Hellobee

The Cotton Candys just got back from a whirlwind three weeks of travel (with a three-day “break” in the middle to work and unpack/re-pack), and I wanted to share some things we learned on our two trips.

First, we flew to New York City to spend one day in the city and the rest of the week at my best friend’s parents’ home on Long Island. Then, we had three days back home in Austin before we took off for our sixteen-hour drive to Colorado to visit Mr. Cotton Candy’s parents and sister, and our niece and nephew. This wasn’t our first rodeo with plane travel with a kid in tow, but traveling with a stubborn and moody three-year-old presents a unique set of challenges. Plus, our second trip was Little Cotton Candy’s first ever road trip, so we definitely hit a learning curve. Overall, both trips were a success, and I’d like to share some of the highs and lows, as well as a few quick tips for air and plane travel with children.

Tips for Plane Travel with a Toddler

1. Gate check your stroller and car seat. There’s no extra charge and it keeps your car seat from getting jostled around as much. You may want to pick up one of these bags to put your car seat in.

2. If your kid is over thirty pounds, think about a travel vest in lieu of a car seat. We don’t have one yet, but they are so much easier to transport.

3. Make sure to bring kid headphones if you’re packing a tablet or kid tablet (or if your airline offers screens), and choose a movie or show your kid has seen before so there are no surprises.

4. Pack snacks of the non-sticky, non-sugary variety. We had nothing on our flight home from New York and had to beg for extra peanuts from the flight attendant. We got lucky that she was accommodating; otherwise, it could have been meltdown city.

5. For a mess-free interactive activity, try a marker book that works with water or a magic ink marker and book set.

Tips for Road Trips with a Toddler

1. Pack a cooler with fruit and water and sandwiches (or your fave travel-friendly healthy snacks).

2. Research your route and find rest stops and playgrounds ahead of time. We stopped at the approximate halfway point and had a picnic lunch and let Little Cotton Candy play at a playground.

3. Break up your trip. Instead of trying to get there in one day, take two, especially if you’re traveling more than eight hours. (I wouldn’t recommend choosing somewhere you can’t get to in two days, especially for a first road trip.)

4. The week leading up to your trip, don’t allow your toddler a lot of screen time. Then the iPad will become the most fascinating thing in the world.

5. Before you head out, check out some new children’s library books to up the novelty factor.

6. Make a kid-friendly playlist for the car.

Some General Tips

1. Before you leave, organize your tech and make sure your phone has plenty of storage space for photos and videos. If you’re like me, you will procrastinate on this, so try to start the process a week or so before.

2. Do your personal grooming (manicures, shaving, face masks, etc.) two nights before your trip (because you will be running around doing last minute chores and packing the night before).

3. Along the same lines, make arrangements for pet care at least two nights before you leave (stock up on food, make sure whoever is taking care of your pets has a key, call the pet sitter or boarder, etc.).

4. Don’t choose travel as a time to make a major change, like potty training. We thought we could get Little Cotton Candy to work on his potty training skills over the course of our two trips, and boy were we wrong. Travel brings enough changes for little brains, so it’s usually not a good idea to add another layer of stress.

Highs of Our New York City / Long Island Trip

1. Spending time with my BFF, and her family (not pictured).

2. Purchasing/devouring macarons from Lauduree.

3. Beaching.

Lows of New York City / Long Island Trip

1. Toddler meltdown at bedtime on Friday night with nowhere to escape.

2. Getting dragged to a race track for a monster truck demo. (OK, it was actually kinda fun.)

3. Attempting (unsuccessfully) to get Little Cotton Candy to use the potty while on vacation.

Highs of Colorado Road Trip

1. Getting in the car and just going. (Isn’t that always the best part?)

2. Meeting and snuggling our new niece, and playing with our nephew.

3. Touring the Wolf Center (a rescue organization for wolves).

4. Spending time with family at amazing Colorado breweries.

Lows of Colorado Road Trip

1. Getting sick at the end and rushing through our last day. (Everyone was grumpy.)

Hey, just one low! Not too shabby. Maybe we learned a few things from our first trip. Here are a few tips I put together to make traveling by plane or car with a toddler a little bit easier.

Do you have any tips to add? Share them in the comments!