Have Kid, Still Travel

I have been very fortunate to do quite a lot of traveling in the last year and a half. For most of these trips my husband and I took our son along with us. His first plane ride was when he was five months old, and we leave this Wednesday for San Diego for our last "free" trip before he turns two. I feel like I am becoming a bit of an expert on traveling, by both car and airplane, with a child in tow. At the very least I am a pretty quick packer, and fairly confident I will have everything I need with me {as long as our luggage isn't delayed for two days again like we experienced in Hawaii, but that's another story}.

So, for today's Mother Monday post I thought I would share a few tips on traveling with a baby or toddler.

Keeping in mind your child's age and individual likes/dislikes you may want to consider bringing the following items:

• New small toys and books {that they have never seen before, or you can reserve particular items for travel only and your child will look forward to being able to play with that item again the next trip}
• Crayons, colouring books, and stickers
• Flash cards
• A small dollar store photo album filled with pictures of your child, their friends and family {our son loves flipping through albums and naming people or the things they are doing, so this is my newest trick for our upcoming trip}
• Snacks and wipes {small bite sized foods take longer to eat}
• Portable DVD player and a few favourite movies {if the airline doesn't have those built-in seat back TVs}
• A travel "Aqua Doodle" or "Magna Doodle" {less mess then the crayons and colouring books}
• Inexpensive electronic travel games {if they aren't old enough to actually play they will still enjoy pushing the buttons, and fellow travelers will prefer the beeping sounds over your fussing little one}

When packing for your trip don't forget to put any medications you or your family members are taking in your carry on luggage {I didn't have my birth control pills for the two days we were in Hawaii without our checked bags}. Please do not count on your child having a nap during the flight, whether it is their typical nap time or not. If you can, allow them to burn off as much energy as possible in the airport before boarding the flight. And, above all else try to put on your patient hat for the day ~something I sometimes forget~ because I think kids can sense our tension and it may cause them to be stressed out as well.

Please share your tips by posting a comment below!