Travelling with kids is hard.  It’s a lot of work and usually leaves you exhausted by the time you reach your destination.  The first time I boarded a plane with my first born, he was ten weeks old.  I had all these lofty plans of holding him in the sling so he wouldn’t get germs and fully expected him to sleep the whole time.

Instead he squirmed and cried and pooped everywhere, causing me to have to quickly figure out how to change a diaper in an airplane bathroom.  And by the time I finally got him cleaned up, I was completely over my fear of airplane germs given the fact that I’d just rolled him all over the tiny bathroom.

Since that time I’ve driven or flown with my kids more times than I can count.  We love to travel as a family.  And along the way, we’ve learned a few techniques to help the time between point A and point B run much more smoothly.

Be prepared

Travelling with children, especially those who are smaller, takes a lot of preparation ahead of time.  It requires some organization and a little bit of thought.  I’ve found that giving my kids their own special “travelling bag” really helps in this process.  Yes, it means more luggage to keep up with, but once they hit three years old, they become responsible for their own bag.  And I allow them to pack whatever they want in it (within reason).  But, when they aren’t looking, I always sneak a little surprise into the bag – usually in the form of food.

If you have a baby, you’ll need to have a diaper bag with all of the essentials.  If you formula feed, you can have a bottle of water, but don’t premix the formula or you may have to dump it at security.

Bring the essentials – Nothing more

That amazing novel you can’t wait to finish?  Go ahead and pack it in your suitcase – you won’t be reading it.  The lighter you can make your carry-on, the better – especially if you are travelling with more than one child.  Even if you’re driving to your destination, you’ll want to make sure that you are bogged down with non-essentials.  Everything you need should be close at hand.

When flying, leave the DVD player at home

What I’ve learned from flying multiple times is that the portable DVD player is much more of a nuisance than a help.  Generally, the airplane is so loud that the kids can’t hear their movie and they don’t like the massive sound muffling ear phones I bought to block out the noise.  The DVD player is just a lot more trouble than it’s worth on an airplane.

In the car, however, the DVD player becomes saving grace.  When I first had children, I was determined to never let them watch movies in the car.  I grew up driving all over the country and I didn’t have a DVD player, so dang it they wouldn’t either!  After our first seven hour trip in the car with an 18 month old, however, I decided there was no sense in being a martyr for motherhood.  The DVD is now a staple on any car trip.

Bring Snacks

And lots of ‘em!  Bring a mix of healthy snacks (dried fruit, granola bars, etc…) and special treats (M&M’s).  And never leave the house without suckers.  The right kind of sucker can buy you precious quiet time.  And when I say the “right kid” of sucker, I’m not talking about Dum Dums.  Those are far too small and won’t last nearly long enough.

Nope, you need something bigger that will take some time to eat.  Unless you have a kid like my second born who takes two licks then bites into the hard candy.  You have to be a little more creative with kids like her.

Typically, my kids are not at all hungry by the time we reach our destination.  But I don’t care.  Because when they’re eating, they’re not fighting or squirming or crying or asking me how much longer.  It’s a few hours of one day when I let down my mom guard and let go.

Airport Security is usually the most stressful part of travelling

Getting through security with your sanity in tact is usually the roughest part of the travel experience.  This is where you will quickly learn the Dance of the Travelling Parent.  It goes something like this: While waiting in line, you take off your shoes and the kids shoes (Crocs are the way to go when travelling).  As you get closer to the scanners, you remove outer garments like sweaters and coats and thrown them over your shoulder and begin folding down the stroller while holding your toddler by the back of the shirt.

Plie’

You finally reach the front of the line and send your children ahead of you with a stern warning to sit down on the other side and wait.  They will likely ignore this warning.  But you should give it for posterity anyway.  You will commence lining everything up on the conveyor belt and dumping all five pairs of shoes into one box.  You will probably have your bag searched due to sippy cups, bottles or the toy gun your son put in his bag when you weren’t looking.  You’ll then grab everyone’s shoes, bags and accessories and will twirl from the counter to your children who at this point are likely wreaking havoc upon the terminal of unsuspecting travellers.

Arabesque and freeze!

Relax

Finally, make sure you plan a little down time when you reach your destination.  You will need it!  And most of all, enjoy your trip making memories with your family.  Happy travels.

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