One of my biggest fears was traveling by air with my toddler. It was for this very reason that we had delayed traveling with our son over long distances till now. At almost 20 months, we figured it was about time, especially since we love to travel and had been dying to go to Europe. Living in USA we have gotten quite used to frequent road trips. We introduced our son to road trips early on and considering he loved the car seat it had worked out very well. Now it was time to broaden his horizon and bring air travel in the mix.
Before we embarked on our momentous trip, I did extensive research on what should and should not be done over the period of the whole trip including what things we should take along to keep our toddler engaged. Here is a list of the things we took:
- Coloring books and washable markers
- A couple of board books
- Play doh
- Drawing board and washable crayons
- Stickers
- Random new toys
- A blankie or any other toy your toddler maybe very attached to.
- last but not the least an iPad(mini) in a protective case.
We were going on a 11 day mini Euro trip with stops in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Zurich, Lucerne and Fussen to name a few. It was a very ambitious but doable plan. I think you know what your limitations are as a family so just keep that in mind. My husband and I love to travel and luckily our son has adapted well with this lifestyle. However this was a whole different level because we were not only planning to travel by plane, but also taking the trains between cities, traveling in taxis, buses, metro, trams and boats. Add to this mix the cable car rides in the Alps. I think the only time our son must have felt really at home was when we rented a car for the last 3 days of our trip and he was in a car seat.
My son is showing signs of terrible twos. I try to be a very disciplined parent with little or no TV, no added sugar to his foods and no candies. However, on this trip I had decided, I would do things in a way that we all have a good time as a family. Which meant we do not want our son to have tantrums that can be avoided. Usually if he asks for something that he is not supposed to have, I will let him throw a tantrum and he will forget about it two minutes later. When you are on the road you neither have the luxury nor the patience to deal with such issues like you normally would. So you have to adapt in a way that works best for you. Very quickly I realized that if my son was sitting in his stroller getting bored then we could keep him entertained for a while longer by giving him the iPad. We had downloaded 4 episodes of different shows he likes on it. He would watch them happily. If he got bored of one, he moved to the next one. Usually before he would get bored of the iPad we came to a place where he could be let out of the stroller and move around and that solved our problem. So my point is that in normal circumstances I would not let him watch TV or have access to an iPad but in this situation it was a necessary evil. Once we got back I hid the iPad and now he doesn't even remember it. So pick your battles carefully.
To summerize, here are the Do's and Dont's
- Planning is the key. Research all the places you are going to extensively. Make a plan for each day and what activities you are going to do and make sure you include a couple of places in your itinerary everyday, where your toddler can blow off some steam and unwind.
- Pack light, this will make your life a lot easier.
- Start packing a week in advance to see what things are essential and which you can live without. You may have to take out and put back stuff multiple times.
- Buy a great umbrella stroller, preferably which reclines. This was the best investment we made for our trip.(My vote is for Uppababy G-lux)
- Gate-check your umbrella stroller. You do not want to have your toddler on the go when trying to move quickly through airports or train stations.
- Always have all the toddler essentials in your baby bag including a change of clothes for you and your kids, extra diapers and a first aid kit.
- Prepare for worst case scenarios; only then you will be pleasantly surprised when your toddler doesn't have a meltdown and things go according to the plan.
- Do not plan the vacation for kids only, plan to go to places you want to see. Skip the Zoo's and Aquariums, you can always go to your local Zoo and Aquarium.
- Toddlers don't care for fancy meals so there is no point making reservations at fancy restaurants, eat at any place that looks good and kid friendly.
- Take advantage of the fact if your child is less than two years old. Have him sit on your lap and save money. This privilege is for just two years so make the most of it, later on you will always pay the full price anyway.
- Don't forget to have fun and take tons of photos.
- My final and most important tip; this is a vacation so break the rules, let your child have that iPad, this way you and him will both have a great time :p
Toddlers have a mind of their own so sometimes its best to let them be, like on the airport floor!
Hope you found this piece helpful please share with your friends and family. If you have any comments and suggestions feel free to let me know in the comments section below. Have a great week!
