Traveling With Little Ones

Well, as we are packing for the beach this week, traveling has been on my mind quite a bit... 

This will be our fourth time driving to the beach with littles in carseats and our trip to Jamaica last month marked our 40th flight with littles on board with us... (Including two international trips and not to mention about 978 three hour car rides to Louisville as well.)

And goodness we are far from pros, but we have learned a lot over the past three years, so I thought I'd try to create a little post where I can share a lot of our thoughts, finds, tips and tricks that have worked for us! 

I know there are SO many families that travel far more than us, but there are so many that I have talked to as well that are nervous about taking their first flight, so hopefully, this will be a little post for everyone, and I'd love all of your tips and tricks too!! 

I tried to to break this post down and organize it in a way that it's easy to find everything, and I tried to write it in the same way I would talk to a friend at a playdate who might be taking littles on a trip for the first time with lots of questions. There are SO many thoughts on flying with littles and every family is so different, but hopefully this at least just skims the basics as to what our experience has been! Ok, without further ado, here are a few thoughts on flying with littles!! 

Logistics:

1. Under Two.

We have flown almost every big airline and all of them work a little differently as to when/how you can add your "lap child," but with every one, the attendants have been SO helpful and can help you and do most everything you need when you check in. We personally have never been asked to show a birth certificate, but we have always traveled with them just in case. 

2. Passports. 

We have now done the passport process twice and both times I was reminded that it feels like a pretty big feat. But it's mainly just because it takes a few steps, you have to do it in advance, and it feels daunting with paperwork and applications. But here are a few basic steps you can take: 

1. This website has pretty much everything you could ever need when applying. 

2. One of the biggest pieces of advice I have is to take their picture at home. You can have them sit in front of a white wall or sheet (or you can simple edit out the background on any online photo editing app too). 

3. Then, this is app really is the key. I used this app both times to make it the right size for the passport picture. You can export it as a small thumbnail on a 4x6 and print it at Walgreens for just a few cents. This part honestly saves a lot of time and money. (I've done this with mine and Pierce's passports too!)

4. After you have the picture, you just fill out the application, schedule an appointment (we did ours at our local post-office), and then Pierce and I both had to go with their completed application, forms, and fee to get it officially sent off. (If it looks like a lot of appointments are booked at your local post office, they usually open them 30 days in advance, so if you get on early in the morning or even after midnight, you can usually get one that is open 30 days later.)

The little passports are so cute with their little pictures, and for under the age of 16, they last for five years. Hope those little tips help - if you have any questions, I'd love to answer them from our experience too!!

3. Luggage. Carseats, Pack and Plays, Strollers, etc. 

This is always a question a lot of people ask. We have taken trips with carseats and trips without, but we have always used these carseat bags/backpack when we've taken them. Our sweet neighbors have this travel carseat that we've also looked into before because the convertible ones can just get so heavy. 

As far as strollers go, I found a little umbrella stroller at a consignment sale and grabbed it before a big trip, and we have loved it! It's just easy to put all of our stuff in and on and have one of the kiddos sitting in it if we need too. We always gate check the stroller and usually like to grab it on layovers too. 

Every trip we've taken, the carseats and strollers fly for free for, but the pack and play counts as a luggage item. (Our brother and sister-in-law invested in the Guava Travel Crib though when they took an international trip because it can be carried as a backpack and taken on as a carry-on as well.) 

4. Carriers. 

And carriers. My very favorite. Forty flights in and I have yet to take a flight without a carrier with me. They are just amazing and the MVP of travel in my opinion. You can almost always wear them through security (they usually just run a little test over your hands), and it just makes traveling through any airport so much easier with both hands free and being able to maneuver through anything if it's busy. I've had big ones, little wraps, nicer ones and backpack ones - I love them all!! 

5. Babies. 

And babies... I just felt like they needed their own category when it came to travel... Jane was three months old on our first flight and Andy was 8 weeks old, and I always say I love traveling when they're tiny. Yes, they can cry. But also, they can sleep. And sleeping on the plane is the very best thing ever in my opinion hahaha 

My biggest thoughts on this are - I love a good carrier. They are a life saver when they're tiny as well. And just make sure they are eating or sucking on something during take off and landing for their little ears. I have always just brought my nursing cover and fed them, but you could definitely bring a bottle as well. (Traveling with anything for a baby has always been SO easy through security. We have never had a bad experience with baby things/milk/drinks/snacks/etc.) Also, the nursing mother's lounge can be a life saver if you have a long layover or just to get a little calm/quiet in a crowded and over-stimulating airport too. 

And honestly, most people around us have always been so accommodating and helpful. (There was one really late night flight when Jane was little where she cried/fussed a good bit of the way, and as you can imagine, I was stressed and ready to land, and as we were de-boarding, a sweet lady behind us said, "She was amazing! I didn't hear a peep!" We thought she was joking, but realized she had headphones in the whole time and truly didn't hear her. That's a pro of traveling in this day and age I'm sure haha) You bond with other parents of babies, and Pierce always says his biggest advice is just to stay calm... It's easier said than done at times, but it does go much more smoothly when we are calm haha 

Ok, those are just a few logistical thoughts... Now onto the fun things... What to take on the flights?! 

