Getting Ready For Spring Break Travel
For Spring Break this year the kids and I are flying to visit my sister and her family in North Carolina.
At least once a day for the last few weeks Anna looks at me and asks "Gabrielle?" (her cousin). When I say "not today" she says, "Mommy's lap?" And then I say, "No, you'll sit in your own seat on the plane."
Since I'll be flying solo with the kids (the legislature is in session so Chris will be working) I'm definitely planning ahead to make the experience as mellow and pain-free as possible.
This past weekend I started making a list of things I want to make sure we take along on this adventure:
1. Go-Go Babyz Kidz Travelmate
2. A backpack for each kid to carry a few special things. Simon will use his school backpack and I found this toddler backpack for Anna. She's already been wearing it around the house pretending she's going to school.
3. LunchBots Duo Stainless Steel Lunch Box/Food Container. I found these at the grocery store yesterday and will be using them to store snacks in each backpack. I'm thinking something like goldfish, dried fruit and gummies. I'll take water bottles for each that can be filled up once we get through security.
4. A new pack of washable crayons, a coloring book, and a blank book for Anna. A new dot to dot for Simon: The Greatest Dot-to-Dot Book in the World, Book 1
5. A new book or two for each of them and a favorite or two.
6. A new small toy. I'm thinking something like the Playmobil Dad With Stroller
7. Empty ziplock bags. So great for corralling those small toys, snacks, etc.
8. I want to remember to download a couple movies onto my computer before we leave. I'm also wanting to find out if there's a way to connect two sets of headphones to my computer so both kids can listen to the movie.
9. Cameras. Maybe a couple disposables or the Instax. I'd love to invite them to take their own photos along the way.
Any favorite travel tips - especially for traveling with a toddler?
Crayola has triangular shaped crayons...they are GREAT for the plane b/c they don't "roll" away.....I also had some"surprise" books that were new to read to my daughter when we flew together....that helped keep her entertained (she was barely 4 @ the time)
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I have found that a pad of drawing paper is essential. You can play tic/tac/toe, write or draw. It has kept our son entertained for hours. A sticker book is always a great idea. I used to over pack snacks, now I just put a few essentials since you can always pick something up and the airlines are good at giving out snacks to the kids during the flight (at least that is my experience).
We tried the travelmate and found it cumbersome. We just gate check our car seat. We have made over a dozen cross country trips with our son and we absolutely love the CARES harness system for the plane (http://www.kidsflysafe.com/). Anna may not be quite old enough for it yet, but I would highly recommend it we started using when our son was about 3 years old.
Have a great trip!
Thanks Kelly - I was looking at the harness. She's just barely big enough for it and was wondering what people thought about it...
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imac slitter...can have up to 4 listening to the same thing a the same time. Found ours at the apple store. looks like a circlular thing with five or six spots to hook up headphones.
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We went on a 3k mile road trip with three kids ages 5, 3, and 1 (last Summer). I had small wrapped gifts for them to open at different increments along the trip. They loved having something "new" every couple of hours.
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Colorforms and Silly Putty were always hits with my kids when we traveled. Have a great time!
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How about one of those books with the voice recorder in it that Chris can record... so he can "read" them a goodnight book each night?
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Hi Ali!
I live in Eugene, what store did you find the snack container in, it looks great! Also, make sure you fully charge your laptop. It seems like common sense, but we took a small DVD player for our daughter on a long flight and it didn't last through our first layover. We charged it, but it didn't get turned off correctly, so the batteries wore out. If you have a layover, I would recharge the batteries at the airport. Good luck on your trip!
Hi Jenny - Market of Choice :). I hadn't seen them there before - check the baby aisle.
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i would suggest lollipops, good for little ones to suck on if their ears need to pop. I have traveled at least a dozen times alone with my two boys...since the youngest was 6 months old...he's now almost 5. We now have it down to a science and people have said, I was going to offer to help you, but you were already through security.
