Flying with Toddlers

Toddlers on an airplane. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But it doesn't have to be! As of our last trip to visit family, I have now flown with:

A 7-month-old
A 17-month-old
A 23-month-old and a 3-month-old
A 2 3/4-year-old and a 13-month-old

And we are still living to tell the tale! So far I have found that flying with an infant isn't too hard, because you basically just cuddle them and nurse them and pray like crazy that take-off and landing won't hurt their ears. Toddlers, on the other hand, take a bit more preparation.

Here are seven tips for traveling with toddlers, that I have learned through our traveling experiences:

1. Bring snacks.

This is no time to mess around with mediocre snacks—the more exciting the better! Goldfish crackers. Animal crackers. Candy. Nutella dip (okay, that got a bit messy). As you may notice, most of my concern for feeding the kids healthy food goes out the window when traveling. But there are healthy snacks that are fun to eat too, like apple chips, raisins, and trail mix. Bring a wide variety, just to be safe. There's nothing like a snack to save the day when things are getting rough.

2. Bring toys.

Bring some old favourites and some new toys. I've heard of people bringing a new toy for each hour of travel, but I haven't been that organized. Try to bring a wide variety of options—toddlers are fickle creatures, and you can't always predict what will be a success and what will not. Puzzles and stickers are some of Steven's favourites at the moment. I have a necklace of teething beads that kept Kenneth happy for quite a while. We've also tried books, colouring, toy cars... basically anything the kids generally seem to enjoy that doesn't involve making a gigantic mess (which unfortunately disqualifies a lot of what they enjoy playing with).

3. Plan activities.

You can have more up your sleeve than just pulling out another snack or another toy. The airplane itself can provide some interesting things to do. For example, our boys love turning on and off the little overhead lights and air vents. Unfortunately, they also enjoy turning on the "help requested" button, which gets a little problematic. Exploring up and down the aisle is fun, and a good way to get out some of that endless toddler energy. Our boys enjoy making friends with the other passengers and the flight attendants, which sometimes results in them being given candy!

For those times when you have to stay in your seats, "reading" the flight safety card stored in each seat pocket can be fun. You can also make a puppet out of the barf bag. Another option is singing songs that have actions. I lost count of how many times we sang "running over" to keep Kenneth happy on the last leg of our most recent journey. And in case all else fails, have some kid-friendly apps downloaded on your phone. Sometimes that's all that will work.

Something I am going to do next time is write down a list of each snack and toy and whatever activities I've thought of. In the moment it is really easy to forget about some of them!

4. Pajamas.

Comfortable, and encourages napping. However—

5. Don't count on them napping.

By all means, try to get them to nap, but have enough snacks/toys/activities to last the entire trip, just in case they don't.

6. Don't pack your bag too full.

If it is overflowing with snacks and toys it becomes really hard to find the one that you are looking for. Trust me, I've tried.

7. Don't take things too seriously.

I think this is the most important thing of all. Traveling can be stressful at the best of times, but take a deep breath and try to have fun. There will be messes. There will be tears and tantrums (though hopefully not too many). But this is also a great chance to spend time with your kids, without the endless distractions of dishes and laundry and the countless other things that need to be done every day. Think of it as "quality time", making some unforgettable memories!