Guys we are officially Nebraska residents and things are starting to feel a little more normal. There’s food in the refrigerator and most of our boxes are unpacked. As we continue to settle in, I keep thinking about our flight to Nebraska (from FL) and how fun/stressful it was flying with three kids and a dog. So far Emory and I have flown back and forth from FL to NE a few times and having that experience really helped me tackle on our big day.
With Christmas right around the corner, I wanted to share three tips on traveling with kids with the hopes that your holiday travel is as smooth as possible and wanted to share a fun video of our official travel day.
Three tips on holiday travel with kids
1. Check it all but the stroller– You’ll see in our youtube video that we checked all of our bags, carseats and smaller bags. We did not check in our stroller, Ergo baby and my mama bag. We brought our stroller in all the way in to the gate and checked it right before boarding the plane and they’ll have it ready for you when you get off the plane. This was a tip I got from my friend Marie and it was super helpful considering we had a layover and had to run to our next gate. Haddon is at the age where all he wants to do is run away from us, so having him buckled in was a huge help. The other seat on the stroller went to our sweet furry pal. Delta does not allow dogs to go under the plane with the cargo so we brought him with us. Having that extra seat available for him or for Grace, helped us feel in control of the kids at all times. Also, I have to mention that the stroller has to go through the metal detector so try to mentally prepare for having the kids (and dog) off the stroller for a good 10 minutes.
2. Mama bag for the win- Ok so you only have a limited amount of space to pack a mama bag for three kids so you have to be super efficient. I packed the following in my bag and it got me through a 10 hour day of travel!
- Snacks- cookies, ritz crackers, a water bottle, gum for grace and lollypop for when the plane takes off. Emory is still breast feeding so I didn’t have to pack anything for her.
- Baby blankets- One of the things that calms Haddon down is his blanky (a pink one that used to belong to Grace) and his pacifier. I made sure to have these handy since he’s the wild card child right now. Whenever he would get anxy, I’d offer him his blanket and he calmed down. I also brought a light blanket for Emory and a heavier one just incase I needed to lay Emory down.
- Diapers- I accounted for two diapers per hour for Emory and 1 per hour for Haddon. I didn’t use them all but I had them handy if I needed them. Also, a pack of wipes and diaper cream.
- Extra layers- I packed a small zipper bag with long sleeve shirts for each kid, extra leggings, socks and underwear. The temperature changed drastically when we flew from FL to MI and we had to add layers to the kids.
- Toys- This is where you have to be clever. I packed thin note pads for Grace and Haddon including colorful pens and stickers. I packed nail polish for Grace, play dough for each of them and downloaded Finding Dory for when I ran out of things to do.
- Extras- I filled another zipper bag with infant benadryl, infant tylenol, grown up tylenol and bandaids. I also brought my makeup essentials and a sweater for me. We packed all of our winter jackets in one of our bags, tagged it and made it easy for us to find. Once we got to Nebraska we all donned on our jackets and were ready to go.
3. Stay calm– Flying with kids is not easy. One of them is bound to throw up, poop, have a fit or just get tired of sitting for a long time. Also, don’t feel bad if they do. I found myself feeling like people around me were upset or judging me for having a baby on a plane. The truth is that the worse that can happen to them is that they had a bad flight with a crying baby and once they land it’s all over. You on the other hand, are the one holding the baby, probably have to pee but can’t because of the baby, you’re tending to their every need, are probably sleep deprived and are stuck in a middle seat! So, take it easy on yourself and don’t let the glances shake you. If you’re traveling alone, find the sweetest looking stewardess (or the oldest) and ask them for help. If not, take turns with your hubby and split up the kids when possible.
Here’s to holiday travel, being close to family and wishing for a white christmas!
