Eight Expert Tips for Traveling With Your Toddler
As a former professional travel writer, I would like to think that I speak with authority on both adult and children’s travel. So, here are my eight professional tips for traveling with an infant, toddler, or toddler in their first year of life. (However, the violation of the biorhythm of a child is a separate story, but at a different time.)
This post was originally posted on the Van Winkle website .
My wife and I are neither braggart nor excessive compliments. My son’s self-esteem will undoubtedly suffer from this, as we hardly shower him with praise or brag about his accomplishments to other parents. This is how we were raised, and we will do the same to him.
At the same time, we are proud of our little daughter for two reasons. First, he sleeps well. For this, we pay tribute to Susie Giordano’s book Twelve Hours of Sleep for Babies through Twelve Weeks: A Step-by-Step Plan for Successful Baby Sleep , which uses feeding schedules to ensure good sleep . Assuming it fits with your parenting qualities, her plan works.
Secondly, the boy can travel. At 22, he has already flown 25 flights, some of which are international. He happily performed flights that would make even the most seasoned aircraft builders cry on their Skymiles card, including the heartbreaking 14 Hours There / 15 Hours Ago marathon from New York to New Delhi.
And this is how we did it. Here are my tips for traveling with an infant, toddler, or toddler in their first year of life.
1) Book in advance and by phone to receive bonuses
On the aforementioned trip from JFK airport to DEL, our seats were in the first row of economy class with a carrycot that the flight attendants installed after take off. It was a 14 hour night flight and this sky rocker was critical to our well-being. Therefore, we did not leave it to chance.
It’s a little-known secret that with online ticketing services, some airlines are blocking their front row seats, especially on overnight international flights popular with families. This ensures that these carrycots are put to good use.
Knowing this, we called United (note, months in advance) and requested a special tier. At the push of a button, we had the best seats in the house. Moreover, these are usually Economy Plus seats; airlines distribute them to families, upon request, subject to availability, at no additional charge.
For these bassinets, weight and height restrictions vary by airline, but usually 25 pounds is the maximum. During our flight, our child was just ashamed of this; he was also at the upper limit of his height, so it was not the most comfortable position. However, he received several hours of much-needed rest on each flight.
2) Bring the right bag
I’m a gear fan. Not gadgets, but backpacks. I have a Kelty for all occasions, from last weekend to traveling around the world. When it comes time to get ready to fly with my baby, I dig through my stack for a specific set of features.
Most of the time, I prefer the modest 1,500 cubic inch packaging that actually serves as my everyday laptop / commuter bag. The small size makes me economical and efficient in my choice. I do not take a book with me. No headphones, no iPad either. (They go into my registered bag, which I secure with TSA approved locks.)
Instead, it is stuffed with snacks, toys, diapers and napkins. I make a mental note of where I put everything – this is necessary for digging when the lights in the cockpit are dim.
I’ve made mistakes. On our last trip, I upgraded to my personal Weekender , a beautiful leather duffel bag durable enough to survive the apocalypse. It was a bad move — too cumbersome, too cumbersome, too … masculine. It lacked the compartments and partitions necessary to organize work in times of stress. On our next flight, I will return to my trusted tiny Keltie.
3) Prepare two packaging strategies
There is an extra subtlety in packing your airplane bag. You actually need to prepare two different configurations, one for safety and one for the flight itself.
If you do not have a child, you may not be aware that the TSA makes exceptions for baby food for safety reasons. Even when containers exceed the 3.4 ounce limit, TSA allows milk, formula, and even snack bags to pass through security checkpoints. (Don’t worry about water – just buy it at the gate.)
Each time I went through a security check, I was asked to remove these items from my bag for a separate check. Plan ahead – put all of your baby’s food and liquids in one gallon zipper. Leave it at the top where it can be easily accessed. As you approach security, remove your bag and hand it over to the security officer. If you don’t want your child’s food to be X-rayed, they will manually check it.
(The same goes for you and your child – you can ask you to pet him. Personally, I would never let my child enter one of these so-called ” porn scanners “.)
