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Lets face it, when we travel we want to make our lives easier. When traveling with kids that usually just means keeping the kids happy and moving through the airport without looking like a traveling circus.  While occasionally we look like a traveling circus (usually at the end of a 20+ hour trip), sometimes we manage to transit the airport looking like seasoned pros.  In this short post I’ll highlight some of the “stuff” that enables that smooth transit.  I’ll also give a few tips and tell you how my husband got puked on…which is fun for everyone!

Car Seat

Not only are you going to need this on the other end of your flight, but if your kiddos are less than 4 years old and you are traveling long distances, this is the way to go.  Our boys are very used to the car seats due to many long road trips, and I know that once they are strapped in they will most likely fall asleep.  The sound of jet engines are their weakness.

I know a lot of people don’t like to carry car seats onto the plane…so many brands are bulky and heavy.  We already look like a traveling circus, why add more?  This is why I highly recommend the Cosco Scenera NEXT.  It is super lightweight, you can stack multiple seats on top of each other, and they fit very nicely on the Go-Go Babyz for transport.

The other reasons…other than my sanity… that I bring my car seats on board are two fold.  1.  My luggage always gets lost.  The last thing that I need is for a car seat to go missing.  We once had to go buy a seat from Target after arriving to discover a lost car-seat  (you should see their loaners!); and 2. it is not safe to store a car seat in the luggage hold of the aircraft.  Think about it.  You don’t know how your car seat is being treated when it leaves your sight.  Are they throwing it onto the cart or the airplane?  When the airplane lands what if your car seat is pressed against other suitcases and it cracks.  You might not be able to see the damage and you wouldn’t want take that risk that the car seat won’t work at it’s fullest capacity.  If you have to check it (we have before), I recommend using a box and the original packaging.

Go-Go Babyz

As I mentioned above with the car seat.  This little beauty is worth it’s weight in gold.  It will just strap right onto your car seat and you can pull it to the gate just like any other piece of luggage.  Better yet, strap your kiddo in the car and wheel them to the gate.  Our boys thought that was the best thing about going to the airport.  They loved being pulled and seeing all the people while I was hands free to carry the car seat and the carry on luggage.

Warning, you will get some strange looks and may even be stopped by the flight attendants.  You just need to explain that the wheels come off the seat and most professional US based flight attendants will understand.  Foreign flights with car seats and Go-Go Babyz are another story for another day…working title, “How my husband almost punched a flight attendant.”

Skip Hop Rolling Luggage

Once our boys got old enough to carry their own weight they got their very own piece of carry on luggage.  When they were smaller they had a small back pack, but now they walk and want to be like the rest of us.  And let’s be honest, if you are going transcontinentally you are going to need to lighten your own load.  In order to help share the burden, I make them carry their own stuff.  There isn’t a bag in the world big enough to carry all 4 of my boys carry on items.  Even if you aren’t making a long haul travel but maybe just taking a weekend trip and don’t want to have to pay for the extra checked luggage this is a great way to utilize the 2 carry ons everyone is allowed to bring on the plane.  Save those dollars where you can!

Kindle

Everyone needs something to do on the plane.  I know that everyone doesn’t always agree with electronics as entertainment, but my rules about electronics sort of go out the window when we are starting a 36 hour travel day (or really any airplane travel where the happiness of 100 other people depends on my kids behaving).  These days when you travel overseas they have all the lovely movie screens in the back of all the seats, and they all have 30 options of different kids movies right?  Well, they aren’t always there, or don’t always work.  The last 14 hour flight we had 5 adult movies and 1 disney channel that didn’t have a single cartoon on it for our 4 years old.  Talk about a long flight.  I was glad we had a bit of backup in the electronics department.

Plus, many Kindles allow you to add mini sd cards with extra movies!

Headphones

These are perfect if you are using a Kindle or you are passing off your phone.  It is also perfect if you are flying an airline that doesn’t need those special airline 2 prong earphones.  My boys are so much more comfortable with their own headphones and the ones that my boys use also have a pre-set max volume control so I don’t have to worry about them damaging their hearing on the long flight.

Snacks

Oh man if you have the kid that will eat that crappy airline food…good on you.  I look at our flights back to the states as a phase…This too shall pass…and if that means in that 36 hours my kids eat only goldfish, so be it.  They will live another day until we get to the other side.  I usually buy individual size goldfish bags, animal crackers, some cliff bars, granola bars, and I pack one sandwich for every flight that we are going to be on.   You can even make them carry their own in that luggage I mentioned earlier.

Water Bottles

We all know you can buy the super expensive water at the airport.  But I always travel with my kids Hydro flasks; I’ll tell you why.  First, I can usually fill it up on the otherside of security and have water immediately after you get on the plane.  (plus who wants their kids putting their mouths on random drinking fountains?) Also, once you get on the plane and you are on the super long flights you know the kids are always sleeping when the flight attendant comes around.  If that happens,  you can still get them a glass of water and dump it into your water bottle to save for later.  That way they keep drinking so that no one gets dehydrated.  

Crayons/Coloring Book

These are the backups to my back ups.  When the movies on the airplane won’t do anymore and the kindles have run their course these come out.  I always buy the triangle shaped crayons because they won’t roll off the tray table.  It is also helpful to bring some blank paper so that they can draw, play hangman, or tic-tac-toe.  It may only last for 10 minutes, but it’s another tool in the kit…and another thing they can carry on their own.  

Blanket

If you are flying international you are usually provided with a blanket and pillow, but I always bring a backup.  One, because we are always cold.   Plus you can set up the blanket over the car seat to make a little tent to keep the area around the car seat dark.  It never fails that my boys will fall asleep, it is time to serve food, and the lights come on!   Some large baby diaper safety pins are also handy to keep the blanket/tent up and the light out of your little person’s eyes.  

Buddies

Bringing something familiar from home helps as well.  For our kiddos it is a sleeping buddy/stuffed animal.  This really helps when it is sleeping time.  We like to limit it to one…too easy to lose their precious friends.  We are still offering a reward for a small dog last seen in Seoul Incheon International!  

Change of Clothes

This is my biggest piece of advice that I can pass onto traveling parents.  Just ask my husband.  We were flying from Bangkok to Sydney and Steve didn’t think that it would be necessary to have a change of clothes in the bag.  Well Jackson started to get a funny tummy on the descent; we made it off the plane, but as we were walking through the jetway Jackson threw-up all over Steve.  I was able to get Jackson into his extra set of clothes but Steve…not so lucky.  He ended up having to “shower” in the airport bathroom and then do the 2 hour drive to our AirBnB in wet/puke clothes.  He got some looks in the car rental line!  Make sure you have a gallon size zip lock bag or wetbag so you can put your dirties in there.

Wipes

Parents, you know both you and your kids get pretty gross on every flight…need I say more?  I bring wet ones as well as baby wipes so that I can wipe down the tray tables and armrests of the airplane.  Call me crazy, but the last thing that I want after a 36 hour travel day is for someone to pick up some nasty germs along the way.  The baby wipes come in very handy if you are ever flying the awesome Japanese Airlines that serves cups of ice cream.  Four year olds and ice cream don’t mix well!