Hey Guys! This post is LONG overdue. My husband Jamie and I have traveled consistently with our children. We have gone all over the world with them at ALL ages and we have even gone places already with all THREE kiddos. We have three kids 4 and under (4,2, and 4 mo.).
I’d like to start by telling you that my favorite ages to travel with kids are newborns, and over the age of 2. The hardest flights we have done were when they were between the ages 14 months to 22 months. Just a little disclaimer! It can be done at these ages but is NOT fun! We brought our 14/15 month old to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Dubai and it was interesting to say the least. We still had a BLAST but kids are just so irrational at this age!
Now, I want to share tips and tricks for traveling with young kids, and the gear that we use.
TIPS & TRICKS
1. We usually try flying red-eyes if it is a trip that takes longer than 6 hours! This is personal preference but in our experience gives us a sure bet that at some point the said-child will fall asleep, making life A LOT easier for mom and dad.
2. We pack snacks galore and always pack snacks that take a long time to eat. Think Cheerios, nut mixes, or small pretzels. I always pack, “squeezies” also so that they get some nutrients on the flight.
3. I always pack lollipops just in case there’s an episode on the flight! (Most of the time we have not had to use them BUT I remember one particular trip it definitely came in handy)
4. I pack tons of activities. I usually go to the dollar store right before the trip and get tons of small dollar items that I can give sporadically throughout the trip! This ends up saving us from potential melt-downs.
5. Once they are above the age of two then I pack sticker books, coloring books, and other activities to keep them busy. See these examples here:
- [eafl id=”2488″ name=”wikki stix” text=”Wikki Stix”]
- [eafl id=”2490″ name=”magnet cars” text=”Magnetic Fun”]
- [eafl id=”2492″ name=”puffy sticker” text=”Puffy Stickers”]
- [eafl id=”2493″ name=”100 words” text=”First 100 Words Stickers”]
- [eafl id=”2494″ name=”reusable sticker” text=”Reusable Stickers”]
- [eafl id=”2496″ name=”polly pocket” text=”Polly Pocket”]
6. Pack iPads and [eafl id=”2495″ name=”headphones” text=”these headphones”] for the flight! 
Do not pull them out before you’ve exhausted all other efforts or they won’t serve their purpose!
NOW FOR THE GEAR
For domestic travel we typically bring the carseats. For overseas travel we do not. We try and travel as LIGHT as possible. We do our best to make sure the hotels, airbnbs, or resorts already have pack n plays. If they don’t, then we bring our [eafl id=”2484″ name=”kid co” text=”KidCo pop-up tent”] for our oldest, and our [eafl id=”2486″ name=”Lotus Crib” text=”Guava Lotus Travel Crib”] for our middle child, and then this collapsible bed from amazon for our infant.
We try to travel as light as possible, so we typically do one large bag if its domestic and two small bags if we are doing international. I buy my boys Rags to Raches or onesies so that I don’t have to coordinate outfits, and so they don’t take up a lot of space. Everyone but mom gets ONE pair of shoes, and I bring the baby’s [eafl id=”2489″ name=”ergo” text=”ERGO”] so that I can carry him. We also LOVE[eafl id=”2491″ name=”backpack” text=” this backpack”] for travel. We used it in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and most recently on our trip to Greece.
We always bring out [eafl id=”2487″ name=”pockit” text=”Pockit Stroller”] just in case one of the kids gets tired. It is the smallest, lightest stroller on the market. PERFECT for travel. If you only have ONE infant I would recommend this [eafl id=”2485″ name=”snap n go” text=”snap and go stroller”].
A FEW THINGS TO TAKE NOTE
Most airlines let the baby have TWO items. We typically bring a carseat and stroller as the two free items. They also let the baby have a diaper bag. They typically let you bring on any food and drink as long as it’s for the baby. (So yes! We always bring squeezies for the baby)
Lastly, if you are traveling internationally, you are going to want to read up on BABY passports!
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