Some tips:
I give the older one (I'd say since he's been at least 5) the job of holding the tickets/ID while I take the shoes off the younger one, load the security trays, etc. He focuses on one thing...he feels he's big helper. I know he has the tickets and I'm not worried about dropping them etc. Once we pass through the scanner he hands it back and we're good to go.
Also, once you're on the plane keep in mind Anna's feet will be able to "kick" the seat in front of her. (Per FAA regs kids in carseats needs to be by the window), so she will definiitely have someone sitting in front of her. Also DO NOT SHOW her how to turn the light/fan on/off....unless you want her playing it with the entire time.
When they were young and for whatever reason a little fussier than I would like, remember there is a lot of background noise on the plane and although it way seem loud to you, it might not be that bad.
Once on a really bad flight and I could not get the younger one to stop kicking...and the person in front of us had two empty seats next to her and she leaned back in her seat....I decided to let the younger one kick her seat....better to upset one person....who had a lot of options (In my opinion) that to upset the other 50-75 people on the plane. She was young (20ish) and I am assuming she will have kids some day and then she'll understand...
Good luck...
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I always keep a new book or toy unused for the way home or in case you get stuck on the tarmac...it's always great to pull out something new! Great advice above!
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I have flown with my daughter (solo) for almost 10 years.
* Take snacks
* If you can, load movies etc. on your ipod so you don't have to lug a computer around
* While you want to be prepared, one trip, I took too much and it became very difficult to hold everything. So, I try to travel real light
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I flew often with my four when they were toddlers. One important rule that helped tremendously--you (child) must carry your own backpack. If you can't/don't want to, we leave it wherever we are. No exceptions. I came up with this rule when my oldest, about age 2, wanted to bring half of his belongings with him "in my backpack". I could see where that was heading--me schlepping not only the diaper bag, the car seat, and my carry-on, but his backpack as well (and probably him from time to time!). As I was also traveling as a lone adult, I laid down The Rule and it served us well. He chose his backpack contents carefully, and though he occasionally needed reminding about The Rule, I never had to carry his backpack--or any of his subsequent sibling's backpacks either. I also noticed something interesting--they rarely play with whatever they just HAD to bring with them! All the more reason for The Rule!
I also always brought a new surprise toy &/or book, plenty of non-messy snacks, and a clean outfit for small kids. I've been very grateful for that clean outfit several times! Have a great time! It will be an adventure!
That's what I'm going for too.
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Just came back from our trip. So awesome to get away!
Here are my additions:
iPad/itouch/: toddler games etc
sticker books: Ben loved his Cars and Sesame Street book one.
Y slpitter: Here is one from Amazon http://tinyurl.com/4z8jdsq
Have a great trip!!
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There is an amazing headphone splitter called the Belkin RockStar...totally works for the computer headphone jack.
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I'd be sure to bring some wipes! They always come in handy (even when your kiddos are out of diapers!). Also, my daughter loves stickers (or a sticker book) and they seem to keep her occupied in long car travels.
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Ali -
As I read this I pictured myself preparing to travel to my parents home an hour away. I now take similar things for my duaghter! And I write lists and prepare weeks in advance. Enjoy your time away.
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You could wrap little presents/food/crafts and bring one out at key moments as needed. This works a little better for car trips. Kids LOVE unwrapping presents. My friend had her kids cutting out snowflakes and taping them to their car windows on their trip.
Things to wrap:
*purse *bracelets *stickers *tape *small stuffie *colouring book *pack of crackers/cookies *DVD *book *funny glasses
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Ali, I use my netbook on long car trips in place of a portable DVD player. You simply buy a jack adapter and two sets of headphones go in the top, and then you plug the single end of the jack into your computer headphone slot. Works like a charm. The piece is super cheap and can usually be found at Walmart or Target or probably Best Buy. Also, little tip for car/plane travel with kids...we keep some cheap little dollar store tray/baskets (about 1 1/2 inches deep) in our car. When the kids want to play with the little Lego sets or the Polly Pockets dolls, we give them a tray and it corrals the toys, keeping them from falling off laps, etc. They also work great for eating in the car--now the child doesn't have to balance their burgers and fries in their laps, or keep asking their parents for another bite. Good luck with the trip!
