Our Best Tips on How to Travel With Children

The most important thing about traveling with children-plan and pack ahead of time! When traveling with children you must bring a large amount of items as it is. By packing at the last minute you are more inclined to “toss” in way more than you need.

Traveling By Plane:

• When scheduling your flight, call the airline and let them know you will be traveling with a child. Seats close to a restroom and bulkhead seats with bassinets are great choices for traveling parents.
• Check your airlines rules about bringing car seats. You are going to need that car seat at your destination. Some car rental companies offer rental car seats but you have no guarantee of the condition they will be in. Better to be safe than sorry. This also applies to strollers. There are many sources online who have great travel strollers and car seats that break down for easy storage.
• Book a non-stop flight if at all possible, trust us when we say you do not want to change flights or spend the night in an airport with a child because you missed your connecting flight.
• When traveling by plane, remember to pack something for your baby to suck on during take-off and landing. The sucking motion will help your little ones ears acclimate. This might be a pacifier, a bottle or you can breastfeed.
• Travel delays routinely happen whether traveling by car or plane. Be prepared by packing extra food and bottles. If you are using formula, pack more formula than you think you'll need. There are many restrictions on how much liquid you can carry on your plane so you might want to bring dry formula you can mix up. Single serving cereal packets can be a life saver and are perfect for a quick snack for baby.
• Check Airline rules and regulations, items in your diaper bag usually have to be in 1 oz size containers.
• Two items that can make a difference when traveling with a baby-inflatable bath tubs and disposable bottle liners.
• When you book your child's ticket, reserve the kid’s meal or infant food if the airline has it. If you have a toddler, most times the kid’s meals get served in advance of regular meals. If you have an infant, some major airline carriers do provide baby food, but you have to ask when you book.
• A bottle of water is your best friend and you should never leave home without one in your travel bag.
• Don't forget to pack that carry on, add extra diapers, a change of clothes for baby and an extra shirt for yourself. You just never know when a baby's going to have an extra messy diaper or meal.

Traveling By Car:

• Take the time to become familiar with the route and to make planned stops. Parks are an ideal place for the kids to stretch those legs!
• Let your child help pack a small backpack of items to entertain them. This gets them involved and helps to make them feel more grown-up.
• Visit your local dollar store and keep a bag of "Travel Rewards" in the front seat with you. Reward good behavior by allowing your child to reach in and select a surprise every few hours.
• Kids enjoy documenting their trip with a disposable camera. It not only keeps them alert to their next photo opportunity but also will serve as a vacation keepsake later.
• Most parents insist on allowing the kids to watch a DVD, it keeps them entertained and most kids can watch a movie repeatedly.
• Don’t forget about audio books! These can keep your children (and you) entertained for hours. You can pop a disk into the car's CD player and your child will enhance their imagination by having to visualize the pictures as they hear the story.
• Make the trip extra special by packing snacks your child would normally not enjoy at home. It will add to the fun.
• Remember, if you are traveling in hazardous weather; be certain that you pack emergency supplies and blankets in the trunk of the car in case of car trouble. It’s also a good idea to keep a medical kit in the glove compartment. There are many sources online for children’s medical kits.

A little bit of planning is all you need to help insure you have a pleasant trip. Start packing several days in advance and take your time to make sure you have everything packed. It’s helpful for new parents to start a running list of things that they always use with the little one for about a week, this will help you jumpstart that packing.

Share your own tips about traveling with children.