Advice for Traveling with a Toddler!!

Hi M.,
Sorry about your Grandmother.
I travelled a lot with my 2 kids (15 mos apart) Starting when my first was 3 weeks old. 18 mos is a tough age, however not impossible. The DVD will only help for 15 min or so. What I did was bought several small toys and wrapped them like a gift. I made 2 or 3 of them treats, like smarties, that I could dole out one at a time. Then I would wait until the critical moments when you feel the book, dolly and DVD won't help any more and handed a "surprise" over to use up a few more min of interest. Then a lollipop or something that takes some work helped too. Just don't give her everything all in the first hour. Try a photo album (small brag book like thing) with pictures of people and things she recognizes from her room and yard so you can flip through the pages and ask her "whose that"?
When we stayed in hotels and with family we just asked for a crib or play yard to give them their own space. Just get ready to have her pass out tired instead of "go to bed" if things are rough. If there is a pool, you may want to tire her out there or do a long warm bath.
Good Luck!
-M.

as for traveling with your little one I have endured many a car ride with my 2 year old and 1 year old and the main thing is to just keep giving them things to stay entertained, bring snacks, and usually thats all you need. she will most likely be facinated with the experience so her being entertained shouldn't be too hard. As for your worry about the sleeping arrangements if you put her to bed first and let people know not to enter the room untill she has fallen asleep, of course makes sure she has as close to her usual bedtime routine as possible you should be fine there too. good luck

Sorry, about your grandmother. Other than the DVD player. If she has a pacifer give it to her during take off and landing. If not tic tacs work great! Go by the dollar store and pick her up some new toys. Anything to keep her distracted. Your daughters sleep schedule is going to be messed up anyway since she'll be in a different place. I'd say you may just have to wing it.

Hi M.,

Sorry to hear about the loss of your grandma.Tomorrow is 5 years since the passing of my grandma. This past October I traveled with my 3 sons to DisneyWorld.They were 5 1/2, 2 1/2, and 18 months.I packed 2 bottles with milk.One for the wait and one for the ride.As for the airlines only provide about 6oz.Definatly pack plenty of snacks for you and the baby, because the airline only gives you a few crackers.It would be a good idea to pack a small stuffed animal,books, toys,extra pacifiers, a few changes of clothing, exta diapers, and a stroller. The sroller will be helpful cruising inside the airport.In case you have some time to yourself and Autumn falls asleep, you might want to pack an ipod and a book or magazine to read.Give yourself extra time to arrive incase there are any delays.Don't forget the camera either you won't want to miss out on any special moments. Happy Travels and Good Luck!!

I am so sorry to hear about your grandma!
See if your airlines has DVD players to rent, it is very inexpensive and you can bring her favorite movie for the plane.
As far as adjustments in bedtimes, you will just have to go to bed earlier as it is crucial she keeps some of the same sleep patterns. A sleep deprived child will reek havoc on everyone! :)
Pack lot's of her favorite snacks too for the plane ride in case there is a delay or you are stuck on tarmac. Also bring bottled milk or water for her for being on the plane as they do not provide much if anything these days. Bring her sheet from her crib from home if you are using a pack and play, if not then bring some favorites that she sleeps with from home so it is familiar. It will be different but kids need a change every now and again and it is more important you get to see your family and be at the funeral.
When I travelled with my daughter at that time I saw if anyone where we were going had a pack and play to borrow (is there a family member that may have one?), that way she can have her sheet from her bed/crib and bring anything she needs for sleep. She will do great!!!!

Sorry to hear about your loss. Tho they are not suppose to, security has still given me lots of grief over liquids in sippy cups. You can take bottled water thru security if it's the small "nursery" brand, it usually has some sesema street characters on the label. You can ask for milk from the stewardess as soon as you get on the plane. Tho it's kindof a pain, if you carry your car seat with you and gate check, most of the time when I talk with the gate person I end up getting a seat for my kid and the car seat helps tremendously. I never buy a seat tho cuz I figure you get few freebies in this life and free travel til 2 is one I take full advantage of :) I'm sure you know lots of entertainment and snacks, and even tho I didn't let my first watch tv until 15 months, we still always had a DVD player and fun movies and tv shows for travel. It has been a godsend! One quick lesson I learned last flight was no cars or things with wheels, that was fun to go chasing to the back of the plane! oh, and then there was the poopy diaper in flight.. would have given anything to have a small bottle of bath and body works freshner with me that time! ha! the triangular crayons are easier to deal with too. Gum is good for the ear popping, or a paci, and in extreme measures my sis had to put her grandson upside down and kinda bounce him or something like that to get his ears to pop, but I've never dealt with that one. Some hotels will have cribs available, if not there is probably a baby service of some sort in the area that would have rentals for anything you'd need. If we don't have that option, a lot of times we'll get a room with double beds and my hubby sleeps with one kid and I sleep with the other. they love it! we don't as much but oh well :) I wish you the best of luck!

