Child and Nanny Traveling Airplane Ride
Tis the season for mass transit. So many families are traveling to see family and friends all over the world with their Nannies or solo. Traveling with small children has its own set of unique challenges.
Between strollers, extra bags, keeping children occupied before, during and after the flight we have complied a helpful list of tips and tricks to aid even the most seasoned traveler. Whether is be by car, by plane or boat we have got you covered! We asked some our travel nannies their go to advise and these 10 tips rang true in our survey. check them out!
1) MAKE A LIST
We love lists over here at MMCCS and you should too if traveling with children. Make a detailed list before you start packing to make sure nothing is forgotten that is essential for the children. No one wants to land a Grandma’s without Sally’s favorite teddy bear. We suggest making a list for what is needed for each child or each bag, depending on how organized you are. If you aren’t into making your own lists, the crew over at Travel Mama’s have a ton of awesome lists to help with all things travel.
2) PLAN AHEAD
Planning ahead will keep you ahead of the travel chaos. This goes for packing. The biggest tip, make sure things are organized and put together well BEFORE you leave. Most seasoned travel nannies will start their packing a least a week before or as soon as they learn they will be traveling.
PRO TIPS:
Put outfits in plastic baggies for each day you are planning on traveling. This will include tops/ bottoms/ undies / socks and shoe choice. Then label the bags with day of the week and child’s name if you are traveling with multiple children.
Get all travel bags out and ready to be filled.
Buy some travel cubes, we like the clear. Here is an AMAZON link to our favs.
3) TAKE A STROLLER
Check out Fatherly for a really amazing list of kick ass travel strollers. Trust us, don’t skimp on the cheap stuff when traveling. You will thank us later. Unless you plan on lugging around a 30 pound toddler around the airport while you are waiting for flights, a stroller can save your sanity. We recommend a lightweight stroller with some coverage or shade. Even if you aren’t in a sunny spot trust us kids get tired and uncomfortable from the weather . Bonus, it doubles as storage for shopping and most airlines let you check it at the gate. Get those kids to the baggage claim quick and easy after a flight too. No kid can walk for miles and miles while on vacation.
4) BYO SNACK BAGS ON THE PLANE
Make sure you pack a snack bag of the kids favorite things along with fun activities for long flights. We say get creative and maybe even have your kids help you make them. There are so many really great ideas on Pinterest that give you fun and easy ideas for on the go travel activities and snacks to bring. The more involved kids are to help, the more exciting it will be for them to actually us their goodie bags.
5) BRING CANDY FOR TRAVEL STRANGERS
Lets face it sometimes kids are excellent while traveling and sometimes it is a complete nightmare. We have been on plans where we have walked on with our nanny kids and BAM complete strangers roll their eyes like “oh no kids on the plane”. Why not make an intro and bring them some snacks with a note that says “hey thanks for being patient with us and our little one, here’s a sweet treat as a thank you ahead of time. “
6) FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
Load up that ipad the night before not day of. Have a good mix of educational activities and favorite movies. Speaking of movies and games, get your little one really great headphones. Odds are that depending on when you flights are, if you planned it right, there may be a NAP in their future. If this is the case we suggest investing on good over the ear nose canceling head phones (not ear buds, unless they are for back up only) for your little one. Pay the money to have nicer quality, comfort is key.
PRO TIP: Bring small portable battery packs that are fully charged just in case you have a MAYDAY situation on your hands and for long travel days. Whether it is a long car ride to grandmas or for a long flight from LA to NYC, you will thank us later when Frozen II doesn’t stall out.
7) BUY THE GOOD STUFF
We keep saying this. This is a reference for tip number 6 and tip 3. Don’t skimp! Buy yourself the good stuff. Nothing is more frustrating when head phones break, stroller malfunctions happen and electronics aren’t charged because you bought the off brand charging cables. With Amazon and all the reviews available you can find what is best for the price easily.
8) KIDS CARRY ONS
Keep it simple and if they are able to carry it themselves a backpack is best. Those dragging bags with wheels seem great until you are the one lugging them all over the place and you only have two hands. Also pack these ahead of time.
Everything from #6
Extra change of clothes (complete with underwear and socks)
Small blanket and neck pillow
9) CALL AHEAD FOR AVAILABLE KID GEAR AT HOTELS OR AIR B+ B
Make sure you call ahead to make sure where you are staying is kid friendly or they have kids stuff included in the room or apartment. More or less ie. Dock and tots, playpen. kids crib (find out what size and bring your own sheets if you are weird about gems), ect. These are things you don’t need to bring yourself and most places provide.
10) DISINFECTANT WIPES
Don’t leave home without them! Seriously, we love the Wet-ones brand. These have hands down been life savers, From helping clean up spills, to wiping faces, to wiping publicly used chairs, the window that your kid wants to look at and touch while flying and pretty much anything you can think of. We suggest stocking up in your bag, in your carry-on, in your diaper bag, a purse, and even in the kids bag that they bring with them on their travels. You could never do without enough disinfectant wipes enough said.
FINALLY….. WAIT we have one more!
11) STAY CALM
The most important thing of traveling with small children is to remain calm. There’s nothing you can’t buy if you need it or forget it! Kids feed off adult energy. If you become a crazy basket case while traveling, odds are your children are going to be equally as stressed. So our biggest tip for traveling with children, is don’t sweat the small stuff and above all have the best time ever making memories that will last a lifetime!
Have some kick ass tips for traveling with children? What are some of your tips! We want to hear them! Feel free to drop a comment below or email us directly at info@Modern Minders.COM
Happy travels!
