Traveling on an Empty Stomach

What to Pack

Packing for a trip after having kids is a week-long affair in my house. After a few trips and lots of mistakes later, I have conjured up a ‘must-have’ list for making airplane travel much easer! Sure, there are going to be melt-downs and things you may wished you would have brought along but these accessories have saved us a lot of headaches:

Top Travel Accessories – Packing List

• Carseat Travel Bag
• Travel Tray
• Portable Crib
• Activities
• Portable Sound Machines (for the whole family)

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Carseat Travel Bag

If you are traveling by air, I highly recommend buying a carseat travel bag! First, it will protect your carseat, keep it clean, and help the straps stay all together without being tugged and pulled on out of position. I don’t know about you, but readjusting them is enough to make me red in the face. Second, airlines normally do not charge for checking carseat bags. They will often give you a heavy duty plastic bag to cover it if you don’t bring your own…BUT if you do bring your own, it’s a handy (and free) place to also stow away extra diapers and other gear that could be taking up valuable space in your luggage. I originally bought one that did not have wheels. While it worked great, my husband and I had a hard time lugging it around the airport. I switched to this one and love it!

Travel Tray

If you think your child will be awake at some point in the car or on the plane, you need to find all they ways to engage them! Yes, they will be awake. Trust me! Having an easy (and stocked) tray to whip out for activities is essential for your sanity! I love this travel tray because I’m able to stock it before leaving with paper, stickers, markers, etc. and it still folds up slim and fits in my large backpack that I keep under the seat. This travel tray also fits easily over the car seat for long drives. I learned the hard way that the pull-down tray on the plane does not come close enough for babies and toddlers to use; AND when they try, they just jerk it around and annoy the hell out of the person sitting in front of them. I like to pack additional activities for the tray for the return trip. Having something all new makes the return go much smoother! One other point, this particular tray holds their drink in place and works as an easy place to eat as well!

Portable Crib

I love my kids. I also love sleeping. So I especially love when my kids sleep well. One thing I have learned is to get them used to sleeping in a portable crib and then take that same one with you everywhere you have to stay overnight. Yes, many hotels and Airbnb’s have portable cribs but if your children are like mine, they like the comfort of having a cozy and FAMILIAR place to sleep. This portable crib has survived two children and it is super light and easy to pack. Also, don’t hesitate to ask the airline to check it for free! Many will.

Activities

My favorite activities beside washable markers and loads of paper and coloring books are sticker books. I had an hour of no whining (that’s a lot for my youngest) when I whipped out one of these seek-and-find sticker books. This set (also pictured below) comes with four books! There you go, one for the initial flight, two for road trips/dinner/down time at the hotel, and a final one for the return flight home! Do I bring a tablet for the kids? Yes. I’m human. I’m also sad to say that my two kids get bored of it rather quickly so I need to have an arsenal of items at my disposal (and a glass of wine too).

Portable Sound Machines

We are a family of white noise lovers. I’ve been known to walk the streets of NYC getting my first born to sleep in his stroller while shamelessly playing white noise on my phone to drown out the pedestrians. It works. We all love the white noise sound AND having a portable one handy when a kiddo is nodding off is key; you know those moments when you desperately need them to nap and will try anything. I bought one of these for a trip to Washington, DC. After the first night, I had 2 more delivered to our house. They work amazing! My new trick is to pack one my backpack in case one of the kids is starting to nod off, I just whip it out and hang it from their seat and let the magic happen. The battery last longer than any child will ever nap! When we arrive at our destination, I take the others and plug them into their sleeping quarters. Then, I make sure I have one in my bag for long car rides. I prefer to talk or listen to music and don’t want to stream white noise to the whole car…I recommend the 2 pack!

What are your must-haves for traveling with kids?