Traveling with Toddlers

Like everyone who is doing something for the first time, you either ask for help, consult the internet or look it up on Pinterest. 

For the first time, I flew by myself with a toddler. Will was 13 months old when we flew to Orlando. I have a few tips and tricks to flying with a toddler without any help. I completely think that my experience would have been different if the Hubby was able to tag along. Having another set of hands would have made this completely stress free! But because he's a wonderful man, he sent us while he stayed home to work and I was left flying alone with a baby. 

1. Choose Wisely: The first order of business is figuring out your flight. I'd definitely recommend getting a direct flight. For me it was so much easier getting onto one plane, getting situated and not having to get off till we arrived at our destination. It may mean paying more but shell out that dough cause it'll be worth it! Also, if you can choose your destination based on flight time, take advantage. Luckily a flight to Orlando is only two hours long. This meant that Will was able to sleep nearly the whole flight without having to be entertained or wanting to get up and out of the seat. The second part of this tip, is to pick your times of departure and arrival as best as possible. You will never get the exact times you'll want but if you pick as close as possible, you could be in the clear. Our flight was supposed to leave Pittsburgh at 4pm which meant Will was ready for a second nap when we'd take off. We'd land in Orlando at 6pm. We got to the airport around 2:30pm only to learn that our flight was delayed an hour. Pittsburgh airport is awesome and I had no issue sitting down at a restaurant for a small meal with the baby to keep him entertained. When we got on the plane and got situated he fell right asleep because he was so exhausted. When we got to Orlando he was ready for dinner and bed and it was a very easy trip down.

2. Pack light for carry on: My biggest problem traveling alone with Will was I wanted to be prepared and not look like a mom who couldn't handle it alone. I had our coach diaper bag, my purse, his blanket and my jacket, plus the baby! Honestly, I didn't need all that stuff. He's such a content baby to begin with that he didn't need 5 toys for a 2 hour flight (which he slept through completely anyway)! On our flight home I packed my purse in the checked bag and only took the diaper bag with me. Anything that didn't fit in it went into the suitcase. Our flight home was late and I knew he'd sleep through that flight as well so I packed away the flight toys that I had for him. It definitely made a difference getting on the plane home and just throwing that diaper bag under the seat and out of my mind!

3. Charge that phone: Sadly, at a year old, Will knows what my phone is and that we talk to grandma on it a lot. Besides face timing grandma, taking pictures and showing him his pictures, that's the extent of his tech time. Before the flight I made sure to download some apps for him to do on the plane. We looked at animal flashcards and hit the screen to make bubbles pop. It kept him entertained and he didn't need any other toys of his own to play with. He fell asleep shortly after playing with the phone and didn't wake up till we had to get off the plane. On the way home he did the same thing. I truly believe I am just one lucky momma.

4. Enjoy the experience: This was a big milestone for us! Flying for the first time is exciting, even to a toddler. They get to see all kinds of people and see all kinds of planes. I definitely took the time to realize how lucky we were to take a mini vacation and give him this experience of flying. It made me happy to see him point at the planes and walk around the airport. Most people don't get to do that, so appreciate this milestone no matter how small it may be!

5. Blankets are your friend: Besides the planes being hot or cold this definitely doubled as a peek-a-boo game for us. It entertained him enough to make him laugh and that's the best. We grabbed our favorite Aden & Anais blanket for the trip. They're soft, light weight and more importantly easy to carry with you!

6. Bring tylenol: I'm not a fan of using medicine for unnecessary reasons like making them sleepy for the flight. But unfortunately, a side effect of airplane travel are ear infections. Having tylenol on hand for him helped until we got him to our pediatrician for an antibiotic. On top of his ear infection from traveling, he was teething and having some ibuprofen on hand as well really helped him while we were away from home.

7. Security is your friend: When traveling with a toddler and going through security alone, you may dread it. But don't fear! They're your friend when you have a baby in your arms! I was pushed through both lines of security in Pittsburgh and Orlando without have to take off anything (jackets, shoes, jewelry, belt) plus, they didn't make me empty my contents of my diaper bag (any liquids etc). They let me go straight up to the front and pushed me through as "priority" in both airports. You get treated well when you have a baby!

8. Sippy/Bottles: Going along with security, if you have a child and are going through security, you are able to take milk, formula or breast milk through security with you as long as it's in the bottle or sippy cup. This is allowed to be more than the regulated 3oz or whatever it is now. The only thing that may happen is that they'll do a strip test to make sure that it is milk, formula or breast milk.

9. The boarding dilemma: This was a test that I did. Before getting to the airport I thought of Will. I knew that he loved walking around and he hated sitting still. Everyone on the internet and on pinterest says to pre-board. I honestly was completely against it because I didn't want to end up with a squirming child after sitting for so long in one spot. So When we were leaving Pittsburgh we boarded last. Literally the last people on the plane. This meant we had no choice of seats which did kind of suck. However, Will was incredibly sleepy and when we sat down and got situated, he fell right asleep and we took off in no time. On the way back to Pittsburgh though it was very late at night. Our flight left at 8pm which meant Will was holding on by a thread waiting to get on the plane. After changing into our pjs and drank a bottle, the boarding gate lady asked us if it was just us two. Will was getting fussy and she could tell we were struggling waiting to board. She pushed me ahead with the first class passengers and we got to pre-board before any other family too. Doing it this way meant we picked our seat. I picked right up front. Lots of room, window seat, got situated and again, he fell right asleep. On the way back no one sat next to us so we were comfy. We also got right off that plane and get to daddy quickly because it was late and all we wanted to do was go home and be in bed! So for this test I'm still on the fence. Make your best judgement. If you're picky about seating, definitely pre-board but if you don't mind and want to let your kid get some more energy out, wait it out!

I hope these tips and tricks help someone out when they travel! Once I figure out how to add a "Pin this" button I'll try and do that. I appreciate any feedback you may have about traveling. Remember, you know your baby best so do what will help out your child. Every baby is different so even though my kid slept through both flights the whole time, you may have a rough experience if your babe just won't fall asleep for you. What I found was that even when Will would kick in his sleep and end up kicking the guy next to us, they aren't going to yell at you. Especially when you're alone with the baby. They're more then helpful and they'll usually just keep to themselves anyway. More often than not you're going to get a happy traveler next to you instead of one that gripes at you about a crying baby. You've probably all seen ideas on how to make goodie bags for your passengers because you have a baby. Screw that! You don't have time for that! Yes it's a nice gesture but guess what? They'll get over it because they're probably parents or grandparents as well and they'll love seeing your baby. They make headphones for a reason!

Happy travels!