Toddler Travel Guide
Traveling with young children necessitates a little more planning to ensure a seamless experience for the entire family, whether you’re heading to a vacation or just spending a few hours outside the city. We’ve compiled our best advice for traveling with young children this week.
Pack a range of activities for train, airline, and automobile travel.
Provide your youngster with a variety of travel-friendly games and activities. We recommend bringing an educational game, a downloaded movie or show, games or toys that can be used alone, an interactive activity that can be done with a parent or sibling, and one little new item. Save the most interesting or novel thing until later in the trip, when you may need to divert a youngster who is too excited or exhausted.
In addition to basic card games, coloring books, and workbooks, we suggest magnetic travel games (like Tic-Tac-Toe) to reduce misplaced pieces. We think it’s a terrific idea to get kids a travel diary and allow them to create pictures about their trips every day. This will keep them busy and teach them about the different aspects of the trip.
Schedule wisely.
You are the one who knows your kids the best, so choose your tickets carefully. Every family will have a different schedule, but generally speaking, we find that toddlers travel best in the mornings when they are generally less cranky and have longer attention spans. Consider each child’s food and nap schedules as well as their energy levels when making travel arrangements. Little ones can be greatly impacted by changes in their routine, so it’s important to let them know about the schedule in advance and remind them the night before. Communication can also help control expectations. We advise having your child sleep in a travel toddler bed at home before your trip if they have sleep issues. To see Parents.com’s selection of the best ones, click here.
Take advantage of services your hotel offers.
Cribs, toys, diapers, strollers, and other family-friendly amenities are available at many hotels. Find out what your hotel’s concierge can do for you by giving them a call; you’ll be shocked at how much they can manage! It’s preferable if you can travel lighter! In a same vein, use hotel laundry facilities to reduce the amount of luggage you bring. For our list of hotels that offer excellent family services, click here.
Have familiar snacks on hand.
Bring your kids’ favorite snacks so they won’t have to wait in line or look for acceptable substitutes at the airport. Think about providing cereal, string cheese, sliced fruit and veggies, nutritious cookies, and other foods they enjoy. To carry a range of snacks, we choose separate travel containers, which you can refill in the city you’re visiting and use on the return trip. While it’s important to encourage children to try new things, it’s a good idea to have a backup plan in place for days when the main goal is simply to get them fed and out the door to explore. If you’re traveling somewhere where the food will be very different, you might bring a stash of non-perishable familiar snacks for your child.
Dress in layers.
Dress young children in layers that are simple to take off. Make things easier for yourself by packing light, comfortable clothing in your carry-on (think breathable clothes with few buttons, etc.) because the weather when you arrive and the temperature onboard the aircraft are frequently very different. Remember to take care of yourself as well!
Invest in time savers and little luxuries.
Depending on the family and the trip, this will appear different. But wherever possible, we advise spending money on shortcuts that will simplify your life. This might be CLEAR (children under 12 can join you in either lane without limitation) or TSA PreCheck® for certain trips. For others, it could be using the lounges at the airport. Check to see whether you have access to the Centurion Lounge if you have an American Express card. They are renowned for providing family-friendly features including playrooms with puzzles and toys. For the greatest flexibility and the fewest hassles, it can sometimes be wise to travel privately.
Communicate with staff.
Make sure your nanny and any other staff members accompanying you are aware of your travel schedule and expectations. What impact will it have on the kids’ schedules? Can I spend more time on screens? How about some candy to ease their ears while they remove it? Will you attempt to help kids adjust to the new time zone or stay in your old one? We advise holding a meeting in advance to ensure that everyone is in agreement and to prevent misunderstandings. For advice on how to travel with your household staff, go here.
Stay calm.
Things will likely not go exactly as you planned. The most important thing is to try to stay calm, stay patient and present with your little ones, and not worry about what others think. Make sure you are eating and taking care of yourself too. Trips with little ones can be stressful but they are also an important opportunity to explore the world together, learn new things, and make memories.