Travel with Toddlers

I have traveled a lot with my girls.  Well, “a lot” is an arbitrary phrase here but in my opinion it is, in fact, a lot! And, fun fact for you, my husband has never traveled with my girls and I since we’ve been married.  Actually, I retract that statement.  Together we flew with Nora from Salt Lake City, UT to Long Beach, CA when she was 4 weeks old.  That 45 min flight with a comatose infant was really tough guys … Note my sarcasm here. So here we are, 5 years and 2 kiddos 8 years and 3 kiddos later living 2,000 miles away from family.  Travels are to be had, such is the military life.  Now, it’s not that my husband refuses to vacation with us or travel with small children.  He’s in a rigorous training program and time off is just not a luxury he has at this point.  #airforceprobs am I right?  So we do what we gotta do and we don’t complain … HA! This girl got jokes. You know I be complainin’ when I’m hustlin with a 2 year old and 3 year old from gate to gate without a stroller .. (Thanks a lot American Airlines. You guys suck.)  Rick Ross ain’t got nothin’ on me.  

So, as it stands  I have collected some helpful tips along the way.  I thought I would share them with you guys incase you ever find yourself in my same boat .. or plane, or automobile.  But since I’m still suffering from the PTSD of our road trip – these are going to be my road trip tips.  

Ok, the first thing I have to share is a little more of a mommy travel tip.  We haven’t done a lot of road trips but enough to know that they are hard work.  Am I weird if I say I like the challenge though?  If I am then what’s new.  As if you guys didn’t already know that I’m a little weird.  I enjoy the planning and packing and organizing of road trips.  Tell me I’m not the only one.  Our last road trip was … currently.  So .. recent enough that I remember it like it was yesterday …. oh wait … it was.  During the drive I decided I needed something that was going to make the trip go by quicker.  The Beibs was not cutting it.  So I told him we needed to take a break. He was like, is it too late now to say sorry?  And I said, JB – It’s just a break.  I’ll never really leave you and he was like, “never say never.”  I just can’t win with this guy.  

Anyway, I fell in love with a podcast.  I never thought I would say those words in my life.  I thought podcasts were for middle-aged business men in airports.  Maybe so, but they are also for moms road tripping with their toddlers.  My new love is Serial.  My sisters told me about it months ago and I decided to give it a listen.  Turned into 5 hours of a listen.  Basically american journalist Sarah Koenig investigates the 1999 murder of high school senior Hae Lee.  A month after her disappearance her body was found and her ex-boyfriend Adnan was arrested for the crime.  A year later he was sentenced to life in prison based on the story of one “witness”.  Adnan maintains he is innocent all this time.  But is he telling the truth?  Serial is Sarah’s journey for answers.  It’s highly addictive (and a little upsetting at times).  I listened with one headphone in while I drove.  This may very well be against the law but I’m not sure.  If it is, I guess I am a criminal along with Adnan. But seriously, it made the drive go by so much quicker which was a travel win for me. Listen to it guys.  

Now, onto the toddler tips.  I bought this TFY tablet holder for our last trip to California via airplane.  I did a lot of research and ultimately I went with this one because it is so versatile.  It can be used in so many ways and places.  It was PERFECT for the airplane, but it’s also been perfect for the car.  In fact, we have two of them now for the car.  I don’t know about your 2 year olds, but Gwen’s chubby little toddler fingers love to do everything besides NOT touch the screen while she’s watching a show.  From the driver seat, I can easily slip the tablet into this holder on either side of the car which is a plus when you’re sans co-pilot and the kids decide they DON’T want to watch Bubble Guppies 5 minutes into the drive.  

Next up, these car seat play tables were a success on our recent road trip.  It gives them a surface to color or play on and when your road rage kicks in and you need to slam on your breaks, the crayons don’t roll onto the ground! Yes, that definitely deserves an exclamation point! No more self-induced slipped disks from reaching that cursed crayon that “fell” in an ungodly crevice of the vehicle that you never knew existed.  This play table is a mommy win.  

Painter’s tape.  The best travel purchase I ever made.  Tape has kept my girls entertained for more hours than a tablet and a roll of bubble tape.  Unlike bubble tape, painter’s tape is safe for any surface so I encourage them to stick it wherever their little hearts desire.  Except my arms.  We learned that the hard way didn’t we Nora?..  

Prepare to laugh at my next tip.  I have a love affair with white noise.  I believe my kids sleep better when there is white noise present to drowned out the other noises around that may disturb their slumber.  You know what I’m talking about.  Such as my deaf Dad’s late night viewing of FOX News that can be heard 3 rooms over.  Seriously, this guy is in denial about his hearing loss.  So, back to my tip, I bring a portable white noise machine with us in the car and plug it in when they fall asleep.  Call me crazy, but I swear by it.  I hate when they’re sleeping and I feel like I can’t open my bag of Sour Patch Watermelons because the crinkling of the bag is going to wake them.  I’m not the kind of girl to wait three hours to snack so that a potato chip bag doesn’t wake my sleeping babes.  Ain’t nobody got time for dat.  Instead – I use white noise and eat all the snack foods I want.    

I bought a cute new plastic basket from Target.  This should come as a surprise to nobody.  It was teal and super cute and I had to have it.  And then, since I bought it I decided I should find a purpose for it.  I decided to set it in the middle seat in between the girls’ car seats and fill it with books.  Some new, some old. Some favorites, some NOT so favorites …. those are now lost somewhere under the seats of my car.  Thanks Gwen.  It was a good time killer for the girls.  When their little chubby hands got restless, they could reach for a book.  Nora would flip through hers, Gwen would throw hers.  The bucket was a good system though.  Right in their reach.  Better than on the floor of the passenger’s side where I would be risking our lives trying to grab the right fishy book before the Hulk comes out in the back seat. 

My other tips are the obvious.  Lots and lots of snacks.  I actually like to put Gwen on formula when we travel.  It’s so much easier to mix up a bottle of formula than to keep 3 gallons of milk cold in the car for 9 hours.  I can’t even keep the lotion in my car cool enough to not turn to liquid.  I could never be responsible enough with milk without the use of a mini fridge.  

I like to stop at restaurants with play places so the kiddos can get their energies out.  Especially Chick-Fil-A.  Has anybody else noticed that a McDonalds with a play place is a super rare find these days?  Chick-Fil-A is the new Mickey D’s and the best news is that they actually have edible chicken.  

Dramamine (don’t call CPS on me.)

Put the potty-trained kiddos in pull ups and the un-potty trained ones in night time diapers.  

I like to get the girls a new little toy or two for the trip.  Something with lots of little pieces that will inevitably be lost in between the seats forever.  Favorite.  

Here are a few links to some of the most popular car activities we’ve purchased!

BIG Reusable Sticker Pads

Puffy Sticker Play Sets

Magnetic Play Scene Tins

Paint with Water Books  – These brought back all sorts of childhood memories.

Scissor Skills Activity Pad

Travel Memory Game

If you have any great travel tips or any awesome product for traveling, please share!! Thanks for reading and I hope this helped any of you momma’s who have to travel by boat, by car, or by plane.  Especially if you have to travel alone.  It’s the pits.