Whether by plane or by car, all moms can learn a thing or two about being on the road with young children. On her website, Molly Sims shared some suggestions for making travel-time more manageable with the little ones. The supermodel has been traveling with her 2-year-old son Brooks since he was 6-weeks-old so her five tips below are from personal experience.
- Buy your little one a case they can manage.
Your kids should feel like this is their suitcase and their responsibility. Let them pack it with whatever they want (within reason) and let them carry it around while traveling. It’ll give them a sense of control in a new environment.
- Let go of the rules.
Pacis, blankets, snacks – do what it takes to keep your kiddies smiling. I bring snacks for Brooks including Late July organic Minis and Annie’s Homegrown Cheddar Bunnies. It’s so, so, so easy to pack healthy snacks that your kids will love.
- Say yes to the iPad.
Download your child’s favorite shows and games on your iPad before you leave for the airport, and make sure it’s charged up! (Or bring an external charger just in case.) Just make sure you have ears! Brooksie loves his cat ears. If your kid won’t wear headphones, then you must, must, must keep the sound turned OFF!
- Get crafty.
You’d be surprised how entertaining little things like pipe cleaners and stickers can be! Take advantage of the time you have on the plane or in the car to teach your child letters and numbers and shapes with the pipe cleaners or let them get sticker happy. Just be sure to remove all those stickers before you de-plane! Wrap little toys that your kid already owns and bring a new one out every 15 minutes. Even if they’ve seen it a million times before, they’ll think it’s a brand new present and the idea of unwrapping it is just as entertaining as playing with it.
- Stay clean
I always bring Honest wipes with me and clean the seats that Brooks and I are about to sit in for the next few hours. Also, handsanitizer goes a long way! For kids that are still wearing diapers, pack poo-poo pads so that you can change your baby anywhere. Use it once and throw it away.
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