The Only Item Needed When Traveling with a Toddler

Our family recently returned from a trip overseas. We have traveled on a plane before this and yes, we made it. This time our toddler is more active so prior to the trip I researched tips and items that would be helpful in entertaining him during the flight. I packed some of his favorite toys a week before we left so that they would seem like “new ones.” I purchased a few activity books for him, and we brought some of his favorite small cuddly toys as well. When we boarded our plane we even discovered that the airplane had a small screen in front of him where he could watch his favorite character – Pooh.  Regardless of arming ourselves with this arsenal of “entertaining weapons” our son found it far more interesting to look at the people behind us and to greet them every five minutes with a chorus of “hellos.”

On the way back from our trip he decided not to sleep for one minute on a nine hour flight and quickly disregarded every single toy we had brought. And then I realized the most obvious oversight I had made before leaving for our trip – mom needed to arm herself with a few things as well – patience, mellowness, and a whole lot of love.  I had just assumed that these toys would do the job and that our son would eventually fall asleep as well. Well they didn’t and he didn’t. So be it.  He was fine – but his parent’s probably weren’t. We were too concerned that he wasn’t sleeping or that he was disturbing others. I finally told myself to “take a chill pill” and just be happy he wasn’t screaming his head off.  I overlooked the only item really needed when traveling with a toddler – less structure and a more carefree spirit which decides its okay to “go with the flow.”

Family Travel Guide

Family Travel

Even harder than going to the grocery store with kids is traveling with them!

Whether it is by car, bus, train, or plane we have discovered a few ways to survive.

Booking Travel

Like so many other families we now book almost all of our travel online. One thing that has helped us survive is buying a whole “vacation package” from one site. Several competitive online companies provide this option. We have found that some of the best are kayak.com, Orbitz.com, Travelocity and of course Expedia.com. You definetly need to shop around to see which has the best rate. Use the “flexible date” option to see how changing your plans by one day can save you 1,000’s of dollars.

Some credit cards, such as Citibank’s Premier Pass, offer a conceirge service to book the most competitive flight for you, and many times at a discount. Also of course, see if you can use “Thank You” Points to book and pay for your trip.

Flights

No matter what time of year it is never fun flying with kids. With long lines, cancelled flights, and crowded airports, flying with a family is just not fun. Remember the days when the pilot would come out and give your child a tour of the cockpit? Well, those days are numbered!

Saying that, we have found some family friendly, and unfortunately some not so family friendly airlines, to fly.

Who are the best airlines?

By far the best international airline we have flown is British Airways They were baby, child, and parent friendly! Every time we have flown them they have provided us with whatever we have needed (which is saying A LOT in this day and age).

We have also flown other international airlines such as Air France & Cathay Pacific, which were both incredible! Both airlines actually booked us in a row with no one else there so we could all move around and not bother other people.

Other good domestic airlines include Continental and Delta. They have also helped us with our special family needs while flying.

My other “mommy friends” have told me JetBlue is also quite good and the individual tvs help entertain little ones.

As with all travel advice, call ahead to see if the different airlines can accomodate you (especially with getting the bulk head seats so your child is not pounding on the seat in front of you!).

Who are the worst airlines?

By far the worst airline we have ever flown was Spirit Air! They have long lines, CHARGE YOU $20 for every bag you check in, and you can never find someone to help you!!! I am sure that as airlines keep cutting back, I am sorry to say we will keep adding to the list of the worsts. No wonder we prefer to drive!

Car Rental

We have found the cheapest car rentals at Hotwire.com. There are also many “last minute” deals at alamo.com. As a family we tend to book the “mid-size” SUV and then request an upgrade by searching for coupon codes on the Internet. This upgrade allows us to usually receive a “full size” SUV when we are traveling. If you book often with the same agency many times they will offer you complimentary upgrades and/or a discount on upgrading your car the day you pick it up.

Of course most of us now travel with a car seat, but you can book one through the car rental company and now you can even rent them at many airports or through taxi services (which means one less thing to lug around).

Hotels

There are definitely some “family friendly” hotels that we have found in our world wide travels.

One of the best experiences we have ever had is with the hotel chain Westin. At our last hotel stay they provided a crib, rollaway bed, bottle warmer, and refigerator at no cost to us. This enabled us to have all the things we needed without the stress of being away from home. Call your hotel ahead to ask them whether or not they provide these and other services for kids (including a kids club).

If you want to make sure you are making the best decision about your hotel, check out tripadvisor.com to see the rating of different hotels and review vacation packages.

Road Trip!

I recently wrote about mom’s favorite “smart snacking” in the car or on the go. But when you are in the car for eight or more hours, you just don’t need food, you definitely need entertainment. This mom has some favorite items to keep little minds active and boredom at bay.  They include audio books, regular books, and a few interactive toys:

May Getaway

For Memorial Day, our family is going to hit the road. Yes, with gas prices so high we thought of staying put, but it has been a long winter and we are ready for a break away. So “mom’s favorite” Memorial Day idea is to head away to see family. Believe it or not, we actually rented a more fuel efficient car from Priceline
because this is probably going to be cheaper than driving our “soccer mom” gas guzzler.

Online Stores

If you haven’t noticed, this mom loves online shopping. In some ways, I never thought I would. I remember a few years ago when there was an advertisement for refrigerators that would keep track of groceries that were running out and then order them online for you. To me, that just took it too far. But honestly, lately our house is akin to “Cuba.” Why? Because we are trying to make what we have last and we try not to replace things at a whim. So why list so many products here? The reason I am always blogging about mom’s favorite products is because when we spend money I want it to go far. I don’t want to keep purchasing diaper bags, children’s toys, clothes, or other products because the fads have changed or because the item I purchased wasn’t up to snuff. That is how I got into online shopping. I started researching the prodcuts before I bought them instead of impulse shopping, I have found that this mom has had a high success rate in making her budget go further for less by having a little patience (big surprise!). So which online stores have mom’s seal of approval?

Of course, the one and only Amazon where you can buy almost everything you need! But also dvd rental companies such as Blockbuster and Netflix. We also now do all our travel booking through Kayak, Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, or Hotwire. We even buy our clothes with discount coupons from Target, Gap or Banana Republic (because you can exchange them or return them in the store). We also started to do a bit of online grocery shopping with Peapod and Amazon. And of course, we now have ordered almost all of our gifts online (where we have found more unique and personalized items through Acorn, PBS, iseeme.com). Not to mention we save on gas, shipping, and time, as most of these retailers ship for free. See my quick links to go directly to these sites.

As always, please share what your favorite online stores are!