Traveling with Kids

Traveling is one of the many enjoyable activities that you can do with your family. It is definitely a great way to spend quality time with your kids and your husband/wife. However, it can be stressful and challenging, especially if you are travelling with children who are two (2) years old and below.

There are a lot of resources online that will help you prepare for baby’s first long distance flight. It is important that you read these so as to anticipate what could happen and how you should handle it. During the time of our travel, our little babette was already 13 months old, could already walk, and already eats solid food.

What to bring. As always, bring along your baby bag that contains everything that your baby will need during the flight and during layovers. This includes diapers, wipes, medicines, baby formula, picture storybook, and food. Bring the necessary medicines your baby would need for the trip but keep these within the allowable limits for hand carry baggage. In our case, we had to bring several ointments and medicine for our little babette’s allergies.

What to wear. Have your baby wear comfortable clothing. Leggings are ideal for little girls and pants for little boys. Since it can be a bit cold inside the plane, have a jacket ready in your baby bag. Long distance flights typically provide a pillow and a blanket per passenger. You can use the provided blanket to keep your baby warm as well.

Have them wear shoes that are comfortable and easy to put on or remove. We opted for strapped rubber shoes for our little babette and had her wear socks as well. This way, when she wanted to remove her shoes, the socks still kept her little feet clean and warm.

Food. If you are still breastfeeding then you don’t have to worry about bringing baby formula with you. You simply have to bring your nursing cover. For those who need to bring along baby formula, place the formula in a spill-proof and airtight formula dispenser that is ideal for traveling. Bring only enough for the flight and store the rest of the baby formula in your check-in luggage. You can ask for hot water from the flight attendant when you already need to prepare your baby’s milk. We suggest that you ask for hot water an hour before feeding to give it time to cool down. This is because they will really give you very hot water.  Just mix in the formula later when it is time for your baby to feed.

Although most airport personnel will be able to understand that the formula is for the baby, there might be some who would suspect its contents since it is in powder form. So make sure to bring only enough in your hand-carry luggage and place it in a formula dispenser.

If your baby is already eating solid food, you can bring along finger foods such as cereals, biscuits, bread, and basically anything that is not messy. This is also convenient during long layovers where you can’t find any available store where you could buy some food.

While on the plane, you can even ask for baby food from the flight attendant. But if they don’t have any baby food available, they will give you the same food that was served to all passengers. Our little babette likes the bread that comes with the meal. So, we save the bread for her.

In-flight entertainment. Long distance flights have in-flight entertainment in the form of music or movies. Each passenger has his/her own screen and earphones. There are many channels that you could choose from in an international flight. But, depending on your child, he/she may not appreciate it unless he/she is already familiar with the characters in animated movies or shows. Earphones can also be distracting for your little one, especially if they are not used to wearing them. So don’t expect the in-flight entertainment to entertain your child.

In our case, we brought along some toys for our little babette as well as entertained her with the view from the plane’s window. Take note, however, that the view will mostly be clouds and the ocean.

Toys. Bring along toys that are familiar to your baby such as their favorite stuff toy or a picture book. You can also opt for toys that engage your child such as those that have lots of colors and have different textures. Choose a toy that would not be so noisy or loud since this could disturb others.

Check with your doctor/health provider. It would be best to pay a visit to your baby’s doctor especially if your baby still has some immunization to catch up. This will also let you know if the place you are going to visit is safe and does not have any medical outbreaks or if there are medical conditions that you need to be careful of. Our little babette was vaccinated with MMR and Varicella as per the doctor’s advice since we will be travelling abroad. This is also a good time for you to ask your health provider/doctor regarding substitute baby formula in case you can’t find the same baby formula abroad.

Challenges. Let’s face it; little children are not fond of staying put for long hours. Expect that, for long distance flights, your little one will be bored, will cry, be fussy, and make a lot of noise. If your little one is already starting to walk, he/she will want to get down on the floor and walk. There is also a tendency that your child may not feel like eating.

Changing a diaper while inside the plane will also be a challenge, given the small space of the plane’s lavatory. But you will be glad to know that there is a diaper-changing table even in that small space.

When it comes to sleeping, be prepared for discomfort. However, you will be able to get some sleep. It’s just that it won’t be as comfortable as that of lying down on a bed. You will be lucky if your little one sleeps soundly all throughout the flight. Some airlines have bassinets that you can use so make sure to ask about this or consider this before booking your flight. You can even find airlines that have a “Flying Nanny.” Their main job is to provide you with an extra set of helping hands while on the air, especially when it comes to putting your child to sleep or entertaining them. 

Traveling is a wonderful experience and who best to share it with than those who are close to your heart. Just hope that you have seatmates on the plane who are considerate, understanding, and have extra patience for very small children. We are definitely looking forward to our next destination as a family!

Happy trip! 😀