Hellobee

When I was growing up, my maternal grandparents lived a few miles away and we spent almost every Thanksgiving and Christmas with them, along with my aunts, uncles, and cousin. My Dad’s side of the family is big but everyone lived within a 3 hour radius of each other, and we’d get together every year for a big Christmas celebration. It felt normal for me to share my holidays with extended family, and I loved getting together with them. But I also loved waking up in my own bed every Christmas morning and tip toeing out to the living room to peek under the tree and confirm that Santa had indeed brought me my much-desired American Girl doll.

When I went off to college and law school across the country and subsequently married a boy from the opposite side of the U.S. whose job requires frequent relocations, I didn’t really think through what that would mean for holiday celebrations. It turns out what that has meant for me is that for the past 16 years I have flown somewhere else for almost every single Thanksgiving and Christmas. While I love seeing our extended family (none of whom live within driving distance), holiday travel was exhausting and expensive even before we had kids. And now it’s doubly so (well close to doubly – I still force Little P to sit in my lap to save us the cost of 1 airplane ticket).

As our kids get older and we solidify our own holiday traditions and potentially add more peas to our pod, we will likely re-think whether it makes sense for us to continue flying for every single holiday. For now, however, we pack up and travel. For others in the same boat, I thought I’d share our top 5 tips for holiday travel with little ones.

Find a corner in the airport and trap them. They will think it’s cool. Pretend there are no germs.

Tip #1 – Dress your kids in holiday PJs, preferably matching ones with feet or paired with cute slippers. We are almost always traveling early in the morning or after dinner time, so I dress my kids exclusively in PJs for air travel. This serves a few practical purposes (comfort, easy to pack, etc.), and one intangible one: your kids seem way less annoying when they are dressed like Santa and his Elf (trust me on this one). Santa hats are optional but highly encouraged.

Tip #2 – Pick and choose what equipment and luggage you need based on your specific trip. We have taken Big P on over 20 airplane trips (and Little P is close to 10), and I don’t think we’ve used the same stroller/ car seat/ luggage combo for very many (if any) of them. It pays off to take some time and think about what you need and want for this specific trip taking into consideration (1) where you are going; (2) what airlines you are flying; (3) if you have any connections and, if so, for how long; (4) whether you are renting a car or not; (5) what you are planning to do during your trip; and (6) how long you will be gone for. The only things I always bring with me are a baby carrier (for the 2 and under crowd although I definitely strapped my huge 3 year old in the Ergo on our trip to North Carolina this past Thanksgiving), a change of clothes for everybody except Mr. Peas (who never seems to be the person that gets peed or puked on), the iPad, sippy cups and bottles, and diapers and wipes.

Consider saying yes if your little asks to pack his own suitcase and wheel it. It’ll make his day and amuse a few other passengers.

Tip #3 – Don’t worry too much about entertainment. Just bring an iPad. No matter which cool toy I bring with us on the plane, my kids are inevitably more interested in the barf bag or airline magazine (or pulling each other’s hair). OR THE IPAD. I try to limit my kids’ screen time but not on the plane. On the plane I am all about the iPad. If you don’t have an iPad, turn your phone on airplane mode and let them play with the calculator or camera.

If you forget the kid headphones, you can use a Santa hat to secure adult ones into little ears.

Tip #4 – Pack a few snacks but not too many. Just say yes to more milk. My kids are never super interested in snacks on the plane. Their ears hurt and they want to drink something from their favorite drinking vessel. My kids are huge milk fiends and I basically let them drink as much milk as they want while we’re flying. It keeps them happy and full (and yes their bladders stay full too, which is why I put my 3 year old in a pull up while we fly).

Don’t forget that travel can bring out the best in your kids too. You’re on an adventure together & everyone plays an important part (even the 19 month old who lovingly watched over his big bro as he snoozed).

Tip #5 – Have low expectations. Traveling is super stressful for us grown ups. Imagine what it’s like for little kids. My kids have traveled a ton and generally do great. But at least once during each flight they have a bad moment (and on the rare occasion the bad moment lasts the entire flight). Of course I feel bad if they’re screaming, crying, or kicking the seat in front of them, but I don’t stress too much about it (I do physically stop the kicking though). The quickest, easiest way to get my kids to calm down is for me to stay calm, so I board every flight expecting and prepared for the worse.

Holiday travel is not the time to obsess about germs. Focus on survival even if that means lying on the floor while you wait for your luggage.