Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring a series of posts from guest bloggers. Today’s feature comes from Holly Homer, who writes at June Cleaver Nirvana.
With the holidays ahead, airline tickets are purchased with dreams of pleasant vacations dancing in our heads. And then you wake up and realize.
Oh no! I am traveling with a toddler.
Traveling with a toddler is a gamble. Rolling the dice on toddler behavior can cause even the calmest parents’ hearts to skip a beat. As the mother of three boys, I want to introduce you to what I have learned after years of plane travel experimentation:
Holly’s Toddler Travel Tips:
- All non-toddler related luggage needs to be checked.
- Pack toddler-related necessities in a shoulder bag or backpack -
you are going to need your hands free. - Pack your necessities in the same bag so you are carrying only
one. - Edit what you are taking on the plane. If your toddler doesn’t
color at home, it is only wishful thinking to pack a coloring book for the
trip. - Do not skimp on diapers or toddler finger food.
- Plan ahead how you will negotiate security – who will take all
the toddler-stuff and who will take the toddler. - ALWAYS travel with your child’s car seat.
The airlines don’t always embrace the use of the car seat on the plane, but I have found it to be a necessity. The ONE AND ONLY time my family traveled on a plane without a car seat and with a toddler in our lap we vowed to never travel again. The child spent the entire flight trying to escape into the aisle. By the end of the flight, I was exhausted trying to contain him.
After recovering from the trip, we reconsidered and evaluated where we had gone wrong. We realized that our children have been conditioned to sit in a car seat in the car since birth and are used to traveling that way. There is no reason to change that variable. A child strapped into a car seat on a plane can’t escape to the plane’s aisle. It is the perfect toddler containment system. Another bonus is that you are going to need the car seat at your destination.
To make the whole airport experience easier, we rigged up a rolling car seat:??
It is a large folding luggage cart with wheels that the our regular car seat can be strapped onto with one strap. It is important not to make it too
complicated because about 50% of the time you will be required to dismantle it through security. We have our toddler ride through the airport strapped into the seat which helps us keep track of him.
Most plane aisles past first class will not accommodate the width of this contraption. I dismantle it right before boarding the plane and carry on the seat. Once on the plane, I install the car seat and then the child into it as soon as possible. The less time the child has to realize they can walk around the plane, the better.
I have one other recommendation – prime the child. For weeks leading up to the trip I talk about how we will be on a plane, how he will sit in his seat on the plane, and how he will fall asleep in his seat on the plane.
When it works, it is PURE MAGIC!
Holly Homer lives in Texas and is the stay at home mom of three boys
ages 3, 6 and 8. Her family’s travels usually take them to the mountains of
Colorado where the entire family loves to ski. She writes at June
Cleaver Nirvana.
Good points, but instead of “rigging”a rolling car seat, why not get the gogo babyz travelmate, http://shop.totsongo.com/Travel_by_plane.html. It’s secure and simple and exactly what you need!
Any tips on traveling with two toddlers by yourself? I’m terrified of flying with them this Christmas.
Thanks Ellie for the link. For us, it was purely a matter of money. We had the rolling luggage cart and strap and car seat so we were able to accomplish the same thing for nothing. I think if someone was traveling frequently with kids purchasing one of those items would be a great investment!
I’d also like to mention that if you request to have assistance with your children through security they will let someone who is with you get a non-flight ticket so that you can have an extra pair of hands up until you have to get on the plane. It also works when you arrive. Whoever is picking you up can request a non-flight ticket to help you when you arrive at the gate.
Having flown solo a half a dozen times with my now 2 and 3 year old sons, the best thing you can do is have a sense of calm. There are many, many things that will have you grinding your teeth (i.e.: security, the boarding process), but the more wound up you become; the more wound up your children will become.
The thing that I find the most irritating is the airlines will finally call for “families with small children or those needing assistance” and so we dash down the corridor only to have general boarding people right behind us. I’m faced with having to take the boys out of the stroller, fold the stroller, put it in the protective bag (I strongly advise using one), gather our belongings all while keeping my active little angels at arms reach. To me that is the most difficult part especially since everyone is in such a hurry to get on the plane and they are walking past with no regard to the fact we were supposed to board first.
The boys know that they sit in their “big-boy” seats and they do not kick the seats in front of them. Sure they’ll try, but redirecting them with their “special” toys and books works miracles. They really love post-its and a magnetic ABC book that can come apart so each child has his own page. By the way some planes do not have changing tables which is as easy as flying with a child who is in the mid-stages of potty training.
Pressure in the ears can be rough so a sippy cup, bottle, fresh piece of gum, binky are the methods I turn to or have used. You’ll also find that there are still some kind people who will offer to help. Don’t be afraid to say yes (unless you find the people creepy!!!).
I’ve learned that traveling with toddlers is not easy and it is very, very, very tiring but so worth it! Relax, smile, and have a good time—that is what vacations are for!
Great blog. Do you know of any relevant forums or discussion groups?