Travelling with Kids!

We just got back from an incredible trip to Aruba. My parents go there for a couple months and we are able to join them for a couple weeks which is just amazing! We missed some of the brutally cold weather (sorry Winnipeggers!). Not going to lie it was a lot easier not bundling up the kids in snowsuits!

Travelling with 3 kids does have it's challenges, like not enough hands for each child, a few meltdowns, missed naps or delays, but they were SUPER travellers and we would do it again in a heartbeat! I'm sharing a few tips and things that helped us travel with the kiddos and answering a few questions!

I thought we could fit everything in 2 suitcases, but that was a tough feat so we packed a third smaller one which was perfect! I tend to overpack, which I'll share more about below of what NOT to bring.

Carry-On:

Brynn (3) and Riley (5) are old enough to carry their own backpacks so we packed some activities, snacks, extra set of clothes and pj's in there for them to change into since we were flying in the evening. The iPad's were obviously a hit and they looked so cute while they had their headphones on. They had some colouring books, stickers, activity books, mini lego sets (most of these were found at the dollar store), and their stuffed animal/blanket.

Baby Items:

The baby carrier was so handy on the plane! Once we were able to get up from our seats I put Hallie in the baby carrier and walked the aisle until she fell asleep.

We gate-checked the stroller and Hallie's carseat so that once we got off the plane we would be able to use them right away and the girls could sit in there as we walked across the airport.

Other baby items that were helpful:

-little toys

-soother

-extra diapers, wipes, cream

-food pouches

-bottles (they let you take these in with liquid so I brought 2 onto the longer flight)

-extra sleeper/outfit (Hallie did have a blowout on one of the flights so if you're baby tends to do this more often than not, pack a few extra clothes with!)

-with the heat, Hallie ended up having a pretty bad diaper rash and we bought extra cream there (sudocreme) and that helped a lot

We didn't take a playpen with as the hotel we stayed at in Toronto had a crib, and there was a playpen already in Aruba. Check with the place you are staying at because most often they already have a crib/playpen there. We took along all of Hallie's normal sleep items such as her noise machine, sleepsack, blankie and bunny. This made sleeping in a new place a lot easier.

Time Change/Keeping a Schedule:

Time change, even if it's just a couple hours, can totally affect us. We found keeping the older kids awake as long as possible when travelling ensured they would be ready to crash at bedtime. Hallie was SO tired so she needed a nap, and that's where the baby carrier came is so handy! It was only a 2 hour time change, but it took a couple days before they adjusted. Hallie was waking up at 5:30 because she went to bed at 6 the first couple nights. We pushed her bedtime a half hour each day and then she started sleeping later. (thankfully!)

We kept a schedule similar to at home where the kids would have naptime in the afternoon. Riley doesn't really nap anymore, but the heat totally wore him out so he napped most days. Hallie had a short morning nap and a longer afternoon nap. Since the kids napped really well, we would let them stay up a bit later in the evenings, and that allowed us to watch the sunset and have a later supper after the beach.

Essentials to Bring:

-shampoo/conditioner (small sizes are great for travel)

-toothbrushes/travel toothpaste/floss

-kids towels: they love their poncho-type towels with the hood and used them everyday!

-lifejackets/floaties for the kids

-lotion

-we brought our own S'well water bottles which were great to refill and kept our water cold in the heat

-beach bag (I love this one! Fits everything you need and is expandable!)

-swimsuits

-sunscreen/aloe vera (this spray was amazing on sunburns!!)

-a little "emergency" kit in your carry-on with: bandaids, kids medicine, polysporin, and whatever else you may need

-rashguards and hats for the kids

-when our daughter was 2 we let her sit in the airplane seat by herself on the shorter flight to Toronto and it was not fun at all. She didn't sit still, wanted to run and play the entire flight and wouldn't stay buckled in. Then we brought the carseat right onto the plane for the longer flight to Aruba and she sat in it the entire flight which was (if you know her) a miracle! If you have a very active toddler, I would highly suggest bringing the carseat onto the plane for them! The flight attendants are great at helping you get it set up and they actually encouraged us to bring it on the plane.

What NOT to bring:

-we bought diapers and baby wipes there and this saved us a LOT of room in our suitcases!

-tons of outfits: honestly your swimsuits, and 4-5 outfits were plenty!

-I overpacked clothes - the kids lived in their swimsuits and wore pretty much the same 4 outfits on repeat! And if you have washing machine then it makes it easy to do laundry

-more than 4 pairs of shoes! I always bring more than I wear lol. I love to wear runners on the plane, and then bring 2 pairs of sandals and that's really all you need!

I hope this helps with your future travels!

xo,

Lindsay

#travel #travellingwithkids #traveltips