Travel Tips for Parents of Small Children

Travel is a wonderful thing, especially for families. This provides the opportunity to expose children to new experiences, people, and cultures, on a local, national, and international level. However, when traveling with smaller children things can get very chaotic. While certainly possible, it takes careful planning and a lot of patience to make any trip a success.

Because more and more families are taking the time to take trips with small children we wanted to offer some helpful tips for making things go as smoothly as possible. After all, the goal is to create wonderful memories, not spend the entire time away from home struggling and dealing with unhappy kids.

Airline Travel

Probably one of the biggest travel challenges has to do with taking small children on board a plane. In addition to children being cooped up in a small enclosure, airlines have really cracked down on issues of whining, crying children for the comfort of other passengers but also safety. Therefore, if you are planning a trip that involves travel via plane, you want to be completely prepared.

If the children are still infants, it would be best to travel during normal nap time or at night. While this might be somewhat of an inconvenience, it also increases the odds of having a child that sleeps during the entire flight. Even then, you want to make sure a baby is comfortably dressed, fed, and have ample bottles, diapers, snacks, and a favorite toy or blanket.

Now, if you want to travel with a toddler, things can be a little more difficult. In fact, if you have a fussy child, it might be best to consider a different mode of travel. Until the child is old enough to understand there are rules to follow on a plane, you could always consider road trips or even destinations reachable by express train.

However, if taking a toddler on a flight, again make sure the child is comfortable, fed, and supplied with snacks, drinks, and activities. There are many travel games designed specifically for small children that help pass the time. For instance, you could take along coloring books and crayons, flash cards, or even a portable iPad or video player and several favorite movies.

At all costs, avoid giving a toddler sugary snacks and drinks, which typically lead to serious problems. Now, if you have more than one small child, it is often easier to have one parent or friend sit in a section of the plane with one child and you in an entirely different section with the other child. We also want to suggest sitting as close to the bathroom possible, which helps tremendously for children who are potty trained.

If a child is old enough, it would be beneficial to have a family meeting prior to travel so all the rules can be explained. For instance, a child would need to understand that during the flight they must remain seated and only an inside voice should be used. Usually, children do quite well when traveling via plane but if for some reason you face a situation of being asked off a flight, try not to be upset. Instead, have a backup plan in place so you and the child can reach the intended destination.

Accommodations

There are also some great tips when staying in motels, hotels, campsites, and other accommodations while on vacation. Again, good planning will alleviate huge headaches. To save money, we suggest choosing accommodations that offer a full Continental breakfast or at minimum, free or largely discounted meals for kids. This makes it possible to eat without leaving the hotel to find a nearby kid-friendly restaurant.

If you plan to stay in a residential type motel or hotel it would help to purchase as many non-perishable foods ahead of time. This can be a little challenging when flying but if taking a road trip, the majority of food items could be purchased prior to travel. For perishable foods, the motel or hotel could offer information on grocery stores within close proximity. Although you want to dine out a few times during the trip, making meals in the accommodations also prevents potential hassles.

For the times you and the family want to eat in local restaurants, you can map out a number of possibilities before even leaving home. Again, you want to choose dining establishments that are kid friendly. With this, the restaurant would be geared to accommodate smaller children by providing the right atmosphere, a great and affordable menu selection, and in many cases, special shows or activities.

The Bottom Line   

Traveling with smaller children is not an impossible feat but to ensure the trip is enjoyable for everyone, you need to be prepared. By planning ahead, making wise decisions, keeping the kids informed, and setting boundaries there is no reason your family vacation cannot be everything you wanted and more for everyone.