Does traveling with toddlers around the holidays, or any time of year for that matter, send your anxiety through the roof?
Listen, we CAN’T make the grumpy guy sitting next to you on the plane get ditch his bad attitude. We CAN use the significant experience that we’ve had traveling with toddlers to share a few tricks of the trade. Having a few hacks in your back pocket will make your time at the airport a little more enjoyable…both for you and your kids.
By putting our heads together and sharing both comical and horrific travel stories, we picked 4 of our favorite tricks that we ALWAYS rely on when we travel with our kids.
4 Airport Hacks for Traveling With Toddlers:
Always dress your kids in bright colors.
Throw your kids in brightly colored clothing before you face the airport crowds. Bright colors will help you locate your children should they stray and also be easier to spot as they are running up and down the moving walkways. Be sure that you also dress in something that is easy to identify, bright colors, or a unique hat can help your children spot you in large crowds.
Find your “kid-zone” .
First and foremost, once you get through security, establish a plan for where you are going. Look for airport maps (or online before you go, if you are a planner) to see if the airport you are in has play areas. Boston and Minneapolis both happen to have awesome little play areas that we love! If play areas aren’t available to you…it’s time to get creative. Look around and find a less crowded area where your kids can run and play. We usually spend most of our time burning off extra energy before we board the plane.
When all else fails, we let them run laps on the moving walkways. Be sure to bring extra hand sanitizer. Your kids will be rolling around at the airport for a few hours before boarding. Yuck! But at least they will be tired for the plane ride!
Bring an Arsenal of Snacks.
You know that backpack that you paid extra to carry-on to the flight? Load it up with your kids’ favorite snacks or snacks that they rarely get. Let the kids run around the airport, then people watch and eat a snack. But don’t eat them all…you still have a flight to get through.
Potty Training Boys and Traveling
Grab a few plastic cups from a nearby restaurant. When your son needs to pee in flight, go in the bathroom and have them stand to pee into the cup. Empty it and then ditch it in the trash! You won’t have to derail your potty training efforts by using pull-ups. Your little guys will feel successful and pee won’t end up all over the airplane bathroom. Also, your kids won’t be touching everything in the bathroom, which is a BONUS!
Remember, whether it be a delay or turbulence, stay calm and roll with it. Kids are sponges and they take on your stress. Breathe and remind yourself, you’ll never see these strangers again. You do you!
Do you need help in preparing to travel with infants or young kids? Check out this post on before you travel with infants. Get the scoop on what to pack right here!
Do you have a great tip for the airport? We need to know what you have up your sleeve! We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
