Before I had my first baby, my husband and I promised each other that we wouldn't let having kids stop us from traveling. But the reality is that traveling with kids is a lot. Like everything in life, however, practice makes perfect. Plus, there are plenty of tricks that make it easier, more enjoyable, and less stressful.
So I asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell me their best advice for traveling with kids. Here's what they said, along with some suggestions from the parents of Reddit.
1. "Limit screentime before traveling (or at least put it off as long as you can). While a tablet may immediately placate your child, you'll pay for it in the end. Your child may be calm at the beginning of your journey, but they're bound to become energetic/curious/frustrated later on. Save the screentime for when you really need it."
2. "Invest in a SlumberPod if you can afford it. It is relatively lightweight, blocks out all light in the hotel room, and has pockets so you can put the baby monitor in if you're staying at a house and don't have a great place to mount it."
3. "Gate-checking a stroller and car seat is free! Always do this. If you have a travel system (like a stroller that the car seat clicks into), definitely bring it. It's useful for transporting all kinds of gear. Head to the desk at your gate and get gate-check tags as soon as you can."
4. "While your kids are still infants or toddlers, go places that you’ve been to before. You won’t feel obligated to see every single sight and attraction you haven’t seen before. You can take it a little slower and hit just the highlights."
5. "When my daughter was a toddler, I packed balloons in my purse when traveling by plane. I would find an empty area near our gate, blow up the balloon, and let my daughter run around and play with it. Sometimes other children would join in on the fun. We would leave the balloon behind once we boarded. This was an easy way for her to get some energy out before a long flight. Plus, balloons take up zero space in my personal item."
6. "This is the only piece of advice I give to parents (because I'm sure they get enough), and it is GOLD. Teach your kids the game Red Light, Green Light. Have your small child walk in front of you and make a game of saying 'Red light!' and they stop, and then 'Green light!' and they start walking or running again. I know it sounds simple, but this saved me countless times when my kids were toddlers and would run off in a public place. Screaming 'Red light' and letting them think it was a game made them stop in their tracks long enough to give me half a chance of grabbing them. It's a good trick!"
7. "I use dog wee-wee pads as a liner to change my baby on public changing tables. I find that the reusable diaper-changing pad gets gross and full of germs. I prefer to use the disposable ones, so I pack a bunch and throw them away after use."
8. "Puffy stickers from the dollar store are great entertainment. They're especially great for toddlers and preschoolers because they can peel the stickers off the sheets on their own without your help."
9. "Always bring all of your baby’s very important belongings in a carry-on. These items are so expensive and hard to replace if they're lost or delayed. If something happens to derail your plans, it’s so much less stressful to know you don’t have to worry about your baby’s comfort."
10. "Don’t apologize for your kid! You’ve heard of people who board the plane with their kids and pass out care packages, apologizing for their kids in advance and thinking this is 'cute.' But it’s not cute. Don’t feel bad that your kid might disturb other people. We’ve all been disturbed by plenty of grown-ups. Your kid is allowed to be in the world and take up space, cry, and be a kid. If other people don’t like it, too bad! Don’t let anyone’s negative looks or comments get to you. They are dealing with their own shit, which has nothing to do with your baby being a baby. For the most part, people will be kind and helpful. Just remember you are doing the best you can, and that is good enough."
11. "If you are flying, buy a seat for the baby and bring your car seat and strap them in before taking off. Leave them in the car seat just as you would if you were driving. If you have to take them out, put them back in as soon as you can. If they think they are just going for a drive, they most likely will not be screaming half the time, and everyone will be much happier around you."
12. "Pack a first-aid bag with a thermometer, infant Tylenol, snot sucker, washcloths, all the goods. You always need these things when you least expect it, usually in the middle of the night when everywhere is closed and you’re up shit's creek."
13. "Pay the extra money to have internet on the iPad if your kid is used to watching TV or YouTube videos. This is not the time to limit screentime. Having lots of activities for a flight sounds great until you drop the crayons on the floor and can’t reach them from the tiny airplane seats."
14. "When I was a kid, my family took a lot of road trips. We would always drive late at night. My parents used to put us kids to bed and then transfer us to the car. I thought this was odd until I was an adult and realized it was strategic. We kids would fall back to sleep in the car and wake up at our usual time. Our awake time (read: bored and whiny time) would be cut in half. Plus, there would be less traffic."
15. "Feed babies and toddlers during takeoff and landing to help them clear their ears."
16. "Pack a Mary Poppins bag filled with treats and toys that are perhaps not allowed at home. For example, on our upcoming road trip, I’ll pack a lap desk, little jars of slime, play putty, glitter pipe cleaners, fidget toys, squishy animals, candy, chips, etc. It will be a magical, wondrous trove of treasures that is usually forbidden to my children."
17. "We definitely were not people with a budget to travel with a babysitter (which some people chose to do), but we often hired a local sitter for an evening or two when the kids were toddlers so we could have a night off. We got recommendations from our home rental hosts and local friends, and we have used services provided by hotels. A sitter for the evening was well worth the money."
18. "Pack a thermometer, pain meds, and a change of clothes for everyone in your carry-on. Our 7-month-old spiked a fever and vomited all over my husband on an overseas flight. We had changes of clothes for her, but not for us."
—Mysa
19. "Pack a minimum of two days' worth of diapers/pull-ups in your carry-on if your child is still using them. Buying diapers at the airport when a flight is delayed is RIDICULOUSLY expensive."
20. "Consider buying a bassinet that turns into a travel crib. We love ours from Guava so much. It's expensive but soooo worth it, especially given the multipurpose use."
21. "We prepare an individual backpack for each of our kids every time we fly. They include stickers, favorite snacks, a couple of drinks, a small new toy, and a book. Lots of novelty keeps the kids entertained."
22. "Try to stick to your baby's sleeping and eating schedule as closely as possible. Obviously, when you’re traveling, you can't follow it perfectly, but a child's mood snowballs fast if you let the schedule slip. Plus, it’ll be tough to get back into it when you get home."
23. "When flying with kids, if possible, have Dad take the kids and Mom do the luggage. Dads get more sympathy with kids. It's sad but true."
24. "Wear your baby. Carriers are light, flexible, and totally hands-free in the airport. The cabin staff may tell you to take your lap child out of the carrier and hold her for takeoff. But for the rest of the flight, wearing her keeps her sleepy and comforted."
Do you have a trick that makes traveling with kids a little less stressful and a bit more enjoyable? Tell us in the comments or drop it into this anonymous Google form.
Note: Some entries have been edited for length and/or clarity.