TRAVEL TIPS
Since Traveling with kids is a much different beast than traveling alone, we've gathered a few tips to share. 

If you have any tips or hints, we'd love to hear your ideas to share with others. Please email us at sales@forbabiesworld.com 

 

The first thing to remember is to Try to stay relaxed so the kids feel your vibe.
____

Bring Snacks! Airlines rarely offer free snack anymore.  If the airline serves meals, request a kid’s meal in advance. If you have a picky eater, request a fruit plate and supplement the meal with food you bring onboard. 
____

Bring your own bottled water and pre-fill your sippy cups and/or bottles. It is far easier to do this before you get on the plane; bringing a water bottle with a sports cap so you can avoid spills. Try to avoid drinking out of those little plastic airline cups.
____

Don't forget your Sling or Ergo.  They can not only help free your hands but also sooth and comfort the baby on the plane.
____

Get them a new little backpack.  Wrap cool little presents
in it. Mostly like little coloring books and crayons, some cool little
books, even playdo.  Finger puppets or little people work really well. You wrap everything separate and then when they start to get restless you let them open one. You can even wrap fun snacks too. It has been a life saver and it really keeps them occupied!
____

Get a lay over!  I so believe in layovers with children.
Yeah it's a pain to get off and board again, but hey, they cannot
stay content for 4 1/2 hours.  My favorite stop is DFW. It's a huge hub so there's actually stuff behind the security gates and it's a BIG circle so you can walk it once w/ them and burn off some steam. There is a ton to eat there too. O'Hare is a nice stop as well and going to Maryland you might consider stopping there instead of DFW. Only drawback to O'Hare is that it is LONG.
____

Bring a small bottle of hand sanitizer.
____

Bring a lollipop or hard candy or save a bottle for landing. If you have an infant, try to time his/her feeding during descent and have a pacifier ready.  If you are still breastfeeding this is great too.
____

Remember if stuff falls to the floor, it is usually hard to pick it up. So if you have a pacifier, use a leash for it. Help your child stay organized by packing things like crayons in a Ziploc bag so they don’t end up everywhere.
____

Bring a extra Ziploc bags. The bags are great because they are waterproof and won’t leak if there is a cup of ice or other liquid in them. You can use them to store a dirty diaper if you don’t have immediate access to a trash can.
____

Pack a separate Ziploc bag for each diaper change. Airplane bathrooms are tinny, and you don’t want to have to dig through a diaper bag to get what you need. When you are done, place everything into the Ziploc bag and throw it away.
____

Make your carry-on a backpack so you can keep your hands free to help your child, juggle tickets, and push the stroller. Buy a multi pocket document organizer so you can keep all of your travel documents organized.
____

If you have a runner or fighters, bring a piece of cloth maybe 4’x 4’ for each child to play with as their “island” while waiting in the airport. It will help contain them, and keep them entertained. Warn them about the sharks in the waters. You can bring pencils for them to color their island, or make a treasure map. Add some small toys, for an hour of fun. When it is time to board the plane, pull the sides of the sheet together, tie it with a rope and your are ready to board.
____

If you have purchased a seat for your child, seriously consider bringing your car seat. It is safer than using the airplane's seatbelt, and much safer than a lap baby. Just make sure the car seat has been approved by the Department of Transportation.
____

If you have a lap baby find out if the airline provide a baby lap belt. If not purchase. Should a plane experience strong turbulence or wind shear, it could be literally impossible for you to hold onto your child. He or she will fly up and literally bounce off the ceiling. Request a bulkhead seat and bassinet in advance. The disadvantage of these seats is there is no under seat storage and sometimes the legroom is limited.
____

If you are flying over the ocean for some distance, request an infant life vest.
____

If you are bringing a stroller check it at the gate so you can use it when you get off the plane.
____

