Top Ten Travel Tips for Parents with Toddlers

May 20th, 2010No Comments

Holidays are just around the corner. Are you a parent with a toddler and going on a trip? It can be distressing, right? Not if you know how to prepare and handle it.

Here are some great tips for parents traveling with their kids:

When packing and getting ready to travel, the key to a less stressful trip with your children is to plan ahead as much as possible. Planning involves a lot of lists as nothing beats having it organized and reviewable in a sheet of paper or some electronic organizer.
Have a grocery list. On an airplane, you can only bring so many things and especially with food these days, there are lots of security issues. Put those small products on your grocery list and check it off.
Write all the things that you put in your bag as well as the things that you have packed for your munchkins.
Pack a bag for all of your kids for the airplane ride. Also, you may want to pack a bag for each of your children to carry.
The things that are put inside your little kids’ carry bags should be inexpensive, entertaining, and light for them to carry around. The point is to have things that will keep them busy or entertained while on the trot — e.g. small toys, books, writing materials, and even a small colorful bracelet.
Always put a name and phone number tag on your bag and your children’s bags.
Have a “surprise bag” prepared for your children on the airplane. Do not bring out anything in that bag for the airplane or reveal anything about it to your children until the day of the ride. The things inside that “surprise bag” are the things you have chosen; the things that you know that will keep your children’s interest while on the trip. As the name itself implies, it will be a bag that will be a complete surprise for them once on the plane.
Bring a small plastic bag of small sized snacks for your kids.
Bring an empty sippy cup because what your kids usually get are cups with a lid on straw and this kind of cups can easily tip over and are not so secure. With a sippy cup, you can transfer beverages onto it, thus decreasing your worries of spillage and potential mess.
Dress your children with comfortable clothes. Never make them wear special clothes that you would want grandma to see them in. Anything can happen in an airplane and they are kids for crying out loud.

Last but not the least, have your travels insured especially on family trips. If your family will have several trips in a span of one year, you can acquire annual family travel insurance so you can save more money on insurance alone. Always keep in mind that you can only get the best family holiday insurance if you do an extensive travel insurance comparison so shop around for better deals!