Traveling with kids can be intimidating. We've all been on a plane or in the airport with a child that is screaming or seems to be out of control. We remember before having kids telling each other we not looking forward to this phase of our lives. We are currently in this phase of our lives, and truly enjoy traveling with our kids. These are the items we consider a "must have" on our packing list :
We were incredibly hesitant to get tablets for our kids. Mostly we were worried about the amount of screen-time, but it really is great for traveling. The kids know this is a special treat when we travel, and are easily occupied for hours.
Tips with tablets :
Pre-load games and books when you have reliable WiFi. We traveled to the U.K. from the U.S. West Coast when our son was just shy of two. Our five-year-old was gifted a tablet, so she was occupied. However, our nearly two-year-old was occupied my our usual tricks for only a short period of time. When traveling to Hawaii a few months later, we purchased this tablet for our six hour flight. My husband only downloaded a few games before we left, and the airport WiFi was so slow to try and download more. I wish we would have downloaded at least ten options prior to leaving. Before our trip home, I made sure he had plenty of options and he was occupied the entire flight.
Make sure to get compatible headphones, and charge both your headphones and tablet before your trip!
These are so fun to play with on the tray tables or windows. We also pack these disinfecting wipes for the surfaces we will be touching / playing with.
You can find these at Target, or really any main shopping store. Crayola makes themed coloring sheets, but our five-year-old is really creative and prefers blank pages. We love this particular pack because it has blank pages and you can print a few coloring pages at home by following the instructions.
Toys for Kids Ages 2 - 5
Activities for Kids Ages 5 - 8
If you don't have a backpack already, personalized bags are great for traveling to avoid a mix-up. If you prefer to avoid having your kid's names on display, a regular backpack is great!
Meals and snacks at airports are so expensive, we tend to pack most of our snacks. These two options feel like a game, and the kids have so much fun with them. It also steals their attention from the tables for a little bit!
Traveling with a baby that is on formula? When our kids were infants, we always had formula on us for a pinch. These are perfection for traveling!
Again, traveling and purchasing a plastic water bottle is a sneaky expense. Also, kids can have a difficult time with the various openings of plastic water bottles, if they aren't closed it will leak, you feel like you need to assist and that irritates your independent kiddos...just an added stress that can be avoided.
Tips with water bottles :
Make sure it is leak-proof! It is so frustrating when your water bottle soaks your belongings.
Fill your water bottle at the first fountain you see. Often there are fountains around security at airports, and for trains or car rides make sure your water bottles are full before you leave.
Do you have any items you consider "must-haves" when traveling with kids? Share below!
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