After we took our first flight with Seth, I wrote a blog post about traveling with a baby. Since then, he’s flown a few more times, but now that he’s older, it’s a whole different ballgame. When we got back from Mexico I had some requests to share my tips for traveling with a toddler. We’ve only done this once, but we definitely learned a lot.
- Be flexible. This goes for on the plane and at your destination. You won’t be able to control all of the variables that you might be able to control at home in your regular routine. Accepting that and trying your best to be more flexible will go a long way.
- On the plane: Even if you get an extra seat, bring lots of toys and snacks, and time the flight “perfectly,” chances are there will still be some point when your toddler is unhappy. It’s hard for adults to stay in their seats for an entire flight, so you can’t blame an active toddler for getting antsy. Also, remember that you will most likely never see your fellow passengers again. So, if your kid gets upset, don’t worry about the people around you. Most of them probably have headphones in anyway. And, don’t be afraid to ask a flight attendant for help if you need an extra set of hands.
- At your destination: Schedules are important for kids, but don’t drive yourself crazy when you’re on vacation. Travel days are going to be chaotic, and it will get easier once you’re settled. When we were in Mexico, Seth had some great naps, and some terrible ones. He stayed up later most nights, and slept in a little later too. Some days he was close to his regular eating schedule, and some days he wasn’t. We brought some of his favorite snacks with us, and also had him try things from the restaurants. It all worked out.
- Do your research: While flexibility is important, it also helps me to have a sense of what to expect at our destination. For our Mexico trip, I did a lot of research on resorts. We chose one that was explicitly family-friendly, and had kid-specific pools and play areas. We reached out ahead of time to see if they provided cribs. They said it was based on availability at check-in, so we decided to bring our own just to be safe. Unfortunately, babysitting was only for children over 2 (which it didn’t say on the website), so we had to scramble. I was able to find an external service that ended up being great, but we had to pay a fee to the resort, which was annoying. So, it’s worth asking questions before you go. Also, if you’re planning on doing external activities, make sure they don’t have age or height requirements.
- Figure out what you want to prioritize. Traveling with a toddler is very different than traveling with adults. Making sure your kid is safe, happy and having a good time is a top priority…but it doesn’t have to be the only priority. Rob and I talked before we left about what we wanted to get out of this trip. We wanted to have at least one dinner by ourselves. If that’s important to you, consider on-site babysitting or bringing a family member. I also wanted to have some alone time on the beach. We knew Rob would have to work while we were there, so he tried to consolidate his work during Seth’s naptime as much as he could. Most days, it worked out well and I was able to get the time I needed. There were still some stressful moments, but we didn’t feel like we had spent the whole trip thinking only about Seth.
- Go on the trip and take the pictures and the videos. Seth probably won’t remember this trip to Mexico, but we will. Some people don’t want to put the effort into traveling with little kids because the kids are too young to appreciate it. But, I know Seth had so much fun, even if he’ll only know that from pictures and videos. Watching him swim in the pool for the first time and splash his feet in the ocean meant so much to me. For us, it was worth it.
Some things we brought that made things easier:
- This reel includes all of the things I brought to entertain Seth on the flights and in the hotel room. Everything is linked here.
- Our travel stroller (folds up small and fits in the overhead bin) and travel crib.
- Our travel monitor (it’s currently out of stock, but this one is similar) and travel sound machine.
- This changing pad makes on-the-go diaper changes a breeze.
- Cincha Travel sent me their Travel Belt, and it made schlepping our luggage through the airport (while pushing a stroller) so much less stressful. (See it in action here.) Highly recommend for your next trip, and you can get 10% off your order with code SAMGRAMS!
