We’re off on an end-of-Summer-holiday this week; the four of us are heading to New Zealand for my dad’s wedding, and to catch up with other parts of the family.
I probably should have included a question mark in the heading of this post because, to be honest, I have no idea how to travel with toddlers! The last flight I took was just the Stuntman and I, when he was a pre-walker, and he had a lovely time being smothered in red lipstick kisses by the LAN flight attendants while I sat and had a relaxing cup of tea.
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| The Stuntman making friends on our last flight |
This time I’m pretty sure will be a bit more stressful than that. I’m not really sure what to expect, but I don’t have high hopes for a relaxing journey. I’m not too worried about Little Miss – she’ll be fine with the iPad (we’ve loaded lots of Peppa Pig episodes on it). She'll also enjoy the novelty of using the aeroplane toilet, and will probably want to go for lots of little walks and look out all the windows. Easy.
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| Little Miss engrossed in Peppa Pig |
But the Stuntman is another story. He is a little man on a mission, he's always on the go, and he’s also got a massive molar coming through to boot. So he's drooly, whingey and generally a bit of a pain. I have no idea how we’re going to keep him entertained and contained for 3 hours. Oh yes, did I not mention? It’s only a 3 hour flight.
And I’m freaking out!!
So, as you do, I turned to the internet and my fellow bloggers for some tips on travelling with toddlers.
What to pack
My gorgeous friend Lyndsay at Travelling with Babies recently travelled from the UK to Australia (and back again), with her little treasure Esme, who is the same age as my Stuntman.
Lyndsay says, “With Esme’s travel bag I had a few individual bags containing food, clothes, toys & books, bum changing bits, blankets & finally, medical stuff. In addition to this I had an airport bag with bum changing bits, porridge, bowl & spoon. By packing in this way it meant that I could easily find whatever it was that she needed quickly and could store some things under my seat.”
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| Sweet little Esme wrapped up like a kebab in the plane bassinet Photo source: http://travellingwithbabies.co.uk/flying-with-baby/ |
Awesome tips, thanks Lynds, I’ve bought some big ziplock bags to separate out all the different bits!
Think on the fly (if you’ll pardon the pun)
The lovely Corinne at Have Baby Will Travel has lots of great advice about travelling with babies and kids of all ages.
My heart skipped a beat when she said, “Even if you have a well-travelled infant, all bets are off once they enter the world of young toddlerhood. As things change for your little one, you need to change your expectations, and come up with new tricks for managing sticky situations. Flying with a toddler is no exception. And young, pre-verbal toddlers can definitely give you a run for your money.”
Oh shit. A young, pre-verbal toddler is what I have… and he gives me a run for my money on the best of days!
Corinne goes on to say, “You know your toddler. And you know best how to manage their moods, and what kinds of things can set them off. Hunger and tiredness are obvious ones, and on travel days are both difficult to avoid. Being prepared with lots of snacks, and their comfort items at the ready can help.”
OK, so that brings me to…
Snacks and food
With the Stuntman’s food intolerances I’ll have to pack a good little kit bag for him (and me!) to snack on during the flight. Little Miss and Mr McD will be fine with the food provided, although I’ll obviously have to provide enough for Little Miss to have exactly the same as the Stuntman because otherwise IT’S JUST NOT FAIR MUM!
My ideas for plane-snacks are things like meal pouches, dairy-free rusks, corn puffs and rice crackers. Nothing too soggy, crumbly or that is likely to be dropped easily. Nothing sticky, nothing drippy.
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| These Rafferty's Garden rusks and oaty bars are dairy-free & both kids love them |
The gang at The Kitchn also recommends cold pasta, sandwiches and dried fruit.
Yep, OK, these things I can do! I'm actually also really thankful that I haven't made any progress weaning the little guy, so at least the boobies might keep the peace a little.
General behaviour
The Alphamom has some good-but-scary advice, and says, “Sometimes, your kid will get on a plane and be miserable. Sometimes, your kid will get on a plane and make everybody else miserable. And sometimes, your kid will get on a plane and be an absolute perfect angel and the other passengers will give you a standing ovation after you land because your kid has been so wonderful…but then it’s time for your return flight and that same wonderful child decides to SPROUT HORNS and KICK TRAY TABLES and WHINE and WAIL and THROW THINGS.”
Oh bugger, just when I was starting to feel confident.
OK! So here we go! Wish us luck, and hopefully we’ll see you on the other side!
Have you got any great tips for travelling with toddlers? PLEASE let me know!
