Travel days are the toughest days of any vacation, and now with your littles in tow, prepare for the unexpected. On my first trip alone with my son, he had a messy blow-out while in line to board and needed a full outfit change. It taught me that you can never be too prepared. A few strategies and tips that I’ve learned about traveling with both a child and baby are:
About Our Trip
When planning our most recent trip, we sat down and discussed what we wanted to get out of our trip. For our family, it was to relax and spend as much time at the pool and beach. A bonus was to get our children accustomed to air travel, as we hope to take our next trip over the summer to Europe. With our young family, we weren’t concerned about excursions, shopping or really anything other than a beautiful place to relax and play.
Knowing your family vacation’s goals made the search for our destination easier; sunny destination, pretty beaches, pools, and huge variety of food for our picky eater. Once we picked our destination we had the option of room selection. From experience we’ve learned that upgrading to a larger space, with a separate room for your little ones to sleep, allows for you to continue enjoying your evening once they are sleeping. We try to opt for a suite option room whenever available.
Our room was considered an upgraded family suite, which had a main space with a pull-out couch, bunk beds, a crib, as well as a separate primary bedroom. Another perk of this room was the private swim-up pool, allowing us a place to lounge during naps.
Family Friendly Resort Perks
After weeks of research I can tell you that there are so many amazing resorts that welcome families and specialize in incredible things like waterparks, movies and television themes, adventures and excursions. Picking a resort is hard, but understanding what your family’s limits and priorities are will help guide you to picking the one best suited for your family.
Our family-friendly resort had
- Cribs available (saving us from having to bring a playard) *
- High chairs at every restaurant *
- Kids menu at restaurants and kids section at the buffet *
- 2 kids clubs (one for kids and one for pre-teens/teens)
- Babysitting (at a fee)
- There was a “loud” pool, and a “quiet” pool, each with very shallow areas *
- Splash pad with small waterslide *
- Nightly entertainment for kids *
- Hourly programming
- Staff trained to engage children *
- Family Suites *
- Swim Up Rooms *
- Retail with children's medicine, diapers, wipes, snacks, toys, and clothes
(* the things we did/used)
Airplane Tips
Travel days are normally the hardest and longest days of any vacation, and now with your littles in tow, prepare for the unexpected.
On my first trip (alone) with my son, he had a messy blow-out while in line to board at the gate and needed a full outfit change. It taught me that you can never be too prepared for the unpredictable. A few strategies and tips that I’ve learned about traveling with both a child (5 years old) and baby are:
- If possible book direct flights around nap times
- If possible, reserve your seats in advance
- If possible and approved by your airline, your little one can sit in their carseat on the plane ensuring they are comfortable and accustomed to their seat during the flight
- If possible, make them walk as much before the flight to get them tired
- Eat a light meal before the flight, so they aren’t hungry on board with limited options
- Everyone should go the the bathroom before you board and land
- If possible, feed babies during take off and landing to help with pressure and ears from popping
- Make friends with the flight attendants - they are usually amazing with children and love to help when available
- Pack extra clothes (and undergarments) for everyone in your carry-on. Accidents happen and kids get sick on flights.
- Plan for unlimited screen time and snacks once onboard
Airplane Essentials
When it comes to everything, having the right tools available makes your life easier. There are a few things I consider essential for air travel with children:
- For my baby (10 months old):
- Baby carrier: allowing you to stay handsfree if baby gets fussy
- Activities and toys:
- Mobi Zippee: a silicone toy with soft teething edges, textured cords and easy to hold grips
- Stacking Cups: compact and perfect for the plane, pool, beach and bath
- Malarkey Kids Chew Cube: rattle and teether. Offering four-way sensory stimulation
- For my child ( 5 years old):
- Jetkids™ by STOKKE BedBox V3: This piece of carry-on luggage was one of the best things for my independent 5 year old. Packed with a collection of his favourite books, treats, games, and even a small stuffed animal, this luggage was easy for him to carry around the airport, kept him busy and became a ride along seat when he got tired. The best part was that it transformed his airplane seat into bed once on board, giving him a comfortable place to rest during our 5 hour flight.
- Activities and toys:
- Card games
- Sticker and colouring workbooks
- Books
- Tablet: Pre-download their favourite with their favourite movies, shows, tablet learning games
- Children-safe headphones with volume limits
- A note regarding screen time: travel days are long and often stressful. Giving your children extra screen time may help keep you and them relaxed and sane
- For everyone
- Snacks: We gave our 5 year old two Little Lunch Co Bento lunch boxes filled with a variety of pretzels, granola, cookies, nuts and a few special treats. He helped pick out what would go in and had control of these on the flight allowing him to snack whenever in the mood.
- Drinks: I always purchase a large bottle of water once we’ve gone through security and fill up each of our Hyrdoflask bottles
- Full change of clothes
Must-have Travel Essentials
Once you’ve landed at your destination, having the comforts of home while away can help ease the transition for your little ones.
I like bringing a few things that will comfort them, like their favourite stuffed animals and night light to help them during new bedtime routines. Travel gear is intuitive and innovative, designed to be smarter and smaller and will likely end up being your favourite pieces of gear.
Some of my personal favourite travel essentials from this trip were:
- JOOLZ Aer: This lightweight compact travel stroller from the Dutch brand, Joolz has an impressive one-handed fold and weighs only 13.4 lbs. The compact size fits in most overhead bins for popular airlines* Ready to use from 6 months or from birth with the Aer bassinet attachment.
- NANIT Pro Camera + Flex Stand: We love our Nanit at home, so for our trip we purchased the Flex Stand to bring our monitor system with us. They now sell their amazing camera with the stand which provides the ultimate portability allowing you a 130° view, at home or away
- STOKKE Limas Carrier Flex: We learned with our son that having a carrier with us, allowed us to have an extra hour during longer outings. So when you aren’t sure how long travel days will be, having a baby carrier tucked away in our carry-on luggage gave us a hands-free way to soothe our baby when she got fussy in the stroller. The new Lima Carrier Flex has three ergonomic carrying options, front, back (from 5 months +), and onbuhimo (from 9 months+) , a traditional Japanese way where you remove the waist belt, ideal for when they’re starting to walk but need to be carried again.
- Tiny Twinkle Mess-Proof Full Sleeve Bib: With no access to laundry and a new eater, a full-sleeve bib was a great way to limit the mess on our baby’s outfits during meal times
Traveling with kids can be an exciting and rewarding experience for both parents and children. With a little bit of planning and preparation, it's possible to create lasting memories and strengthen family bonds while exploring new destinations. Remember to be flexible, patient, and open-minded, and don't forget to prioritize your children's needs and interests. Whether you're embarking on a road trip, taking a flight to a new country, or simply exploring your own backyard, traveling with kids can be an enriching and unforgettable experience that you'll cherish for years to come
About the Author:
Barbara Ann Solomon Negin is a creative director, content creator, lifestyle photographer and mother of two, based in Toronto. With a design degree, she’s spent her career specializing in lifestyle, fashion, food, bridal and children’s brands, helping to create story-telling creative campaigns and marketing initiatives.
Since 2012, Barbara has built her online community sharing her colourful and print-happy style, home, family and more.
Supporting all things Canadian, Barbara became an instant fan of West Coast Kids after registering with them during her first pregnancy in 2017. She’s since been collaborating with them on all things pregnancy and family related, including two nurseries and a toddler room.
