First off, don’t! Totally kidding – we’ve always traveled with our kids and overall every experience has been positive.

Truly, the first thing I’ve learned isn’t groundbreaking and you’ve probably heard it before – different things work at different ages. (I’m sure I’ll have to continually update this as my kids get older, but I’ll share what I’ve found that works with the ages I’ve experienced thus far.)

Take it from someone who hates flying and has dealt with motion sickness her entire life, flying with young kids really is quite easy – and shockingly I say this having just completed my first flight with kids sans my husband!

In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit upfront that I am an “all rules are out the window” when on the plane kinda mama. (Give them that third candy bar as long as they sit silently in their seat.)

True or false: Kids require so much stuff?

False! As parents we tend to overthink and quite often this leads to overpacking … we attempt to anticipate every potential need our child might have on the airplane and at our destination – this is great, until you realize you’ve paid a fee for an excessively heavy bag and lugged a ton of sh*t to and from your destination that you never used.

So what is it that you really need? Great question – while I can’t answer it for you, I can hopefully help you determine what to pack. Think about the following:

• Will you be traveling by car at any point? If the answer is no – you are lucky because you can avoid the car seat hassle altogether! If public transit is an option for you, I highly recommend utilizing it. While it can take a little bit longer, you’ll be forced to pack less. If you will need to travel with car seats, refer to my hacks below:
  • If your child is still in an infant car seat, bring it to the gate. Having the seat in the airport can be critical if you’re traveling without another adult – especially if your child is not yet able to sit up on their own. If your flight isn’t full, most airlines will allow you to bring it on to use in a seat (at no charge) and if not, you can easily gate check it.
  • If you have a larger car seat, and you’re paying for a seat for your child (for most airlines this means your kid is over the age of 2), invest in a travel belt to attach the car seat to your carry-on bag. You may wonder why I don’t recommend just checking the larger car seats and my reasons are as follows:
    • it makes it easier to contain your child
    • it provides them with a sense of familiarity/comfort
    • children are safer in their car seat than they are sitting in an airplane seat designed for an adult
  • Investing in the kids car seat travel belt also allows you to pull your child and can allow you to skip gate checking your stroller. I linked ours above (legit like $10), and it is one of my favorite hacks to date.
• Will your destination necessitate a stroller or can you get away with having them walk and/or wearing your baby? When making this decision be sure to consider the following:
  • What is the temperature where you’re traveling? Too hot or too cold and wearing your baby anytime you want to go out can be uncomfortable for both you and them. 
  • What are your plans at your destination? Perhaps you’re visiting friends/family – do they have anything you can borrow? If you plan to do a lot of walking – hello amusement parks – you’ll definitely want to bring a stroller.
  • Last summer we went to Virginia with the girls to visit Busch Gardens and Water Country U.S.A. Prior to the trip, I made the decision to buy a new (more travel friendly) stroller. In the city, our every day stroller is the UPPAbaby Vista; for travel I prefer to use the UPPAbaby G-LINK stroller. Our girls love sitting side-by-side in this one, and it is compact enough (for a double) to easily be put into and removed from a trunk. (Bonus: It looks like they’ve released a newer model since I purchased, and it’s cheaper!) If you do own, or decide to purchase any of the UPPAbaby items, be sure to purchase their travel bags as well. Purchasing the travel bags ensures your products are protected by UPPAbaby.
• Where are you staying? Whenever possible I recommend staying in a rental house or condo over a hotel room. Here’s why:
  • Having a washer and dryer on vacation is amazing! Some of you may disagree and say the last thing you want to do while you’re supposed to be relaxing is laundry, but having a W/D means you can pack less and not return home with a suitcase full of dirty clothes. Seriously, how nice is it to not come home to a full day of laundry?
  • Having segregated spaces is so much better than being in a hotel room when traveling with kids. During the trip to Virginia I mentioned above I made the mistake of renting a hotel room. While the resort was nice and the walkability great, we were stuck in the hotel room in silence any time we needed the girls to nap. Having just one hotel room also meant their bedtime was our bedtime.
  • Having the option to eat in even one meal a day can be a real budget saver. Eating breakfast, lunch and dinner out can add up quickly!
  • As if those reasons aren’t enough to have you hopping on AirBnB – renting a house/condo is often cheaper than a hotel.
  • Check with the host about what you can send to the house ahead of time – thank you, Amazon! Whenever possible, I always ship consumables to our destination. While you can typically avoid packing these items, shipping them to your destination saves you time on running out to a store for diapers or pouches.
    • You’ll also want to check with your host on any additional accommodations they offer. (i.e., pack’n’plays, highchairs)
• “I have to pack toys!” No, no you don’t! Think about it, how often have you given your child a gift to only have them more interested in the box or bag it came in? Anything can be a “toy” – most kids find excitement in all the things that come along with air travel. Hello opening and closing the tray table 2,347 times throughout the three hour flight. That’s not to say I don’t pack any sources of entertainment, I just limit them to items that can fit in the diaper bag:
  • iPad/tablet – Just be sure it is charged and you have downloaded games or movies that your child can play when not on WiFi. And don’t forget the headphones.
  • Grab and go coloring/sticker books. You can pick these up at Target or Michael’s for $1. Just opening the packaging alone keeps the kids occupied.
  • Mess free markers.
  • Play doh, silly puddy, or dare I say it slime.
• If you’re really feeling like rocking the mom game, you can wrap these items, then ration them out during the flight/trip.

But let’s just call a spade a spade and admit what we all already know … when it comes to any kind of transit, SNACKING = SURVIVAL.

For infants be prepared to nurse or give a bottle during takeoff and landing. Even if your baby isn’t a fan of pacifiers, I recommend bringing one to help with ear popping. Our oldest never took a pacifier, but would use one on the flight as a distraction when she was complaining of aching ears.

For those older kiddos

• Don’t forget their favorite water bottle – scratch that, don’t forget a water bottle that doesn’t leak!
• Try filling a bead organization box with a variety of snacks. Your kids will be amused with the smorgasbord and having to decide the order in which they’ll consume things will also be an activity for them.
• Suckers. If there was ever a time to let your child have a sucker (or three, because as I said earlier, there are no rules on an airplane,) it is now. Not only can these help with those popping ears, they can also keep your kids quiet!
• Our girls also love flying because they know they’ll be able to order an orange juice from the flight attendant. We don’t typically allow juice, so they see this an additional treat.

Something to consider … rentals

Full transparency, I am including this idea solely because I want you all to know it’s out there (if you didn’t already). I have zero experience with renting strollers, car seats, or even pack’n’plays when on vacation. That said, in what I have seen in terms of pricing, it doesn’t seem to be all that cost effective. On my most recent trip to Florida, I purchased a pack’n’play at our destination for $50. From what my limited research told me, it would have been more expensive to rent one for the four nights I was there.

So what am I forgetting mamas? Drop me a note on how you survive travel with kids. I am always looking for new hacks!