Mom to Mom // Lindsay & Traveling with Littles

​Taking our son everywhere with us and implementing in him a sense of adventure is very important to us. We want him to see and experience everything and we figure there is no better time to do it than now! Wesley has been many places already and the memories we have made on these trips are so special to me. All but one flight have been just me and him, so I have learned a ton about how to travel as efficient, light and enjoyable as possible with a babe. Of course I only have one child, so that makes a difference compared to having multiple littles to worry about. And I also want to add that flying became more of a challenge once he started walking, so I’ve taken note and have come up with a new ideas to make the trips enjoyable for all. I know traveling with a little one can seem daunting, but I am here to tell you it does not have to be hectic and crazy, so long as you prepare well. 

Flying

Buy an extra carseat: If you travel often like we do, I suggest buying a cheap carseat you can travel with. We wanted to be able to have a carseat we could take with us and not have to worry about it getting damaged, since his everyday one was a pricey investment investment. Knowing we have a seat for him when we arrive has been really nice.  

Use a carrier: Using a carrier instead of a stroller leaves you hands free and allows you to navigate through the airport easily. If you are not normally a baby wearer that is totally fine, but I suggest you be one while traveling. I always see parents dealing with all of the stuff they have while checking in and going through security and so badly want to suggest this simple thing! It really has made such a difference for us. I strap him to me and have both of my hands to do all the rest.

Passport Holder: Because most airlines require to see your child’s birth certificate at check in, I bring my handy-dandy passport holder. I keep his certificate, my ID, credit cards and our boarding passes inside so I am not fumbling through my diaper bag to find what I need. 

Check bags: Checking everything you possibly can is the way to go. Bags, strollers, carseats- check it! In the beginning I would still try to take my carryon with me so I didn’t have to wait at baggage claim after the flight, but soon realized it was better to only have Wesley to worry about while boarding. 

Change diaper: Always change diapers before take off and if it’s a short enough flight, no in-flight-tiny-airplane-bathroom diaper changes will be needed. 

Take off: For little ears, always have a few binkies, bottles or breastfeeding available during ascension. And for the older ones, a lollipop will do the trick!

Plan for a nap: I always intentionally plan his nap around when we will take off. He begins nursing while we are waiting for the plane to take off and then lulls to sleep as we ascend. The sound of the roaring engine is soothing to him and having him rest up makes the last part of the flight very nice. 

Snacks + entertainment: Always bring a bunch of snacks! You can never have too many. As for entertainment, I used to not have anything for him to watch, but now that he's older and more busy it's a necessity for longer flights. We got him his own headphones and have downloaded his favorite Curious George on the iPad for those last resort moments of boredom. This is a special treat for him and he loves it! 

Walk the isles: The last flight we were on was a very long flight. He was beyond over it and I was not as prepared. I could tell he was just wanting to run and get some wiggles out, so I asked the flight attendant if it would be okay for me to walk with him up and down the isle. It was a smooth flight so she said yes and he had a blast walking up and down smiling at everyone.

Make friends with your neighbor: It's inevitable that your child will bump and push against the person sitting next to you. My advice on this is to not worry about it! Don't try to make everyone around you comfortable to the point of stressing yourself out. Wesley is not shy about making friends with everyone around him on the plane and all I do is ask them to let me know if he's getting too far into their personal space. I rarely apologize to people around me because I figure most of them have been in my shoes at some point. Traveling can be hard on little ones and more times than not, people get it. I feel like it makes everyone feel more at ease about sitting by a child if you simply make a point to be friendly and get to know them.