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Hey Ali - I vlog for SWA on flying with kids. You can check out my traveling with a toddler video here: http://themomcreative.blogspot.com/2009/10/southwest-and-me.html
I love the Go Go Babyz too!
I've seen it Jessica! It was one of the reasons we bought the GoGo!
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so happy to see you promoting Luncbots! my husband's store, The Green Life, sells them + i love them for myself (a kid-less adult). awesome alternative to plastic or disposable bags.
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Stickers. When we traveled with our 2 1/2 year oldnto Norway we took a dress-me doll (buttons zippers etc). And keeping things hidden or wrapped so they are surprises is always good. Bingo game typenthings where you have to look for items as you travel.
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No lil ones here in my house except the grandson when he visits and "my" baby is 20 yrs old.
A few things I thought of:
* a small package -or- Ziploc of wipes for hands & faces, maybe anti-bacterial stuff for hands too.
* small pads of paper for each of you. Ali you could use yours for those quick jot downs (which you probably have one already) and the kids could use theirs for drawing with those great "washable" crayons you showed.
Have a great trip!
*make a travel bingo game for Simon. Think of things on the plane (seat buckle,overhead light, stewardess, etc...), outside his window (clouds, rivers, plowed fields,etc), at the airports, and more. I use to make these up for when I traveled by car with my 4 kids.
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actually you can get a splitter. I have one for my ipod. you plug it in where you would normally put your head phone end and it has two spots on the other end to put in your headphones. check best buy, target, etc.
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change of clothes for each of you.. I've been flying with my kids (3 boys) since the oldest (now 8) was 6 weeks old. And the biggest mistake is not having enouugh extras for those unexpected spit ups, vomits, diaper blow outs, and/or accidents. They always seem to happen while we are traveling (they get anixous)... One time I had to fly with stinky spit up all down the front of my top for 4 hours until we could get to the terminal and buy me something. My middle son also once had to fly pantless home because of two diaper blow outs...now I am well prepared.
BTW, if your connection is in Denver they have a fabulous second floor thats competely empty, so the little ones can run, run, run between flights. Have fun.
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My 7 year old LOVES some of the Star Wars audio books from iTunes, he also enjoys Mad Libs. I've also found that "renting" from iTunes works really well, and gives us some diversity in the options.
Radio Shack for a headphone splitter so that the kiddos can share the same listening device. I have noise reducing headphones, but my son does not. As a result Radio Shack actually has a splitter/enhancer device so that the sound can be increased (this is especially helpful on the airplane).
Snacks, snacks and more snacks. Gum is always a big hit for us, and I get some of the sugar free drink mix-ins. (Kool-Aid has a sugar free version). This makes drinking water more fun, and Jackson likes "mixing". Wipes of course - and I put a hand stanitizer in Jackson's backpack. Keep shoes simple for easy on and off through the airport (dealing with laces is time consuming). This goes for mom too - I have a tendency to be high-strees until I get through security so limit jewlery, slip on shoes.
The number one rule in our family is always "HAVE FUN", I know you will!!
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Though my daughters are now 22 and 26, I really enjoyed reading these suggestions, especially since we're all going on a road trip for spring break! Some tips here still relate to travel with adults (ziploc baggies, hand wipes, hand sanitizer, cool snack containers, drawing supplies, music, dvds, etc.) I know, when traveling, ideas of being "green" sometimes slip out the window for convenience, but a simple wash cloth for each person could really come in handy, for wash-ups when you don't want to make more garbage w/hand wipes. Sometimes the scent (even w/unscented wipes) can be a bit overwhelming when wiping faces, so a soft cloth with an accompanying ziploc to store it can be nice for a fresh-up with water in the bathroom.
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