Greatest Finds to Carry-On:

Here are a few of my favorite finds over the years that have entertained and won a spot in my purse or carry-on... 

MagnetMen

They are just the MVPs in my mind. On our latest flight, these 10 magnet men kept five kids from the ages of 3-13 occupied almost the entire three hour flight. It was like magic for some reason hahaha Jane loved sharing and they loved playing with them! 

WaterGames

These were another big hit. So simple, yet so fun!! And everyone loved watching when someone else was playing with them too. 

Sensory Toys

This is just a winner. It's mesmerizing and Pierce and I might have played with it the most honestly because we loved it so much hahaha 

Poppers

These have just been a HIT since the very beginning. They are classic and I pretty much always have one with me no matter where we are ever, but especially on a plane. This big one and this small one are our personal favorites. 

Spinners 

These are great because they stick to the plane windows, which are fun additions for sure. 

Drawing Pad

This is another MVP. Jane will use this forever on a plane, and it has been the best little investment. 

However, ours did not come with the pen attached which can be problematic as you can imagine on an airplane, so I would highly recommend one with a string on the pen or adding one yourself 😉 

Reusable Stickers

I love the reusable stickers for plane rides because the stickers will continue to stick even if they take them off and rearrange. 

Plus the puffy stickers are so fun and different. 

But I also love just a regular sticker notepad and stickers too. We have spent probably hours on just stickers alone. These star stickers are definitely Jane's favorite. 

Buckle Toys/ Board Books

We have a buckle toy from Pierce's parents from a Lovevery set they gifted Jane, but there are so many buckle toys out there, and I think they are amazing. They have always just worked like magic for us. And we don't have a Board Book yet, but I have heard they are amazing for traveling as well. If anyone has any experience, I'd love to hear too. 

Yoto Player/ Headphones

Ok this one should maybe be at the top because it's definitely one of my favorites. Last summer, we gifted Jane this little "audio book" as we call it, and it is truly one of the most used items in our home. She listens to it almost daily, and on the airplane, we love packing her headphones and a few of her cards and it's a great calmer activity that she can do for so long as well. It's a win even not traveling, but it's definitely a traveling win as well! 

Books and Snacks

Ok and lastly, books and snacks. I always love having at least a book or two in my bag for Jane because she could truly look at them forever. I know every little one is different in this area, but they've been a life saver at times for us. 

And snacks. It honestly speaks for itself, but they are definitely key hahaha We are a little more health conscious in our family, so usually our snacks are pretty simple, but I try to pack a few things that are "fun" and different for travel. These lollipops have really been a hit for our road trips and airplane rides. And I try to make sure to have some protein filled things as well, especially for those longer travel days. 

A few other honorable mentions that I've had and not used much or have seen and want to try would be mini/micro magnatiles, these magnetic little building blocks, and these little puzzle piece building blocks. 

And of course, Jane's little Baby comes with us most times as well 😉 Ok whew...what am I forgetting?! What are YOUR favorite things to bring onboard?! Not all of these come with us every time, but throughout the years, these have definitely been some of our favorites!!  

Car Ride Thoughts:

And lastly, I thought I would just include a few little thoughts about car rides too... Again, far from an expert here, and honestly, all of my plane carry-ons usually come on our car trips as well. 

Plus several more books. Those seem to be the winners in our house usually. 

We always have a bag for trash that we can collect while we're driving... 

A little potty was definitely a must when potty training. We keep it in there though especially for road trips just incase we need it for something. 

This fidget box from Target was the biggest hit last road trip to the beach. There are favorites in there that every kid who comes over still plays with haha 

I try to keep a basket within reach with all of the toys/books/etc to be able to switch things out. Same with a bag full of snacks 😉 

And as I'm sure everyone is, we are always aware that more stops happen with littles, so we try to find some grass when we can or a park if possible just to run and get some energy out a bit for everyone on those longer trips. 

We also now call the hour when they both overlap with sleep the golden hour 😉 hahaha I'm sure there are things I'm leaving out, but those are a few thoughts for this Wednesday as I'm packing us up again for another adventure. Please, please, please share your experiences and thoughts as well!! I know ours are ever-changing as our kiddos keep getting a bit older every time we travel. 

I will say, it's never *easy,* but it *is* always worth it. The memories we have from the trips we've taken and family we've visited have been some of the very best, and we definitely don't take it for granted. We have family scattered throughout the country, so a lot of our travel is spent seeing the ones we love, and we are always thankful for the time we get to spend with them. If you want to see any of our other travel posts, you can find them all here. 

I hope this post was helpful in some way, and again, I always love hearing from you too! Thanks for sharing and thanks as always for following along!! 

I'll plan to see you back here tomorrow!
Here's to adventuring with those little ones!! 🥰

Sending lots of love!! 
XO
Tab