With the holidays coming up, traveling season is right around the corner, and if you have babies and young children, you know how intimidating the thought of traveling can be!
How many times will we have to stop?
What can I do to keep them entertained on a long car ride?
And if you're flying, What will I do if they have a meltdown on the plane?
With COVID this year, most of us have been getting out less. And when we do travel, there are more restrictions and changes to take into consideration than there have been in the past. However, it seems traveling is opening up a little, and people are getting out a little more. With that in mind, and with the holiday season so quickly approaching, I thought I'd share my tips for traveling with babies!
Between traveling for work and having family who lives all the way across the United States, I've had to do quite a bit of traveling with Monty, my little boy. Monty is two now, and I feel like so much has changed from traveling with him when he was younger to traveling with him now.
When traveling with children, there are several items I recommend always having on hand, especially in light of the pandemic:
- Lysol wipes/spray
- Individual hand sanitizer wipes
- Lots of baby wipes
- Diaper throw away bags https://www.walmart.com/ip/Arm...
- If flying -- birth certificate
If your child is one year old or younger, here are a few tips that have helped me:
- When flying, binkies & bottles are a must for take-off and landing. These help keep their ears from popping and hurting. Make sure you have binkie clips, too, so that your pacifiers don't get dirty!
- When we traveled, we always brought a "travel" blanket and a sleeping one. The travel blanket could be dragged around anywhere and touch anything, etc. (If you're a mama, you know how it is!) We kept the sleeping blanket put up until Monty wanted to sleep to keep it clean and sanitary.
- I always brought lots of squeezable foods for easy snacks.
- Having an extra change of clothes on hand for baby AND Mama will come in handy!
- In airports, strollers were always a big help. Also, you CAN fly with bottles of water with children this age: they will just check them.
- During Monty's crawling stage, we always brought a thin sheet of some kind if we had a long layover. This way we could lay it out, and Monty could crawl around.
- For flying, I always bring Tylenol or medicine to help if Monty is fussy because of the pressure.
- Two other things that help when flying: Use curbside check-in, and fly during nap (or happy) time!
- Have a stroller you love! Our stroller converts flat into a bed. I love it for traveling, so Monty can sleep on layovers: https://www.piccolinobaby.com/...
When your baby is older:
- I love this suitcase I bought Monty: https://www.thetot.com/product...
I fill it with tons of cheap new toys. Dollar Tree has great options for this! They're all new, so it makes them "interesting" to Monty. And if he loses them, it's fine. If we have to throw them away, it's fine.
- While I'm at Dollar Tree, I also grab lots of little new snacks and candy, which can go in Monty's suitcase. Monty LOVES his suitcase, and it keeps him entertained at the destination too! Having the suitcase has been a lifesaver for long layovers. We just set up Monty a play space, and it's so nice. I include lots of books, blankets, Monty's binky, sippy cups, and snacks. A little bit of candy also helps a lot!
- I normally pack a ziplock full of individual snacks and treats so Monty can pick whatever one he wants through the bag, and they aren't all over the place. Again, bring a change of clothes for both you and baby . . . You just never know!
If you're traveling with a baby soon, I hope these tips help! And I'm always looking for more ideas, so please leave your best ideas and tips in the comments on our Facebook/Instagram @daintyjewellsblog!
