Tuesday's Tip: Travel with small kids

My son flew on more than a dozen round trip flights before he turned three. Last spring, he and I ventured to Chicago from Newark lugging two large suitcases, a car seat inside of a bag full of even more stuff, my carry-on tote bag, his stroller – and oh yea, my 2-year-old son weighing in at 30-plus pounds. It was an interesting trip to say the least.


It was on the flight home that I began cussing myself out, I mean, penning these tips so you can learn from mistakes. Bookmark these for your next trip with your kid, niece, nephew, cousin or godchild:

* Come prepared. Pack enough essentials (diapers, wipes, food, etc) for at least 8 hours, just in case the flight gets delayed.
* Bring a change of clothes for both of you in your carry on. I have already been pooped on, peed on and puked on in the traveling process. I know, so sexy!
* Bring his favorite (silent) toy, a portable dvd player with headphones or a book.
* Pack juices in sippy cups. Depending on the TSA agent, they may not let you bring anything else through without some 'splaining. I had to throw out a bottle of water (unopened) despite my attempts to tell Mr. TSA that I dilute my son’s juice with water. Jerk.
* Bring lots of his favorite snacks. There might be some bribing going on.
* Have good timing. Schedule your flights around nap time or keep him awake until you get on the plane (if you can).
* Get a carseat cover (from Babies R Us). It makes checking the car seat easier, and cleaner. Plus, you can throw clothes and toys in the bag as well.
* Use curbside check-in. The extra bucks are worth it when your hands are full.
* Don’t check the stroller. Bring the stroller all the way to the gate (the tiny umbrella type), no matter how much she says she wants to walk (or how light you think she is)
* Be prepared: They may have him walk through security on his own. But, he might like it.
* Don’t rush. Even though the announcement will say that anyone with small children can get on first, wait until the very end. Time to get settled sounds great, but it’s easier to let him crawl or run around in the waiting area than in a tiny airplane row. It buys you more time before meltdown.
* Make friends with the flight attendants when you walk on. Let them ooh and ahh. You might need them later. Also make friends with your seatmates, they can help entertain sometimes. One trip, my son talked this one guy's ear off up until naptime. Lovely.
* Sit wisely. DO NOT sit in the bulkhead seats. Yes... it's relieving to know he can’t kick the seat in front of you, but if you need something from your bags during take off (for example, if he pukes all over you), you're crap out of luck. All of your belongings must go in the overhead bin when you sit in those seats.
* Change kiddo right before the flight takes off. When my son was tiny, I'd do it on the seat as soon as we got on. When we was in pull-ups, we'd go to the bathroom, even if it wasn't that full. Now, we take a trip regardless of the urge.
* Hands full? If you have mucho stuff when you land and no one's around right away to help, grab one of those push carts ($3-5), pile everything on it including the folded stroller, and put him in the front basket. He'll like it.
* Makeshift pillow. Bring something (sweater, baby blanket, jacket) to place under her head when she falls asleep, or to cover her if she’s cold. Those airline blankets and pillows are a commodity nowadays.
* Think the worst. Say it with me now: he will be fussy, he will want to run around, he will poop outside the diaper (or lose his potty-training skills), he will throw up, the plane will be delayed. Just make sure you're mentally and physically prepared and you should be fine.
* Throw out all morals. If my truly doesn't sit still on the plane, I break all of my child rearing rules and just bribe him so he's good for the 2-3 hours. It’s better than the nasty stares.

Get your car seat cover here.


Dr. Ty
From the GAL Blog
www.getalifecampaign.com