Remove all metal items before you go through security. This includes belt buckles, coins, shoes, etc. If you have a metal prosthesis, many metal detectors will cause the alarm to go off. If possible have you child go through security with another adult in your group. If you have not successfully passed through the metal detector and your child approaches you, your child will be “contaminated” and be required to be searched. Security might yell and scare your child.
____

If you are disabled, request assistance (but make sure to bring proof like your disabled placard). In most cases, you and your party will be transported on an electric cart, allowed to cut to the front of the security line and be working with people that will better understand your needs. This can make a world of difference if there are long security lines and your are trying to juggle your children’s needs and your belongings.
____

If you have a long security line to wait in, try to make up a game you can play with your child: count the number of people in line, count the number of people with red hair, play I Spy, make up a rhyme, make up a story, etc.
____

Ask if the flight is full. If not, request that the seat next to you be left empty.
____

Bring video entertainment, but save it for the plane ride. Bring your own child sized headphones. Even for older kids, the airline headphones are for adults and will most likely slip off a child's head. Note if you are flying Jet Blue and departing from the East Coast, Direct TV usually does not have any children’s programming in the evening (based on East Coast time). Bring headphones for all video games, as the noise can be disturbing for other passengers. Forewarn gamers that they will have to pause their game during take-off and landing. Also, bring extra batteries.
____

If you child is old enough, have him/her carry their own rolling or backpack carry-on. Let him/her pack it with their sweater, blanket, favorite toy, and reading and drawing materials. They can even carry their own bottle of water and healthy snacks. Pack an extra t-shirt in case for spills (or motion sickness). Encourage them to be independent and take care of themselves.
____

Unless you have lots of stuff, do not pre-board the plane. Why add an extra half hour of having to sit in a seat to an already long plane ride. The exception to this rule is if you have lots of carry-ons or if the plane does not have assigned seating.
____

For older children bring a activities that will engage your child (e.g., beads and string, lanyard, origami book and paper, juggling items and book, crossword puzzles). There are also travel sized version of many games from Scrabble to Monopoly. Bring a piece of yarn and print out the how to's of making string figures (see http://alysion.org/figures/main.htm)
____

Write your cell phone number (with a permanent marker) on your child’s hand or on a card, they can keep in their pocket or neck wallet, you can do this also when you are in port. Just incase they get lost. It is a good tip to write your room number on their hand or on a card for when they are on board the ship.
____

Make your child in charge of family safety, with the responsibilities of making everyone stays together, bags are being attended, and trash is picked up.
____

If your child is prone to ear infections, talk to your doc. Ours suggested giving a decongestant just before flying to keep the ears clear. In fact, when we were going through the bouts of frequent infections, we saw the doc before one trip, just in case... Sure enough, ears on the verge of another infection, so we opted to start antibiotics.
____

Beware of the sippy cups with valves. I had one squirt me in the face as we reached cruising altitude! The difference in air pressure in the cup vs. the cabin was enough to make it blow. If you bring yogurt or other similar products, be sure to open them away from you so that they don't spray on you. Open the containers for your kids, so that they don't do same.
____

You should scan a copy of all birth certificates and the first page of your passport. Then email it to yourself. That way if something happen you have easy access to it.
____

Add to the list of documents you carry with you always: Health care proxy, durable power of attorney. This way if something happens medically your partner shouldn't be denied access.
____

And don't bring your "good" stroller. Those things get tossed about mercilessly. We've lost wheels -- which makes for an interesting stroller "ride." We always use cheapies for travel.
____

Good luck. Traveling with kids can be fun!!

 

We also have wheelchair traveling tips.

 

HOME    BABY HAMMOCKS   BABY CARRIERS    TEETHING REMEDIES    BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS   
 
TRAVELING TIPS    TRAVEL & GEAR  POTTY TRAINING    SOY CANDLES  
    DIAPER BAGS
      STROLLERS     TOYS      SPORTS BRAS    COMMUNITY 

 

Today is:

© Copyright 2006, For Babies World. All rights reserved.