10 TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH A TODDLER

we've traveled with cedar since he was just a tiny baby on road trips & airplanes but since moving i've been asked how we handled the flight with cedar, & after i flew with him on my own back to the states i've been asked a ton how i handled it on my own! i won't lie, it can be hard, especially now that he's older & more wiggly! traveling with a baby is stressful, it's fun, it's exhausting, it's a lot of everything. no matter how many flights we have been on, i never fully know what to expect of cedar when we first board a plane. i have traveled with cedar countless times on my own & it has always been fairly simple, but most of those flights were only an hour & a half, more or less, so this last trip was my first time traveling abroad with cedar, by myself. oddly enough, i wasn't nearly as nervous & hardly had any anxiety about this flight like i had about our flight to madrid, so that was really helpful! i think part of my being calm is due to the fact that cedar was a complete angel on that flight (despite the fact that he only slept for maaaybe 1 of the 10 hours on the flight), for reals. but all of that being said, i definitely have plan of sorts that i try to stick to while traveling & i've gotten a lot of questions about how we handle traveling with a baby/toddler so often & what tips i may have to share, so here they are, in all their glory! take them with a grain of salt, cause every kid & parent is totally different, this is just what we do to stay sane while traveling :)
1. GET THEM THEIR OWN SEAT // if you're traveling with a kid over 1 on a flight that 8+ hours & you're able to, get them their own seat. having the extra room is amazing on such a long flight, especially when it's a crowded one.
2. USE A CARSEAT // cedar does really well in his car seat, so we were able to strap his carseat (not all carseats are airplane certified, we use this diono) to his seat & buckle him in & he was pumped. we've held cedar on every other flight except for the time we moved to madrid & when i flew back to the states for a trip, & it's been ok but he's a wiggly guy & won't fall asleep if we're holding him, where in his carseat he falls asleep almost immediately. buying him his own seat was definitely worth it.

3. SNACKS // we're pretty good at keeping cedar on a tight eating schedule so he's not constantly snacking, but when we're traveling i could care less about his schedule because i really just want him to be happy. i pack in my carryon his water bottle & about 6-10 squeezy fruit & veggie packs a) because he loves them b) because it makes me feel better to know he's getting a good amount of fruits & veggies & not living completely off of crackers. but yeah, i also pack crackers, just in case he runs out of squeezy packs. i'm a big believer that traveling is not the time to enforce schedules, but that is 100% just my opinion!
4. TOYS // i pack a small bag inside my carryon of toys that i know cedar loves to play with, mostly little animals & cars, & i'll give cedar one here or there, so that he continues to be interested & excited with the toys, rather than handing them over all at once so he gets over them really quick. also, my biiiig trick with cedar & keeping him entertained are stickers. i rarely give him stickers when we're at home, but he loves them & is endlessly entertained when he gets them so they are perfect for flights & layovers.
5. IPAD // i'm a big fan of movies/tv shows for traveling, i know not everyone agrees with me on this, but like i said before, i want my kid to stay happy so that we both don't end up crying during the whole flight! so i load up my ipad with movies & tv shows for him to watch on the flight, which also help him fall asleep. happy baby, happy mom.
6. COMFORT ITEMS // cedar is obsessed with his aden & anais blankets, so i pack a smaller one in my cary on along with whatever stuffed animal he chooses to bring, & about 3 pacifiers just in case he looses one. these are the three things that cedar has everday when he goes to sleep & they all have an extreme calming affect on him, which is really great. also, having your child suck on something (paci, bottle, whatever) helps their ears for landing & take-off, so it's like a win-win.

7. BABY SLING // i make sure to bring my wildbird babysling with me when traveling because it is the most helpful item. i have never liked gate checking my stroller, so i either always have cedar holding one of our hands while we walk through the airport or i put him in my sling. the sling is especially helpful when it's just me & cedar, this way i can pull our carryon that i strap the carseat onto, sling him on my hip & not have to worry about him running away. it is a necessity for me.
8. DIAPER BAG // i like to keep all of cedars diapers, pack of wipes & cream in a smaller drawstring pouch. doing this has made life sooo much easier. no more digging through my bag trying to find everything i need, i just grab this little bag & i'm set. plus it keeps my bag nicely organized.

9. GET THE WIGGLES OUT // on long flights with layovers i will throw cedar into my sling & get over to our next gate as quickly as possible, once there i'll let him out & let him get his wiggles out. i'll follow behind him while he runs around & tires himself out before having to get back onto another plane.
10. STAY CALM // this is like the ultimate tip for life, but i swear by this, especially when traveling. i'm a big believer that babies totally react to the vibes their parents are put off which can be really difficult when in stressful situations..like traveling. the hardest part for me was during our layover, trying to make it to from one gate to the next, with enough time to hopefully let cedar run around & get a couple of snacks. i had to constantly remind myself to stay calm to make it easier for everyone involved :)

check out this post to see what i have in my carry-on !

6 comments

  1. love this post! you are a great traveler and cedar is becoming one also....i love all the tips and the pics are fantastic!

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    1. thanks! hopefully he stays a good traveler :)

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