When you go through security and stand at the gate, it’s time to repackage. This time, you need milk, food and snacks exactly for the first few hours of the flight. Once you get up in the air and everyone is settled, you can rummage through the bag as needed for everything else. It’s the same with diapers: keep two close at hand and hide the rest at the bottom of your bag.
4) Be early and sit first
Don’t be that distraught family running around the airport. This family sucks. Arrive at the airport with plenty of free time and sit at the boarding gate. If you’re at an airport that sells beer and wine at various stores, have a drink. Give your child some energy. Stay away from your phone and pay attention. It might sound like it isn’t, but these are actually good times to remember.
After the fat cats sat in first grade, it was time for the elderly, the injured, and “those traveling with small children.” It’s you. The last thing you want is to fight for headspace, so get out first. Like the chefs and their mis-anam , you need to prepare your seat immediately after landing. Place the diaper, tissues, bottle, and snacks in the bag on the back or under the seat. That and possibly a few toys and lollipops are all you need to take off.
5) smile through stress
At the mere mention of the airport, most people automatically radiate tension. Don’t be that kind of person. Airline personnel control your experience more than you might imagine. From seat upgrades to additional security checks, they can make or interrupt your trip as they see fit. It pays to be friendly and cordial, even in the darkest moments when your soul is about to split in two.
Case in point: On a recent overnight trip from New York to Warsaw, we booked decent Economy Plus seats (see below). I tried to change seats in the front row, but the online booking was blocked. We came to terms with the 12th row, where we had seats at the aisle and in the middle.
As it turned out, at check-in, one of our bags was overweight. Faced with an onerous and unpleasant $ 125 fee, I didn’t complain. I didn’t growl or swear at the registration agent. I smiled, shrugged, and paid the supplement without causing her any grief. It’s not her fault that I put together two suits for a friend’s wedding.
To my surprise, the agent voluntarily moved us to the first row and blocked the third place, giving us the entire row. Begging might deserve the same service, but in my experience, airline employees just want to be treated with courtesy.
6) Take advantage of the Economy Plus benefits
Simply put: always pay for premium seats. Flying Economy Plus propels you further in the cabin (giving you the first time to eat and drink), gets off the plane faster and, yes, has more legroom. Your butt might burn out if you pay Delta $ 69 for another measly three inches of space, but your child isn’t much wider than that — it matters. In Warsaw that night, being in the front row meant having enough legroom to build a makeshift bed on the floor. As soon as the child fell asleep in our lap, we put him there – and he slept half the flight.
It’s the same with bags. Do not stuff anything you have into your carry-on baggage. You will be unhappy. Check out most of your content, even if it means additional fees.
7) Don’t Think The Worst Is Coming
Tense parents create stressful kids. I’m not quite a Zen human being, but I don’t get into situations expecting the worst. Will my baby cry on takeoff? May be. Or maybe not. Will he be able to stay awake much longer than his sleep, revealing an irrational beast that cannot be calm? May be. Or maybe not.
Keep calm. Calm down. If your child breaks down, that’s okay. Keep it well-fed, dry, and distracting. All the rest is nonsense.
8) don’t be discouraged for everyone else
Every parent got this look at the airport: another passenger who, seeing the child in your arms, curses you. Damn. That. Guy.
On my travels, I’ve only seen this look in disheveled lonely people who have nothing to judge anyone’s life decisions. What they fail to understand is that when a child cries, no one experiences more stress than their parents. Families fly, babies cry. Nobody wants their kid to worry about red eyes, but shit happens. You can’t exactly take a bus to India to meet your parents, so let’s figure it out.
Some parents buy drinks for those around them. It’s a beautiful gesture – I made it – but ultimately it doesn’t matter. When your child screams, your flymates want to see you try to solve the problem. They want to know that you are hearing noise; even if you cannot fix it, they will appreciate your efforts.
Anyone who flies without noise canceling headphones is an idiot.
8 Expert Tips for Traveling with Your Baby | Van Winkle