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Now that I’m safely back home from a visit to my husband’s family in the Northeast, I can say that traveling with a toddler is a breeze.
HAHAHA HAHAHA
HAHAHA HAHAHA!

O.k., it was stressful and nerve-wracking and I felt like an idiot for even planning this trip. Even so, my son Max did really well. This was our third family vacation; we traveled with him when he was three months old, then when he was nine months old, and last week at 26 months; each time has been completely imperfect but less disastrous than I expected them to be. Looking back, these three experiences combined have made me realize a few things that might be useful to you. So, take this for what it’s worth, and be sure to share you any travel tips you may have.

First of all, I stress a lot about traveling. I’m terrified of flying in a way that defies any common sense and reason I possess. So when I plan a trip, I devote a lot of time to planning; it just makes me feel better. The hardest part is finding the flights I need at a good price, and this can take a lot of time. But what I’m looking for is this: when can I fly in which there’s a great probability that Max will want to sleep? The biggest thing I’ve learned is that picking a flight at a time when my son will most likely be sleepy (even if it means paying a few more bucks) is the key to a peaceful experience.

As an infant, Max would go down for the night (and most of you know that doesn’t really mean down for the whole night) at 7 p.m. So I picked evening flights (8 or 9 p.m.) and kept him up until we were settled in our seats, where I’d nurse him to sleep. This time around, I picked a 6:30 a.m. flight and had him up at 4 a.m., hoping that being woken so early and having to deal with the airport activity would leave him wanting more sleep. And yes, that’s what happened. I picked return flights around his nap time and crossed my fingers. On those flights, he didn’t sleep the whole way through, but enough to keep things peaceful.

So basically, while there’s no guarantee with this, if it’s at all possible, I strongly suggest picking flights around your child’s sleep schedule. I was willing to put up with my son being in an over-excited, annoying state while we waited to board the plane in exchange for a peaceful flight.

Another thing that worked for me was trying to be as prepared as humanly possible, and then doubling that. My carry-on was nothing but stuff Max might want or need: snacks, toys, books, DVDs; plus diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, his blanket; plus medicine, thermometer, etc. I wanted to have anything and everything just in case, especially his favorite snacks and items. His favorite sippy cup? Check. Milk purchased past security (2 or 3 cartons)? Check. Even if you think your flight is too short for X item, take it anyway. Your child may not be able to listen to 15 CDs, but trust me, you’ll want to have them all on hand in case he/she gets fickle and demands that one they’ve heard just once three months ago.

So you’ve picked the best flight possible and packed a zillion things. Now what? There’s no predicting how your baby or toddler will behave at the moment of truth. So my final piece of advice? Relax and be realistic about your expectations. Yes, it sucks to be that parent with the wailing child, but if you are doing everything you can to comfort and placate them, and they still cry, well, that’s what babies and very small kids do sometimes. As long as you’re not that parent who’s letting their kid run wild and be a general PIA because it makes the flight easier for you, I think you’ll be o.k. On this most recent flight back home, the person assigned to the third seat in our row came over, took one look at our son (who was looking out the window at that moment), made a face, and left in search of another seat. Turns out we had a whole row to ourselves the whole way home and that Max slept until about 15 minutes before landing, so it was fine by me. So some people may judge you before your child even makes a peep, and your child may just be unhappy and express that unhappiness; do all that you can, and beyond that, don’t be too hard on yourself - or your child.

This is what’s worked for me - perhaps some more seasoned travelers out there have more suggestions (hint: share them with us!).

by Tere

[tags]holidays, vacation, kids, children, toddlers, baby, babies, stress, airplane, flying, advice, relaxation, packing, toys[/tags]
Photo graciously provided by caribb, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved