A month after my daughter’s first birthday we took our first airplane trip to see family. I searched the internet and Pinterest for a survival manual for airline travel with toddlers. I remembered in my younger, single days of being on a plane and seeing children on the plane and thinking “oh my gosh, I don’t want to sit near them.”
Don’t judge…you did it too before you had kids!
Well my mission was to ensure I was not one of those people who you regretted sitting next to.
The best advice I got, I didn’t find on the internet or Pinterest. It was actually advice from a fellow mommy friend of mine who had traveled recently. (see #5)
I didn’t want the hassle of carrying more than one bag. For this reason, I chose to bring a large purse and use it for both myself and my daughter’s items. We picked our seats a head of time to ensure at least one of us had a window and to ensure we sat together. To save cost we did not buy my daughter her own seat and chose to have her as a lap child instead.
1. I packed in my purse all the normal things I had packed in my diaper bag (diapers, rash cream, wipes etc.) I took anything that was a liquid and placed it in a ziploc bag. I tried not to over pack, just things I believed I may need during the flight only. Anything else I placed in my bag that was checked.
2. A sippy cup that was empty. Trust me, it’s easier for security purposes to have an empty cup and purchase the ridiculously expensive bottle of water once you’re passed security. Otherwise, they have to place the cup/bottle in this fancy machine and ensure your nipple juices/formula/water isn’t bio hazardous.
3. Prepackaged snacks that were bite size (cheerios & dried fruit) and pouches. My daughter still takes formula, as well as milk. We brought a formula dispenser with enough formula to get us through the flight and a delay, if need be.
4. iPad: Say what you want about kids and tv/electronics but this came in handy for my daughter and for myself. We had one of her favorite movies loaded onto the iPad and she had her favorite app (best free apps) available to her. Her favorite app doesn’t require Wi-Fi which was perfect for in flight.
5. Dollar Store toys! This was a lifesaver! I went to the dollar store a few days before the trip and picked up a medium sized pouch (that had a velcro closure), one that would fit in my purse, and filled it with toys and new books that my daughter had never seen before. I chose things that light up and made noise. I picked up a pretend iPhone that rang, light up wand, 2 new books, a squishy toy, flash cards and a few other things. I made sure everything that I chose fit into the pouch so I wouldn’t have toys floating all around in my purse.
6. Car seat/Stroller: My daughter has the Britax B-Agile Travel Set (not the one recalled don’t worry).When we arrived at the airport, I kept my daughter in her car seat and just attached her car seat to the stroller. We placed the car seat base on the bottom storage basket of the stroller (it fits perfectly). Besides the portion of going through security, we were able to keep her in this until we arrived at our gate. This is also how we went to the car once we arrived at our destination as well. I pulled the car seat base from under the stroller, installed the base in the car, snapped her into the car and folded down the stroller.
I hope this list helps some of you mommy’s! Let me know what items you have taken that has helped as well!
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