Firstly – take a deep breath!
I’ve always found that the worry before going on holiday (especially the worry about the flight – will they sleep? Will they scream for 14 hours straight? Will they vomit or wee everywhere?) is so much worse than the actual travel itself.
My top 5 tips for travelling with a toddler
1. Give yourself, and your toddler grace.
You will do the best you can, with the best you have in front of you. As long as you have prepared snacks and activities in advance, the rest is out of your hands and you can only apologise to your neighbours! You can’t control the weather, their sleep, when the flight takes off or who you are sat next to, but in my experience people have mostly been welcoming and helpful when we’ve travelled with a baby or toddler.
2. Pack snacks.
Then more snacks, then even more snacks! If you’re flying long haul, it’s likely the food isn’t going to suit a toddler, so bring a packed lunch too. If you have any allergies, remember to book your special dietary menu well in advance, and at least 3 days before you are flying, otherwise food will be limited.
3. Bring new toys, or toys out of retirement
Bring sticker books, new books, and some new small toys. Or hide toddler’s favourite toys for the week before the trip, and bring them out on the plane.
We love the Lovevery boxes, which have lots of fidget type toys, so we always keep some of the smaller toys to one side before a holiday. There is also the benefit that the tray table and the seatbelt buckle can bring so much joy to a small child!
4. Headphones and screen time rule
Bring headphone splitters and toddler headphones. We use a pair of tiger child headphones that my son loves (regularly wears them around the house!). Practice using the headphones at home in the week or so before the flight, so there are no surprises on the flight.
On flights, screen time can not be an issue, and using toddler-friendly headphones means that not everyone has to listen to the Bluey theme tune on repeat!
If you’re on a long haul flight with entertainment, you can often check the entertainment guide before your flight, so you can have a plan on what to watch / what will be toddler appropriate.
5. Promises…promises…
Do not promise anything you do not have control over/may not work.
We had one tantrum on our long haul flight to Japan, and that was promising some episodes of ‘Something Special‘, but when we came to launch it on the ipad, our BBC Iplayer app decided that the programs we’d downloaded needed the internet to be opened, despite them working with no problem in the airport, on airplane mode….
Once you’re on the flight, sit back, reminisce about flying pre-baby, and resign yourself to the fact you will walk to and from the toilet or galley at least 15 times in the flight! We use this time to get to know the flight attendants if they have time, and find out more about their favourite destinations, or how long they’ve been flying.
And, if it’s any consolation, I once had someone have a go at us for taking a 20 month old on a 14h30 flight from Tokyo to London, and how it will ruin his trip – so there will always be that one person who wants to take a little bit of sparkle from everyone else’s day. If you can, ignore them, and carry on without ever thinking about them again (they’re just jealous their parents didn’t take them on fun adventures!).
If you have any questions or suggestions – let me know! Drop a comment below, or contact me here.
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