Sharing some tips + what I pack when traveling with kids!

I got SO many messages when we said we were traveling to Florida with the crew for the holidays. Before COVID hit – we traveled with Ezra since he was 3 months (more on that here). But since the pandemic – I have been a bit more cautious. Of course some are obviously still not comfortable traveling on a plane and that is totally okay. I personally felt that since Ezra wears a mask well (some how lol) and I am nursing Brody and there are apparently huge benefits for his health with that – why not head on down to Florida for a bit. Except now I am plotting our move to Florida (..not kidding).

I am so incredibly happy we did. It is no joke traveling with kids and it is SO not relaxing, but it was worth it to get out of our usual routine and feel some warmth on our skin.

I clearly don’t know it all when it comes to traveling with kids, but I am more than happy to share any tips and what we packed for the airplane and car rides to help entertain the boys.

A few travel tips + things I packed for the plane:

  • Consider the time of the flight: I personally didn’t want to fly too early in the morning or late at night. We had a 9am flight out (which was then delayed to 11 lol) and 8am flight coming home. I don’t get caught up on nap schedules or any form of schedule when it comes to flying. Because if your flight is delayed it’ll rile you up and tbh I don’t need more stress from traveling. My only request is not to fly after bedtime if we can avoid it. Luckily going to Florida, there are tons of flights so it was easy to do so. If it was a longer flight like 6+ hours – that would be a different story ;-). Brody also didn’t nap a minute going to FL or coming home. Luckily he wasn’t cranky.
  • Reserve the whole row: I highly recommend reserving the whole row so your family can sit together. Of course this will be dependent on how many of you there are but for us we loved having a window, middle and aisle set so we can all sit together. Coming down it was my dad, myself, Ez and Brody. And coming home Jord and I had the kids. If that isn’t an option, I’d recommend aisle seats all around because you need to get in and out and Ez wasn’t as obsessed with the window as I thought he would be.
  • Get your toddler their own seat: After flying with Ezra when he was 11 months, old I said I would never not get him a seat again. Having a 30 lb child on your lap for hours is not comfortable. Brody is around 20 lbs so it was okay for him, but soon he will get his own seat.
  • Divide and conquer: Jord and I make a really really great team (thankfully). He would take one kid and I would take the other. Then when I had them both myself when he returned the car, I just wore Brody and pushed Ezra in the stroller (with snacks lol).
  • Sign up for an airline credit card: We did this 5 days before our trip. That way we had extra leg room seats, could check bags, and had access to the club when we had delays.
  • Amazon prime anything you can: To help minimize bulky stuff, we ship a lot down and thankfully, my mom also went out to get things for their place so we didn’t need to pack it all. But even when we go to hotels and such, I ship as much as I can when it comes to diapers, wipes, soaps, some food, anything!
  • Rent a car WITH car seats: OMG after we traveled with a car seat a few times – I swore I’d never do it again unless 100% necessary. It costs extra to rent a car with car seats but it is so so much easier. The only annoying part is getting to the airport from your house. We had my brother drive our car to drop us off then my brother-in-law is picking us up. We also looked into car service to do so as well and they do exist. Checking the car seats is just tortuous.
  • Invest in a travel stroller: SO many people told me to never pack my stroller and I am happy I listened. It gets so beat up from the airplane and everything. We have a travel stroller we use and also many just buy an umbrella stroller to use too.
  • Pack a baby carrier: If your kid can fit in one – wear it. It helps so much to be hands-free with the baby so you can wheel stuff around or carry one kid and push the other like I did when Jord returned the car.
  • Feed/drink during takeoff and landing: Ezra almost blew through his snacks just taking off (oops) and for Brody I nursed him going up and down. Drinking water helps a lot too.
  • Bring an empty kids water bottle/cup: I thought of this as we were running out the door. Ezra drinks like a fish and also makes a mess with water bottles. I had the empty bottle for him and just filled it up as we went along.
  • Endless endless snacks: But really…back as many as you can fit. I should have packed more because we were so massively delayed. Ez is always hungry and he also gets confused with being bored versus being hungry lol. I love bringing some pouches (code RACHL for 15% off), meat sticks, organic cereal, crackers and I sliced up fruit. I also packed granola, peanut butter sandwiches and snack bars. I love this container to pack!
  • Toddler backpack: I had Ezra wear his backpack with is tablet and toys and whatever he can fit. He felt so cool wearing it and it also helped Jord and I have to carry less stuff on the plane. We also used it for restaurants too.
  • Toddler plane entertainment: This of course is based off your kid’s taste and preferences but we have found success with: tablet, headphones, sticker pads, coloring books, suction toys and books.
  • Change of clothes: You just never know guys!! Especially with a baby.
  • Order masks your kids will love: I got Ezra these disposable dinosaur ones. He loves them and had no problem wear it on the plane.
  • Bring sanitizer: I brought both wipes and spray for our hands. My kids touch EVERYTHING! Even before COVID, I was crazy and cleaned the plane seats before sitting down.

What did I miss?! Comment below! x