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For the first time in years I was feeling anxious about our upcoming 4-hour trip. My 8-year-old is a seasoned traveller, so he packs his knapsack with all the stuff he wants to occupy himself during the flight. So we know what we’re doing here. My toddler, on the other hand, is a new experience. He’s at the very active stage of 16.5 months. Climbs on everything, throws stuff, wants his own way and does not want to be contained or restrained. Add to that that he usually protests sleep times.
I knew I had my work cut out for me.
I tried getting help online but I knew that many of the suggestions would not work for us. People suggested that we plan trips around sleep time. My toddler doesn't care that it is sleep time. He never goes down without a fight, and the airplane really wouldn’t be the place to flex our muscles to see who would win that one. Then people suggested that we take their favourite things, i.e., blanket. My baby doesn’t really have favourite things. We don’t do blankies, soothers, bears etc. Instead, he loves ipads, TV remotes and cordless telephones that he smashes into the floor!
So I figured I had to conquer this one by myself.
So here are some of the things I did that can hopefully help you as you plan your trip with your toddler:
Set reasonable expectations. I understood that I would have to entertain my toddler for at least 4 hours. I embraced everything that this meant! In other words, don't assume that the baby will sleep and that you will be able to get some sleep or a little relaxation. That is just setting yourself up for stress! If baby does sleep, then it's a bonus. Congratulations, you won the travel lottery!
Web check-in the night before. You can usually check-in within 24 hours of your flight. Take the opportunity to check-in and select your seats. I always try to get the bulk head so we have a little more space for baby to move around.
Pack snacks. My rule is to always pack more than you think you will need, just in case there are unexpected delays. I packed quite a bit of food. Strawberries, bananas, yogurt, fruit bars, sandwiches, fruit snacks. Take the foods you already know that your baby likes. Tip: pack snacks in Ziploc bags so you don’t end up with the food all over your travel bag. (Remember to pack spoons and wipes!)
Entertainment. This is really a key point. You gotta have the tools to keep them occupied. I wanted the items to be new to him and exciting. A trip to the local dollar store was all I needed. I got some really awesome (and inexpensive!) stuff and packed a little backpack I called his “bag of tricks.” I got 2-piece puzzles, a shape sorter, crayons and colouring books, pop-up books, and a bouncy/sensory ball. I took the puzzles out of their packaging and put them in Ziploc bags, which meant that the toys took up much less space.
What I found was that with all my preparation our trip went smoothly. I was able to remain calm, as I had everything under control. I knew I was going to be the primary playmate and we had enough food and novel entertainment.
And in case you were wondering, even though it was way past nap time, those little eyes never did close.