With spring break quickly approaching, traveling is on a lot of people’s minds!  I was recently reflecting on the different ways that I have “survived” airplanes and car rides with my kids over the years and thought I would share some tricks!  The challenges of traveling with a toddler are many and 2 things that have helped me over the years are stickers and lollipops.  For airplane travel, small lollipops take awhile to eat and also help with the “ear challenges” of flying.

Stickers and blank sticker books or pre-made sticker books with pages to put stickers take a lot of time to work through.  I often bring new books that the kids haven’t seen before so they are extra appealing.  The challenging task of small hands picking up stickers can often be slow going, which is terrific for a lengthy flight!  As my kids have gotten older, through preschool and the early years of elementary school, stickers still are appealing.  My 7 yr old still loves playing with sticker books and makes up imaginary games while she works on them.

Of course tons of snacks, and maybe some small dolls, cars, or  other small “friends” that they can play with on the tray on the plane or on their lap in a car.  Lapdesks for long car trips are a great way for your child to have space to play, eat, and color.  I also always try to have some wet wipes with me to clean up spills, messy hands, and to try to sanitize the tray on an airplane.  Having a quick change of clothes is also important for spills or for those unexpected potty training accidents.

Traveling with infants, toddlers, and small children can be exhausting.  I remember staring longingly at the people on a plane relaxing and reading their magazines.  But, with some advanced preparation and a bag full of new things to play with the trip can be easier, maybe not relaxing, but definitely easier!