhaps if you have one child taking an iPad works, I prefer to avoid arguments so I opt out of taking them. It’s important to note that for most long distance flights there is a tv with some children’s show or film on. I do recommend getting a set of kids headphones, I used to bring a headband to put over their ears to hold earplugs in place, if you don’t want to buy a headset this works as well.
My method is to not allow the kids any kind of video or electronics until we were on our second flight after the layover.They use their imagination more and then the films work better for later when you need them. Before that only coloring books and playing with a new toy they are allowed to open after passing security. We would talk about the next flight and where we were going, then upon arrival to the next plane they got to open their headphones as a gift.
I give the toys out little by little. They know when they will get their next toys (after a meal is done, after the baby sleeps etc etc) so that we can stretch it out to last many hours. Sometimes we would guess what the next gifts were, they guessed a dog, a rocketship or a chocolate cake with birthday candle were coming. This was entertaining for me and they were always pleased with what they received.
3) Pack a water bottle
Whatever you do, do not forget a spill proof water bottle. This is essential. For breastfeeding mothers and clumsy toddlers you don’t want to forget a water bottle. You can fill it on your connections and not have to bother with standing in lines or bothering flight attendants. Standing at passport control I feel like the kids always have a crisis so snacks and water bottles are essential here.
4) Don’t forget the wet wipes
Once my daughter got very sick on a flight and I used a pack of wipes to clean up messes she was making. Another time I was in the restroom with all three of the kids and my middle daughter accidentally dropped the wipes into the toilet and I had to throw them away. Wipes are essential for traveling with kids, so even when I’m trying to economize on space, I always travel with two packs of wipes. I also take a change of clothes, even if your kids are older and a bit past changing the clothes phase, I would take one on a really long flight. Sleeping odd hours could mean an accident, or something as simple as spilling dinner over themselves could have you searching for t-shirts at your layover. Always bring extra wet wipes and extra clothes.
5) Pack snacks
Anyone with kids knows very well you can’t leave the house without some kind of snacks. I have snacks divided in two ziplock bags for the flight. One for the first few hours, and the other for the last few hours. I brought fresh fruit for my daughter and lots of sandwiches for my son. That way if they don’t like the plane food you know they won’t be groaning in starvation for hours to come. As my secret weapon for getting through passport control and immigration I pack a bar of chocolate. The kids can’t know this is here until the time comes so I usually keep it in my pocket. When we arrive, its 3 am our time, they have barely slept at all (I heard of kids who sleep on red eyes, I never had those kids) and we need to walk out and through passport control, this is when some bribery food becomes totally necessary. I like chocolate because they both love it and I can break a little piece off at a time and they are fine with that.
Even being very prepared, there are always tense moments when traveling with kids. Its great when people around you are kind and understanding, and if they aren’t I recommend just ignoring any negativity. Once I had a father come up to me and tell me he had a few small kids at home and if I need anything just come and get him. I was blown away by his kindness and I try to do the same when i’m able.
By the time we arrived to our destination we had left the house 20 hours before and I felt completely drained. The kids fell asleep immediately and woke up 3 hours later jet lagged and ready to explore their new environment. It was all worth it for the moment my son gave me a crushing hug saying “thanks for coming so far away on the airplane mama, everyone I love is here. I love it here.”