BENADRYL! - NO! I'm TOTALLY kidding. I've heard about that on TV or other media things, but I always thought it was pretty mean. Anyway. We flew from Phoenix to NYC when my first daughter was about 12-13 months, and from Phoenix to Salt Lake City when she was 3 and with a 1 1/2 month old daughter. We also drove from Phoenix to Vegas with a 2 year old daughter and twin 4 1/2 month old boys. All trips went extremely well. When we flew to NYC, she sat on our laps (mine or my husband's), could look out the window, eat her snacks we brought and drank the milk we brought. She was addicted to her pacifier at the time, so we used that to help her ears with the elevation. At the time, she was sleeping in a crib at home, so we packed her playpen and set that up in the room. At naptime and bedtime, we just put out the lights and made the room quiet. Of course, she never liked going to bed, so this time was no different, but once she fell asleep, she slept well for the time she was supposed to.

The time we flew to Salt Lake, the now 3 year old was allowed to bring her own little bag (carry on) with some of her favorite toys or activities, and a sippy cup (all airport security approved - no unapproved liquids, sharp objects, etc.) She got to pick everything to go in the bag and pack it herself. She was very proud to be responsible for it. It helped keep her entertained on the plane as well as in the airport. We also packed the diaper bag with some of her favorite snacks. She didn't seem to have any trouble with her ears that time. The 1 1/2 month old just slept pretty much the whole time. As we were taking off and inclining, we fed her a small bottle to help with her ears. She didn't seem to have any problems. As for sleeping, at that age, the 3 year old was already sleeping in a regular bed at home and thought it was the coolest thing to be able to sleep in a great big queen bed in the hotel room. The littlest just slept in her carseat. She did fine.

When we drove to Vegas with my 2 year old daughter and twin 4 1/2 month old boys, the hotel sleeping arrangements went fine. On the first night, we actually stayed in a very small, one bed hotel room, and the 2 year old slept in the bed with mom as dad slept on the floor. The twins slept in their carseats. The rest of the time, she had her own bed and loved it (she was in a twin bed minus the frame since 18 months, so the bed was no problem for her.) Your little one may enjoy the time with you if you let her sleep in the same bed with you. Or you could pack a playpen. Whatever you feel she might be comfortable with. You may try packing one of her favorite blankets or other comfort item (assuming it's small) to help her feel more relaxed in a strange place. Good luck with your trip.

First of all, I am sorry you lost your grandma. My condolences are with you and your family.

We traveled with a 16-month old last fall and I did all sorts of research. First rule of thumb: keep a list and keep it simple.

Here's what I found:
- Choose a lightweight, durable pack that is comfortable and easy to carry and access. A top-entry backpack that will slide easily under the seat is ideal.
- Pack no more than 5 toddler-friendly snacks in the small snack baggies for her to choose from. Goldfish crackers, fruit strips, peanut butter sandwich, craisins/raisins or other dried fruit are good choices. I would avoid anything that needs to be chilled like cheese or anything that can be smushed like bananas.
- Find 2 or 3 small travel toys that would be new to her and introduce them one at a time at opportune times to keep her occupied. I found a small magna-doodle that was a life saver and also a little Fisher-Price radio toy that was fun. However, if you buy noisy toys, cover the speaker in the back with blue electrical or masking tape (it removes easily) to muffle the noise for the surrounding passengers.
- If your daughter loves to read like my son does, I would recommend some lightweight paper books instead of board books, which are bulkier. Introduce some favorites and new stories.
- We also took a cheap photo album and filled it with pictures of the people we were going to visit so he didn't feel anxious around all of these new people. On the plane, we explained everything that was going on and pointed out new things.
- As far as sleeping arrangements go, if you can travel with your personal pack & play and let her sleep in it for naps a few times before you go, it'll make her transition easier. Then you'll have to play it by ear to get her down. If you can arrange a 2-room suite with your hotel or arrange to stay next to another relative with an adjoining door, it will give you somewhere to go while she settles it and goes to sleep. That arrangement worked really well for us and the extra $ per night for the suite was worth it. Make sure you pack recognizable items like a favorite blankie and stuffed animal too.

