Ten things to take on travel 

Post by Mom Expert on Team Baby Jack Kelly Blumenthal

Our family is blessed to travel a lot and we absolutely love it! We started when my oldest had just turned two and the youngest was ten months. Normally, a parent would cringe at this and say, my kids would never travel that well! But I have some small tricks that have helped me and I’m more than happy to share! 

1.  The first item of course is the baby jack lovey! If you have more than one def bring a few! I have the kids find certain shapes, play peek a boo, identify colors and it conveniently hooks onto my diaper bag, stroller or car seat so it never gets lost during travel!!! Owner Kelley actually brings loveys with her when SHE travels and spreads kindness to other families hoping it brings their little one comfort too.

2. The second is snacks. ALL the snacks people!!! We really don’t worry about being healthy when we travel! Unfortunately, the not so good for you snacks are the ones that travel the best and the ones my kids like! So it buys me a little more time for them to stay seated or a little less boredom on a long car ride. The tip I have for this is that you’ll want to make sure that you put together a fun snack container or bag for long car rides or, for a plane ride, make sure you call the airline in advance to clarify what you can and can’t take on the plane. I always make sure to get lots of the very small packages of gummy‘s or goldfish as opposed to one big bag. It just makes it so much easier and they stay fresh! But their favorite snacks certainly do the trick and also double as a fun reward system!

3. iPad or tablet. These are essential for number three. And if you don’t have one, make sure to download some fun apps on your phone prior to travel. The biggest issue I have whether I am traveling on plane or by car is that even though they say they have wireless Internet it’s never a good signal! So I make sure to download the apps, movies or shows prior to travel on my home Internet so that I don’t have the need to log on while we are traveling. They are already downloaded and ready for the kids! A lot of parents may suggest staying away from electronics and bringing some sort of smaller game or board game however, for me, it’s very difficult to keep track of these pieces and my kids are not old enough to play anything but card matching games at this point! I remind myself that the electronics are not a permanent solution! Just a temporary solution and also a safety net to make sure my kids are buckled and stay in their seats appropriately!

4. Number four will probably not surprise you but I always recommend this for any age of child! I like to prepare a large zip lock bag of emergency clean items. For large spills, getting dirty or even some type of accident, I make sure I have lots of wipes, change of clothes for each kid, extra socks and some sort of bag to put the dirty items and once they are removed. Even if your child is 10 years old, they can easily spill a drink on their lap during turbulence on the flight! It’s just always good to have emergency items!

5. Number five is chargers! This should basically go with the electronics but, I feel like it needs a category of its own because it’s so important! I always have extra chargers for all of my electronics so that they are easily accessible as I have a tendency to just throw things in my bag! And then I can’t find them. They also make some really neat charging devices now where you don’t even need an outlet to be able to charge your device! These things have been huge Lifesavers for us during travel!

6. Number six is comfort items. The lovey is of course a comfort item but it also serves some other purposes as well. So these comfort items that I’m referring to are all of your kids favorite things to make them feel safe and the most like home that they Can be! That may come in the form of a pacifier, stuffed toy, blanket, sound machine, their own pillow, whatever they like, definitely bring it on your carry-on or easily accessible in your car! This mama has a lovey too :) 

7. Number 7 is a cup! I know right? This has been instrumental for us and traveling! When we stop to get food while we’re on the road or when we are on the plane, the cups they give always spell! Each kid has their own special water bottle or cup that they drink from at home so it’s essential to bring it with you on these trips! Make sure it can hold a large volume of liquid so that you don’t have to keep refilling it. Make sure it’s not leaking and functioning well if it has a straw or nozzle and fill it with their favorite drink! We like the Contigo water bottles but every kid is different! And again, if you are flying, make sure you contact the airline in advance to see what you’re allowed to bring him not to bring. Worst case scenario you can definitely bring the water bottle or cup, you just may have to wait until you’re on the plane to fill the contents.

8. Number 8 is layering. Whether I am traveling by car or by plane and no matter what the season, we are constantly too hot or too cold! So whether it is winter or summer, I dress the kids in layers! It is extremely helpful especially since one kid likes it hot and one kid likes it cold. This way everyone is happy especially on the plane where we have no control of the temperature.

9. Number 9 is a trash bag. If you are traveling in a car, there are all sorts of creative trash receptacle ideas on Pinterest or even just on Google! But the bottom line is to make sure you have a fairly large bag for trash and that your kids tried to tell you when they need to throw something away so that it’s easier to unload when you get to a stopping point! I also like having some sort of trash bag on a plane because they usually only come around about once or twice to collect the trash but we all know that parents build up trash about every two seconds! This way it frees up the table so that they can play or watch their tablet or even rest their head if they need to. Honestly, I love the roll up bags that people use on dog walks to collect dog waste. They barely take up space and can hold up to 100 bags on one roll. Some even have a clip to hook onto your diaper bag, stroller or purse and the best part is they are cheap! 

10. Number 10 is going to sound silly but it’s so important! But as a parent, bring some optimism! If you have anxiety about traveling and you go into it with worry, you will probably subconsciously have anxiety and worry no matter what! Traveling is hard with kids no matter what age! Nobody likes to sit still for longer than five minutes, even adults! Just remember that everyone around you is in the same position as you or has been at some point. And we all can only do the best that we can do at the time! But don’t ever let the fear of traveling cause you to not take a trip. Life is short and these memories are so important!



Blog post by Finn's mom of Kelly Blumenthal.
Follow their journey via Prayers for Finn.