Top Tips for Traveling-with-Kids From a Seasoned Traveler

The best thing to happen to your "parenting gig!" We've compiled our TOP TIPS FOR TRAVELING-WITH-KIDS FROM A SEASONED TRAVELER!

TOP TIPS FOR TRAVELING-WITH-KIDS FROM A SEASONED TRAVELER

The last 8 years of my life I’ve lived 28, 18, and now 22 hours from my family in Idaho. I decided at the start, that I’d have to conquer my fear of traveling without my husband. Two months after Rex started Medical school, I took my first trip from Ohio to Idaho with my 11 month child, and my 7 month pregnant self!

I was given lots of advice to pack a ton of stuff to make it an “easy” day of traveling. Things like extra clothes, pacifiers, and suckers to help with the pressure change....toys galore, quiet books, picture books, food, blankets, and extra toys.

Over the past 8 years I’ve taken at least 28 cross country-ish trips with two kids that are 14 1/2 months apart. The boys have visited 30 different states and I’m so grateful for all the places we’ve been able to visit! Traveling with kids is the only area in my life I feel like I actually know! Here you'll find all my TOP TIPS FOR TRAVELING-WITH-KIDS FROM A SEASONED TRAVELER!

Hopefully you can take some of these tips to ease the fear of traveling solo with your kiddos!

Tips for Flying

Less IS more! Don’t pack 5, 25, or 500 toys. Let your child pick their very favorite toy. Their favorite, as in "one"! If your little is young and you’re worried about the size they may pick, give them three options to choose from! On several occasions we’d trek to target or Walmart and let them pick out a new "special" toy they could “earn” if they were great on the first leg of the trip.
Pack a Dum Dum or Mini Tootsie Pop sucker for each flight. It keeps them quiet for take-off and helps those little ears adjust to the pressure change. DO NOT pack a regular size sucker. You will be swimming in a sticky mess!
We invested in mini iPads for the boys when they were 2 and 3. Literally the best thing we’ve ever done! Download a couple movies and a few games and you’re golden! I’ve never been huge on letting my kids play with tablets, but I’m human and sometimes it’s a great way for me to re-group. I take away their tablet at least 1 week before travel, but a two week break is even better. I don’t hear a peep out of my kids by doing this! **don't forget those headphones or ear buds! Here's a link to our favorite case!
For babies and toddlers take an extra set of jammies just in case your child projectile vomits on the very kind retired man sitting to the right of you. I speak from experience! I dress the boys in comfortable clothes (I don’t want to get cut in half with my jeans....neither do they)!
A small lap blanket is a must for my traveling kids! We are coach passengers so any added comfort we can get is a beautiful thing!
Pack a few snacks- granola bars, mini fruit rolls-ups, and pretzels. Avoid snacks like chips, goldfish, or popcorn. I swear my kids would make the biggest mess with these type of snacks.
Parents, don’t forget to pack your power pack and phone cord. There’s nothing more annoying while traveling than turning “100 puzzle” off so you can save that last 5% battery life to let your family know you’ve landed safely!!
Let me finish by saying that being a parent is hard business! Instead of rolling your eyes or letting out a “not so quiet” sigh when you see kids at your gate, offer the parent a helping hand!
Parents, just relax- your kids can feel your mood. They know if you’re feeling anxious, so take a deep breath and take comfort in the fact that you’ll never see anyone from your flight again...even if your kiddo has a total and complete melt down!

Sleepy Panda Diaper Bag

Our most recent flight a few weeks ago, each boy had their bags and I had "Kaitlyn" the Cadillac of travel/diaper bags and the best bag I’ve ever the used! This beauty has a USB port which is amazing...plug your battery pack to the USB cord and slip it into one of the many pockets! If you're like me, you'll love having the battery pack in your bag rather than it being tucked into your jacket pocket.

There’s a secret pocket to store your cash and cards; something I was grateful for while sightseeing in SF. It's on the back of the bag too; no dummy will find it!

One of my favorite features that I love with my whole heart is the padded straps!Sadie's car broke down in San Francisco... we were an hour from her home, both our husbands were in different states. We had 4 young children in tow and the reality of getting from point A to point B turned into a dreaded mess! Miles of walking, a ride on a bus, and a 50 minute ride on BART was doable BECAUSE those comfy straps made the loaded down bag an ease to carry!

Here's a little snippet of the time we "intentionally" took BART to the Wharves!