Traveling With Children
Advice by age
I am done traveling transtlantically with children on a regular basis. For 5 years we flew to Texas from London and back 2–3 times a year. We started when our two children were 2 years old and 9 months old. We finished when our four children were 9 years old, 6years old, and 3 years old. I learned much about traveling with young children.
(And this How to Travel with a Toddler (if you must) by Sarah Carter reminded me to update this age scale. It was the “if you must” that caught my attention, because it is so very right.)
Whether taking a short trip to the country or boarding a transatlantic flight — or even a day trip to a museum — getting out with children sometimes is more trouble than it is worth. Our last nursery Sports Day in London, I was kicking myself for even attempting to go. I had to take the 3 year old twins to the far side of Battersea Park near the Battersea Thomas’s campus for a sports day that had a few too many events for the younger children. One melted down during the event. We couldn’t get a cab. We — my mom was with me, thank goodness — ended up walking most of the way back, with screaming toddlers. Fun.
My best advice, don’t travel, or plan grand day adventures, with children under 5 unless you must.
But musts happen. So for those not lucky enough to be able to stay put or leave children at home until your youngest reaches 5, I have a bit more detail to help you make travel plans.
0–6 months
Depending on the baby, this is easy. I don’t recommend it too much though due to contagious bugs and the need to set routines, but relative to other ages, traveling at this stage is easy. You have to take a few extra things along and, depending on the trip, need to give yourself more time to get there. You also need to adjust your expectations of your visiting schedule. But as far as traveling with a baby goes, this is the easiest time until they are 5.
6 months-walking
This stage gets more difficult for an assortment of reasons. Nap and feeding schedules are or should be established. Travel will mess them up. The baby doesn’t sleep as much. The baby is louder. The baby can be crankier.
If the baby is crawling or cruising around furniture, then you have to worry about babyproofing at your destination. The baby is eating baby food, meaning you have to take along more than boobies or formula. If you feed the baby what you eat, that extra is only a stick blender and pre-prepped mush for the plane. Alas, delivery problems will remain. Spoon feeding is much messier than bottle feeding and even messier on a plane. You need extra clothes for the baby and yourself. This is also one of the few times I used bibs. You need the heavy duty, long sleeved, big pocket ones to make any difference. That is, no matter how the Three Martini Playdate lady might hope, a plane trip with this age babe might require a steamer trunk for a carry on. (The rest of the time, she is spot on. Steamer trunk nappy bags are overkill.)
Walking-3 years old
This is the absolute hardest time to travel with a child. Don’t do it unless you absolutely must. Security alone is a hurdle. A stroller — which you must crash for the X-ray — or a loose 2 year old? Tough call. Easy shoes that the child won’t remove on his own in other parts of the airport but which you might have to remove during security? You get the idea.
Temper-tantums are par for the course for this age and only increase as a child gets tired and off routine. Thrashing and screaming on the plane will frustrate you — and other passengers. Silver lining: by the time you must endure screaming in the hotel room at 2 am, you may be too jaded or exausted to be mortified.
Jet lag will rock your world. I recommend ripping the band-aid off and just switching to the new time. It’s three horrible nights and then another 2.5 weeks before routines, sleep and meal times, stabalize. (Yep. Three weeks, so if you are an expat coming home for a end of year visit of about 2.5 weeks — maximum schedule carnage. Throw in some potty training for an extra futile challange.)
You must babyproof everywhere you go. If you happen to be visiting family that thinks they shouldn’t have to baby proof a their home at all, well then, add family strife into the stew of fun.
I could go on far too long with tales of travel fails for this age group. Do not be lulled by the promise of a relaxing vacation destination. Nothing about traveling with children this age is relaxing. Nothing. It can be done, but you will need a vacation when you get home.
3–5 year olds
Sometime around 3, the downhill slope for travel difficulty starts. Now, your child can be distracted on a plane.
Jet lag, sleep problems get progressively easier too. If nothing else, you can explain jet lag a bit, but mostly children start having more of an adult sleeping pattern and are easier to get back to sleep when they wake in the middle of the night. Note well, I’m not claiming jet lag at this age is easy, but merely easier than for a 2.5 year old.
My best advice is to limit TV time except when traveling. Have an iPad loaded with games, movies, TV, some new and some standby favorites. (Kids in this age range like to watch or listen to something over and over again.) Have a charger or extra battery pack and make airplane time unlimited electronic fun.
I also let mine eat whatever. Just like the plane ride is an oasis from constant communication for adults, make plane time a vacation from the rules for kids. The older they get, the better this works.
Then sometime around 5, it all gets easier. I promise.
