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Traveling with young children, whether it be by car, train or airplane, can be trying if not near impossible. I am a mother of two small children (ages 2 and 5). We have done our share of traveling and have a few worthwhile tips to share to make the experience more enjoyable for all (including the passengers around you!)
In all forms of transportation, I can't stress enough the importance of having an appropriate car seat for your child to ride in. Not only will your child be safe, but they will also be able to see and will most likely be more comfortable. Airlines allow children under the age of two to ride on an adult's lap for free. Personally, for your child's safety and for the extra room, I suggest shelling out the extra money to buy your child a seat of their own. Children have been hurt on airplanes during turbulance by not being restrained in an appropriate car seat.
Along with the car seat, be sure to pack a locking clip. These usually come standard with your car seat. If you do not have one, they can be purchased for about $3 at baby stores. Airplane seatbelts are very hard to adjust. A locking clip helps to keep the seat locked tight into position.
So, you have your car seat in hand and you are ready to go on your plane trip. You look at all of the stuff you are bringing with you and you think to yourself, "How am I ever going to get on the plane with all of this and my children?!?" The best idea I've heard of yet was done by a friend of mine. She took her car seat to a luggage store, brought along some bungy cords and tried out all of the luggage carriers with her car seat. She found the one that worked best with her car seat and bought it. She instantly had her car seat on wheels. I tried this out recently on a trip to Chicago. I was traveling by myself with our two children. I was able to bungy cord the two backpacks needed for the flight onto the car seat. My older son pushed the carseat like a stroller. I put my younger son into his regular stroller and wallked through the airport. Your stroller can be checked in at the gate. It will be waiting for you when you get off the plane.
One thing I have done that has helped to make trips by car and by plane much easier is to pack two backpacks. One backpack has diaper changing stuff, an extra pair of clothes for the kids and a shirt for me. In the second backpack there is a bag of snacks and a bag of presents. I start looking for these presents ahead of time. If you have a Dollar Store or a MacFrugal's in your area, this is a great place to find little things that will keep your child's attention for a few minutes. Some presents that have worked really well for us are small sticker books, invisible ink books, key chain toys - there are a wide variety of these, a pocket Magnadoodle, Kid's Meal toys, Hot Wheel cars, stick on nails, tatoos,...you get the idea. I take all of these little presents and I wrap them and write on the outside what the present is (this won't work next year when my 5 year old will be reading...). I plan on two presents per hour. On the hour, they open the present. After they've finished playing with their present, we'll have a small snack (more details coming), then we switch presents so that they can play with the other one's present for awhile. The cycle starts again. I also buy presents for the ride home that I pack in my suitcase along with some small snacks. That way, I don't have to spend time while on our trip looking for things for them to do on the way home. Another thing to pack in the present bag is a plastic garbage bag. The flight attendants greatly appreciate you cleaning up after your child!
Don't count on the airline or train service to have snacks that your child will like. Most airlines will allow you to order a special meal for your child. I did this the last time we flew and it was a life saver. I had a choice of a hotdog, hamburger, chicken or peanut butter and jelly. Both of my kids gobbled down their PB&J without a second thought. Snacks are a big help when trying to pass the time. Use the small plastic snack bags. In each snack bag put a small amount of snack--like 10 raisins or Cheerios. Remember, this is a SNACK, not a MEAL. Make it small so that your child will want more in a little while.
Something that has worked very well for us in the car on long trips is books on tape and a cassette recorder with head phones. You can buy a cheap adult mini-cassette player for around $4 at Target. You can either buy some books on tape (check your child's school book clubs or local bookstores) or borrow them from the local library. It's nice if you have a friend with kids around the same age that you can swap these back and forth with. Children will learn very quickly how to turn the page when they hear the "beep". We have also made some of our own books on tape with special guest readers like Grandma or Grandpa. These are a huge hit!
I hope that I have been able to give you some helpful tips to make your travels easier with small children. On our last trip to Chicago we were waiting to get off the plane. I had my kids stay in their seats and told them that we would be the last ones off the plane. While sitting there, a woman walked by with her husband and told me that she had seen us getting in the plane and told her husband that she was not looking forward to traveling with a couple of little kids for four hours. She said that she had been pleasantly surprised and that she had never seen such well behaved children on an airplane. I said thank you and patted myself on the back, knowing that all of my extra planning and work had paid off. What a feeling of accomplishment!
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