My Best Tips for Traveling with Your Babies and Toddlers
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With temperatures rising and summer fast approaching thoughts of holidays, vacations, packing lists, and mental preparations are underway. However, the idea of traveling with little ones can feel daunting. A million questions will swirl through your mind: what do I need? Should I keep them on the same sleep schedule? Do I need blackout curtains? How can I make my packing efficient? If you want a detailed run-through of all the different types of trips and vacations, check out my more detailed blog here. This blog is the express version of everything you need to know about trips so that you can reduce stress, soak up those moments of joy and create memories!
Warning – nothing will make vacationing with kids like the holidays of yonder years. Traveling with little ones in tow is a VERY different experience so adjust your expectations accordingly. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it to take trips and make memories, though! So let’s get started.
Packing Tips
Packing cubes are your best friend – I dedicate one cube for each family member and then one for set activities like swimming and sleeping so that it’s super easy to find everyone’s things during the chaos of getting ready for the pool or at bedtime. I also pack all the things for newborns and older babies into their sleep sack! So the monitor, camera, noise machine, crib sheets, pj’s, etc., all go into the sleep sack and zipped up. That way if you arrive and bedtime is dangerously close, you can get set up quickly and easily without having to root around to find everything.
In my carry-on luggage I make sure I pack all my essentials just in case any checked bag gets lost. Things like breast pumps are hard to replace quickly and having these with you ensures they can’t get lost. I also pack my jewelry, travel-sized toiletries, and a spare set of clothes for myself and each kid, and plenty of diapers and wipes. Anything sentimental and irreplaceable like the kids’ lovies also gets carried on.
As for toys – I have a few Instagram Posts that go into a little more detail but some of my go-to toys for holiday travel are sticker books, colors, fidget poppers, small cars, and lightweight interactive books but travel comes with so many novelties that most of the time toys don’t get a look in. Depending on where you go and how long you stay, you can also rent a big box of toys to be delivered right to your destination through something like Babyquip. This makes it so easy and the best part is that all of the toys are “new” to your child which means they will actually play with them a ton! You also may call your hotel or air bnb to see if they have anything on hand like pool floaties, sand toys, etc.
Something essential and worth packing LOTS of is snacks – seriously, pack all the snacks and then some! Preferably in interesting containers to keep your babies and toddlers entertained for longer. I always pack so many different things and am surprised how quickly they get through them! I like to pack as “healthy” as I can but with a variety of textures and flavors with some “fun” novel foods as well. Things like dry cereal, yogurt chips, dried fruit, crackers, pretzels, gummies, fresh cut fruit and veggies, rolled up lunch meat and cheese, etc. are all great options to make sure your little one stays satisfied and full.
Sleep and Naps
The best thing you can do for your sanity while traveling with kids is to lower your expectations around sleep. Sleep will look different in different places and it can often take babies and toddlers a few days to settle into their new surroundings and routines.
My general approach is to have a consistent, yet looser routine. Keep the things you do for your nap and bedtime routines at home the same as much as possible with bath, books, songs, etc, but if timings are off or day trips mean later naps and bedtimes then just roll with that rather than trying to keep to your strict at-home schedule. Naps on the go and late bedtimes and early mornings are just part of the experience when traveling with little ones, and that’s OK!
If your baby is going to be taking naps in a different place than they are used to at home, for example, a pack’n’play or the stroller or carrier, then practice this for a few weeks before you go to iron out any of those hiccups. This also applies to night-time sleep. If you are taking a travel crib along, make sure you have taken the time to understand how to set it up and familiarize your baby or toddler with this new sleep space before your trip!
Traveling across time zones is going to impact sleep. I tend to approach this in two ways depending on the length of the trip. If the trip is longer than a week, then I shift the schedule and begin practicing this at home. I shift bedtime or naps in 15-minute increments until I reach the new routine that we will be aiming for on holiday. However, if the trip is shorter, I try and keep to the same schedule and absorb the later or earlier routine depending on if I traveled East or West. This blog post goes into more detail about adjusting for time changes.
If I have opted to just use our original routine and this means a later bedtime or earlier wake, I try and find the joy in the new schedule. For example, I try to look forward to the sunrises with early wakes, or early morning or late night walks!
Strollers, Carriers, and Car Seats
Lightweight strollers are your best friend and you can check them at the gate! Something like a Doona is another great option for babies if you plan on having your baby in the carseat on the plane (which is the safest option) vs. on your lap. The Doona folds right down from stroller to carseat so it’s easy to go from taxi, to airport, to plane, etc.!
Carriers are another awesome option. Structured backpack carriers can be bulky to pack but lots of soft carriers allow you to carry toddlers until they’re four (depending on the type and weight limit) and might be something you want to bring along if you plan to be doing lots of hiking or similar activities on your trip. Otherwise a soft structured carrier or a wrap-style carrier can allow for easy babywearing and also easy packing.
Car seats on planes are a hot topic. People either love taking them or hate them. Technically speaking, it’s safest to have your little ones in their own car seats for air travel. For our family, it has been a game changer! Aside from being safer, it is so much more comfortable than having a lap infant. It’s more expensive to buy them a separate seat of course, but you can often ask for a free seat to bring the car seat along! Many children love being in a familiar space and this familiarity can also help facilitate sleep.
For others, carrying bulky car seats and managing children in the airport feels like too much. You can check the car seats but having them in the hold can damage the integrity of the car seat if they are bumped around too much. If there is space on the airplane, some airlines will allow you to have the car seat in the cabin of the plane even if you don’t use it.
Tips for Beach Days and managing sun exposure
Having a shade option is essential. Being able to have some time out the sun where you don’t have to constantly be putting on sunscreen definitely reduces stress. Pop-up beach tents are ideal for this and are pretty easy to pack in your suitcase.
I love applying sunscreen with a makeup brush. It’s fun, easy to make into a game and just feels like they are being tickled.
Take an inflatable pool so that babies and toddlers can pour and play without having to be in the sea each time they would like access to water can make things so much easier.
Kids’ swimwear is adorable but be sure to choose some in bright colors like orange or red to maximize water safety by enhancing visibility. White or blue suits make it very hard to see a child who has fallen into the water.
Whew! This may sound like a lot of work, and it is.
However, in my experience, traveling with kids and making special memories is always worth the effort. Maybe the most important tip of all? Be sure to capture the memories and include YOURSELF – set the camera up to record and get in the shot! These will be times you want to look back on! Vacations with children might not feel the same as they used to but they can still be wonderful and times you will want to look back on!
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