Family Trip Planning Blog | Best Family Trips | TripWiser.com: Traveling with Toddlers by Air

Domestic Travel

For domestic travel with a toddler, both by air and by car, there are many wonderful locations in the United States where you and your family can have a great vacation. If all-inclusive family resorts are not your thing, consider condo rentals in coastal communities somewhere in Florida or California. If Florida or California are too much for you, oceanfront condos along the Northern length of the Oregon Coast, including the towns of Astoria, Cannon Beach, Oceanside, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay can all offer a beautiful compromise. Although pricey, condo rentals are still more affordable than hotels. Condo rentals are also more convenient for family travelers with babies, as bathroom and laundry facilities as well food preparation can be done the same way you've been doing them at home.

International Travel

If you plan on traveling with your toddler to an international destination, you will need to get passports and in some cases visas for you and your babies, and this process can take quite a long time. If you need to travel abroad with your baby, research your destination in advance and find out what documents you will be required to have: http://www.officialtraveldocuments.com/InformationCenter/CountryList.aspx.

Tickets

If you are traveling with your toddler by air, there are a few things you need to know in advance. First of all, if your toddler over 2 years old, you will need to buy them a separate ticket, as most airlines only allow children under 2 to sit on their parents' lap during the flight. If your toddler is over 2, you will also need to use a car seat to secure your child safely on the plane. Your regular car seat will do just fine, we don't recommend renting a car seat, as it is usually costs almost as much to rent one as to buy a new one and also because you can never be sure what condition the rented car seat is in, whether or not it has been damaged.

Prepare your toddler

It is important to talk to your child before the flight and explain that there will be some inconveniences when traveling by air. Tell them that their seat will be small and not very comfortable, that there won't be other kids to play with. Explain that they won't be able to walk or run around and that going to the bathroom will not be fun. Emphasize that the flight is still a very short time and that they can have fun afterwards.

To entertain your toddler and keep them from getting bored, ask them to pack and carry their own luggage. Get a small back pack and together with your toddler select what toys and games to bring to the plane, what snacks and clothes. Pack 2-3 changes of clothes to bring with you on the plane. If you involve your toddler in the process of planning and preparing for the trip, they will be better behaved, more patient and less cranky. It will also be a more meaningful experience for them, something they can learn and remember. When you travel for the second time, ask your toddler to prepare a check list of things that are important to remember about air travel.

Pack carry-ons

Check in as much luggage as you can, but do get a carry-one bag with you and get one for your toddler. Back packs are very convenient, as you can stuff a lot of things in them and still have your hands free. Do not pack many toys. Ask your toddler to pick one or two soft toys that they think can go travel with you by air. Do not bring musical or noise-making toys. Pack a few changes of clothes for yourself and your child, in case your luggage gets lost. Pack washable crayons and markers. Get a nice photo album of the place you are traveling to and ask your toddler for the items they liked the most.

Scheduling flights and waiting for flights

Try to schedule flights so that there are no stopovers. When waiting for the flight in the airport, do not sit down. You will have plenty of time to sit on the plane. Take your toddler for a stroll and tell them about airports, what they are for and what kinds of things are located inside airports: gift shops, cafes, car rentals, security, information desk, etc. If you have a stopover with a lot of layover time, find a family or play room and settle down there. Most airports have family or play areas that offer facilities suitable for travel with babies and toddlers. There, you can play, feed and entertain your toddler with ease or have them play with other kids.

Choosing seats

It is best not to select an aisle seat when traveling with your toddler by air. Your toddler can get accidentally get hurt by people walking or flight attendants pushing the meal carts. If no other options available, take the aisle seat yourself. If possible, book a window seat for your toddler.

Stroller and car seat

When traveling with your toddler by air, bring a car seat and a stroller with you. Make sure your car seat is safe for air travel. Note that cabs don't carry car seats, so if you are traveling with a toddler, your car seat will be useful both on land and in the air.

Almost all airlines will allow your stroller as a courtesy item. You keep your toddler one in it all the way up the ramp, right before you get on the plane you leave it with an attendant and they'll put it under. When you get off, the stroller is right there for you.

Boarding

When planning on traveling with your toddler by air, buy your tickets online. Online tickets usually generate you a boarding pass, so you won't have to worry about getting one at the airport. When traveling with your toddler by plane, arrive in the airport early, but do not board early, wait until the plane gets full and board in the last minute. Sitting with your active toddler in a stuffy plane for extra half hour won't do you any good. You can entertain your child by watching people board the plane and observing the process. Let your toddler pretend to be a new flight attendant who needs to learn how to make sure all passengers have all proper papers in order. Play a game and ask your child to tell you what documents passengers are required to have to board the plane (boarding pass, ticket, passport for International flights).

Passengers around you

Once on board, be prepared that passengers around you won't be thrilled having a toddler sitting next to them (everyone knows toddlers cry easily). You can see a lot of sour faces. Don't take it personally; be friendly and ask your toddler to continue playing the flight attendant game. We know of two toddlers who responsibly observed flight attendants actions until they got tired and fell asleep.

Water and food

Pack your own snacks using plastic containers or plastic zip lock bags; in-flight foods contain a lot of preservatives and are often very old. Air travelers suffer from dehydration due to the below-desert dryness in the cabin. But very few airlines provision adequate bottled water to hydrate everyone on board (at the very least, it should be a large glass of water per person per hour of flight). Moreover, water on aircrafts is always contaminated, but as of 2006, passengers are not allowed to bring their own bottled water onboard. When traveling with your toddler, ask your flight attendant for bottled water, make sure the cap has not been broken (return the bottle otherwise). Use bottled water for personal hygiene, such as brushing your teeth. Avoid airplane coffee and tea, which are made with the aircraft's contaminated water. If you still choose to drink coffee or soft drinks, which are dehydrating, remember to drink extra water. Continue drinking a lot of water for several days after your flight. This will help you get over jet lag.

Entertaining your toddler on the plane

To entertain your toddler during air travel, bring educational fun games that take time to finish. Crayons and coloring books are also very good. Do not bring musical toys or toys that make noise. If you and your toddler often travel together, buy a portable DVD player and get a new DVD for each flight. This will keep your toddler occupied for most of the flight. Another option is a laptop rental so your toddler can be kept busy playing computer games.