Other than that, you can play the rest by ear. Don't overpack because if you have to run to a terminal while carrying a loaded diaper bag and a toddler, you will be miserable. Remember, if you forgot it, you can always get it while you're there!

My condolences to you and your family.

I am not sure if you are getting a rental car and needing her car seat, but if your child is going to be a lap child on the plane, remember to pack her car seat and check it in as baggage. If you do get her a seat and use her car seat (which I would recommend) as it frees up your hands and will let her sleep a lot better when she decides to goto sleep. It's usually the landings that hurt their ears, not normally the take offs. The TSA officers should let you take on her bottle or sippy cup with milk in it. I wouldn't try juice though. Since she's not an infant, they get a little more stringent. If they make you dump it, no big deal, as soon as you board the plane ask the flight attendant for some milk.

I have traveled extensively with my two boys. One will turn 3 next week and the other is 14 months. We have gone to Sweden twice, NY to England on the Queen Mary 2, San Diego, Hawaii five times and have learned to pack well, pack light and don't get frazzled because your kids will also get frazzled.

Some things you can entertain her with are the plastic cups they serve the drink with on the plane, make sock puppets from her socks (this was always a hit)and take a long a few new light weight little book she's never seen before.

Make sure you pack a carry on bag with all your clothes in it for at least one day in case your baggage is lost. Also make sure you pack her favorite blanket/stuffed animal in your carry on for her hold during the flight and in case your bags get lost so she'll have it at night.

Almost all hotels have pack-and-plays that you can ask for at no charge for her to sleep in. Sometimes sleeping can be tough, but I think as another person said to get her as tired out as possible and hopefully she'll just pass out from exhausten.

Good luck.

You can pack snacks and things she likes in your carry on that is how i use to fly when i was younger, little books and snacks and small bottles of juice or milk were taken along as well.
Hope it all works out

Sorry about your grandma.
I don't know if you were planning on buying her a seat or having her sit on your lap. I would strongly suggest buying her her own seat and bringing the car seat. also the car seat needs to be in the window seat so make you you have a window seat booked so that you are not having to play musical chairs while bording the flight.
at that age I'd bring small toys and snacks. also keep in mind new travel retsriction on liquids.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm
I think you can bring juice or milk for a child through security but you do have to declare it and it will be instpected so it may slow you down.
you can bring an empty sippy and then ask the flight attendant for water or whatever she needs as you board or buy something in the termanal once you are past security. I also give my kids lolipops for take off to help with ear pressure. if she takes a pacifier that might be a safer/healthier option.
do you already have a hotel booked? one place I really like is the residence inn. you could try other suite type hotels.
I like the resdence inn cause it's basically like staying in an apartment. so she could have her own bedroom and there is a kitchenette so I you can pick up a few basics like milk and store them in the fridge. and have a sink and dishwasher to wash sippycups and such. they even have a stove/microwave if you wanted to cook or warm up something. I know some kids can sleep with noise and all goign on but not all can. my oldest could but my younger two could not. we once stayed at a hotel and it was a nightmare as my youngest could not sleep so I ended up having to walk him around the hotel property for hours so that everyone else could sleep and have never stayed in a single room hotel since(with kids).

M.

I flew from Wyoming to New Jersey atleast once a year with my son starting at age 6 months. If you can afford a seat for the child on the plane take your car seat to use on the plane as well as when you arrive. I always had atleast one layover so I also took my umbrella stroller. These can be checked at the gate and retrieved as you depart the plane. Be sure to pack some snacks and quiet toys. Also depending on the child's age have gum or a bottle to help the child when taking off and landing with their ears hurting. Another trick especially for infants is to cover their ears with small plastic cups when landing and/or taking off so they do not experience any discomfort with ear pressure. Many hotels have cribs that you can request be set up in your room prior to your arrival or take a traveling crib. I think it is good for babies to experience some noise while attempting to go to or stay asleep. This world is not quiet and the sooner they learn that the better off they will be. My son could fall asleep in a room with the TV on and my husband snoring extremely loudly. But I never insisted things be totally quiet because "the baby is sleeping." I think that develops a bad habit that will be hard to break later on in life. Now at 17 he can fall asleep even while I'm talking to him. (Ha ha!)

Sorry to hear about your grandmother. May she rest in peace.