How To Travel With Kids
The Holidays are quickly approaching, and with that, the busy, travel season is beginning. Traveling can be fun when you aren’t rushed and are able to enjoy the conversation of your loved ones, but when you’re traveling with children, it can often be stressful.
We’ve put together some of our favorite tips for traveling with kids to hopefully help make the trip (driving or flying) a little easier and dare I say, actually fun!
DRIVING
Drive when your children might be sleeping
If you have a long car trip, plan to leave at night, when your kids are tired and might be more likely to sleep. Make sure you pack pillows, blankets, and any other comfort items that can assist with this - you can even put them in their pajamas!
If you don’t have too long of a trip, leaving just before naptime might be a good option.
Pack PLENTY of snacks!
I have a bag (usually my large, reusable grocery bag - something like this) and lunch box I always pack for long car trips. While it’s much easier to just throw a bag of Veggie Straws in that bag, I have learned that if I prep some ziplock bags (I actually prefer these reusable bags I found on Amazon!), snacks are easier to pass around and nothing goes stale.
Plan stops into your trip
While we usually focus on getting to our destination as quickly as possible, planning your trip so you have regular stops can be helpful. It doesn’t put you behind when someone inevitably has to go to the bathroom, but it also allows for your little ones to get some wiggles out periodically, making sitting a bit easier for them while they’re in the car. Allow for longer stops and use a rest area instead of a gas station or fast food joint when you can and let them run!
Give your kids a time frame
Talk with your kids as you're getting in the car and explain what they can expect! "This is going to be a very long car ride. We won't even be close until it's dark". That way, your children aren't asking you every 20 seconds "are we there yet?!" because they will know that the answer is no, unless it's dark outside. Another tool we use with our older children (who can tell time) is saying "We won't be there until the clock says 4:30". Then they aren't bugging us about how much longer we have, because they will be able to figure it out themselves by checking the clock. Explain any stops you're planning to make ahead of time, talk to them about any snacks you brought and when they're allowed to eat them, and set some expectations for behavior in the car (when the toddler is asleep, the tv volume needs to go down and you have to sing quietly to the music... etc).
Pack Car Friendly Activities
You can find lots of travel games on Amazon. This Guess Who card game is a great one! Or this Found It card game. Or even this I Spy Travel card game. These reusable doodle boards are mess free and don’t require any paper! My daughter loves hers and it can keep her entertained for hours!
Play Movies
Buy the tvs that you can put in your car. We have really simple and inexpensive tvs that we *literally* bungee cord to the back of our headrests. We found these that come with two pairs of headphones on Amazon! The kids have a cd case full of DVDs and they take turns choosing a movie for the car. I don't like my kids to have a lot of screen time either, but I reason it like this: if they don't have much screen time at home, then watching three movies a day a couple times a year isn't so bad. Plus, having some quiet car time is heavenly to chat and brainstorm and dream about our family's future with my husband. It's rare that we get that much time to just sit and talk, and if the kids are happily watching a movie, we are blessed with hours of conversation!
Have more than two kids and need more headphones? I love these headphones that you can plug into each other! Now everyone can hear the movie!!!
FLYING
Purchase a seat for your lap child
If you’re flying and have a “lap child”, consider spending the extra money on a seat. Sometimes you just can’t swing it, but a 4+ hour flight with a toddler in your lap makes for a not so fun experience.
Pack ONLY the essentials in your carry-on
It’s easy to overthink the carryon bags, especially with kids and babies, but the lighter you pack, the easier it is to get on and off the plane and through the airport. Pack ONLY the essentials in your diaper bag and nothing extra “just in case”.
Your toddler and older children can carry their own backpack
I’m a big fan of my toddlers carrying their own things. My older boys use their backpack when we fly to carry their tablets, hoodies, book, and so does my toddler/preschooler! I love these cute toddler/preschooler backpacks I found on amazon and they’re the perfect size! (They even have matching sippy cups with straws!!!)
Pack lots of snacks!
While you may be slightly more limited to what you can pack when flying, you can still pack lots of snacks for your kids for the flight! Again, the reusable ziplock bags are great, but I also love these snack containers for smaller kids! Just empty the ziplock bag into it as needed!
Use a backpack for yourself
I have learned over the years that it is so much easier to pack my purse in my suitcase and use a backpack to travel. This keeps my hands free and gives me more room to carry things that I may need. I even did this when my kids were babies - packing the diaper bag in my suitcase and using my backpack in place of a diaper bag. I still do this to this day and my kids are older!
Bring all the tablets and devices!
As a busy mom of three, I do honestly try my best to limit screen time for my kids (I’m not great at this, but I try). However, when it comes to traveling, I am all about whatever makes it EASY! My boys both have the Amazon Kids Fire tablets and my daughter has the LeapFrog LeapPad EPIC (I personally prefer these over the Fire tablets, but my boys have outgrown them). Make sure they are FULLY CHARGED and pack your chargers. Make sure any games or movies they may want are downloaded and available offline.
We personally love flying Southwest Airlines when we fly with kids and pretty much all of their flights offer free movies during the flight, you just have to make sure you download the app prior to take-off (do this at home before you leave and save yourself the stress!!!). Not all tablets have this option, but if you do, take advantage of it!
In all your excitment of packing and preparing for travel, don’t forget to pack those Christmas gifts! Need some ideas on what to get? We have some ideas for you! Check out all of our lists and ideas for gifts that people will actually enjoy!
While this list isn’t a full list and there are so many other tips, tricks, and hacks for traveling with kids, we hope this list is helpful for you and your family as the upcoming holidays approach.
You can check out our Pinterest Board for more travel tips with kids that include ideas more specific for babies, toddlers, or older kids!
Happy travels!
Terri - General Manager at Milk + Honey Jewelry