Travelling Tips for Kids!

Travelling with kids can be a challenge, especially when they seem to get hungry every 15 minutes and have a short attention span. We have travelled since Riley was a baby, and there have been some things that have worked well and are a must to bring with! I thought I'd share them here if you need some activity ideas, snacks and products to bring with for your kids. Right now my kids are 4 and 2. They are each able to carry their own backpack which is really nice, and this way their stuff isn't taking over our carry-on bags. Brynn's backpack is quite small and has a leash (if you know my daughter than you understand the leash right away haha!) Riley has this backpack which he got for Christmas and it is awesome! It's completely wipe-able and has a buckle around his chest which makes it easier for him to carry so it doesn't slip off his arms.

Snacks

You can NEVER have too many snacks!! Seriously kids love to eat and have bottomless stomachs apparently! I made mini gluten free banana chocolate chip muffins to take with. These are easy to eat when travelling and aren't too messy. Fruit pouches are also really handy to have with. I also packed some Lara Bars and Gluten Free granola bars that Riley likes. Little packs of raisins, sunrype fruit gummies and pretzels and popcorn are also great snacks to have and the less messy the better I always think! We also bring their reuseable water bottles with and fill them on the other side of security before we board the plane.

Activities

Melissa & Doug make some great “mess-free” colouring books. Brynn really likes the Colorblast one with the magic marker! We also put a couple movies and games on the iPad for the kids which in all honesty, they loved. It was a huge treat being able to watch a couple movies in a row. We brought a few sticker books as well and those held their attention for a bit. Riley brought a smaller truck and trailer to play with and Brynn had a couple stuffed animals.

Car seat

We brought one carseat with for Brynn and she was in it almost the entire flight (about 5 hours!) to Aruba. We didn’t use it on the shorter flight to Toronto and she was constantly unbuckling herself and wanting to run around which is typical for 2 year old, but the flight attendant wasn’t too pleased and suggested we use a carseat for our next flight. The carseat was such a game changer! She even had a nap in it and since she couldn’t get out she was just comfortable sitting there and used to it. One tip when travelling with a carseat is to let them know at check-in that you are bringing your carseat on the plane to use for your child as they want to check it out before and give you proper tags, make sure it’s Canadian made etc.

Kid Gear

We bring with a playpen and love the Baby Bjorn one because it is so compact, lightweight and when you open it up it sits on the floor so you don't have to worry about weight limit as you do with other brands. Since we were travelling to a warm destination we bring with the kids water wings and/or lifejackets. We also bring our double stroller with because they sit well in it in the airport and since we have connecting flights it's usually a long walk between gates. We also use it a lot walking to the beach and on any excursions.

I hope this helps gives some ideas as to what to pack and makes travelling a bit easier!

have a great rest of your week!

Lindsay

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