Tips for Traveling with Children Ages 0-5
I feel strongly that instilling a love of reading is critical to raising children. However, I feel as strongly about traveling the world with children. Embracing cultures, diversity, and empathy for others are just the beginning of the benefits of children who travel. Here are a few tips for traveling with children 0-5.
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.- St. Augustine
I believe why travel is never wasted on young kids. Whether it’s the food or the heat, or just your daily schedule getting in the way, I want to virtually put my arm around you and whisper “but it’s so worth it” in your ear.
Give yourself permission to take those dream trips across town to a good friend’s house you rarely see or to sled down a volcano in Italy.
Tips for Traveling With Children
Collapsible Bucket
This is number one on my list. For kids 0-5, the chance of getting something dirty is very high while out exploring on your vacation. You do not have immediate access to laundry, so this handy soaking bucket for the big or small messes of the day is PERFECT.
At the risk of being too graphic, my daughter got the stomach flu on a 6 hour car ride and if only I had heard of this item sooner, that ride would have been a lot less expensive as we had to throw several clothing items away.:)
Umbrella Stroller
Every once in a while I see super mama lugging a stroller that looks heavier than all of my luggage combined. I feel immediately empathetic, but this is why I have to recommend this Maclaren stroller. It is only 9 lbs; super lightweight, but completely durable for any vacation.
It was worth it’s weight in gold when I took a trip with my 6 month old to Israel and had to climb up and down the hills of Jerusalem. I felt like a superhero! Leave the bulky mega stroller with its own pop up restaurant storage compartments at home!:)
iGuy iPad Case
This little gem of a gadget I discovered while waiting in a 3 hour line at customs. I am a huge advocate for waiting until a child is 2 years old before any screen time, however, there are situations where you may bend the rules. When my daughter was 2 1/2 years old, we were traveling home for the summer and after 20 hours of traveling, standing in a 3 hour line at customs seemed like the nail in the coffin.
She didn’t want to sit in the stroller after the long flight and I didn’t blame her as we all needed to stretch our legs. A little boy in front of us had the iGuy and was easily able to walk and still hold onto the iPad without dropping it. I think it’s a genius contraption, plus its adorable.
3 in 1 Travel Bassinet | Diaper Bag | Portable Change Station
There are many times where convenience meets packing light in a beautiful symbiotic relationship. This amazing 3 in 1 Travel Bassinet is a treasure for those traveling with babies. This is especially great for airplane travel; its collapsible bassinet is worth it’s weight in gold since those coveted bulkhead seats with the bassinet are so hard to get.
Long layovers are a breeze without having to run to the bathroom dragging 3 kids and 6 carryons behind you.
Skip Hop Swipe Baby Wipes Case
I learned quickly that parents figuratively lose an arm when they have a child. I have walked through many an airport and up a hotel staircase while simultaneously carrying a child, a stroller, a car seat, a toy, a coat, an electronic device, a purse, a diaper bag, a ticket, a credit card, an itinerary, a sweater, a pair of shoes, a balloon, etc. These wipes attach to anything and open with the press of a button.
You will need to refill often, but when your hands are this full and a child sneezes, you will send up a silent (or loud) thankful prayer.
Travel High Chair
Travel Bib with Utensils
Admit it, we all cry a little on the inside when we have to empty the contents of a bag or purse because we forgot that juice box at the bottom of the bag.
I also have the same feeling when I am trying to find a spoon to feed my child and end up dumping out everything just to find it in my pocket. This amazing zippered pouch has everything you need all packed neatly together for extreme convenience.
First Aid Kit
I know it is a very delicate balance with bringing what you need as far as medicine and first aid supplies. Really this is so dependent on your destination. If there is a drugstore on every corner, you will be able to pack more lightly. Traveling in remote places means you are going to have to bring the medicine cabinet in your backpack.
For the essentials only, this first aid kit is perfect. Its compact and has a carabiner to clip anywhere. There are clear pockets so you can find things easily and clearly marked expiration dates.
I suggest putting emergency contact information for where you are traveling inside this kit to have all the phone numbers/addresses you need in an emergency. (Embassy emergency contacts, nearest hospital info., list of allergies, etc.)
Toy Go-Bag
Just like with rotating books every so often, my advice is to have a separate stash of toys, books, games specifically for traveling. I know I hate running around the house pulling items together for each trip when I have a million things on my list. You can switch some of the items out depending on your destination, but having this ready to go will help in the planning and allow you to relax a bit more knowing that you have less work to do before your trip.
If you really want to go the extra mile, purchase a few new items and allow your child to unwrap them on the trip. Nothing fancy, it can be wrapped in the paper bags from the grocery store, but it adds a little magic to the trip.
My recommendation for the best baby toy out there is the Manhattan Toy’s Skwish toy. It’s a modern rattle with a mesmerizing twist! Kids will love it! For pre-school age children, no roll Crayola crayons paired with a coloring book with their favorite characters is pure gold. For older children, the Amazon Free Time is a wonderful investment.
It’s a kindle/ iPad hybrid designed specifically for children. Parental controls allow you to designate reading before games/videos as well as have it lock after a certain amount of minutes. No more sleeping with one eye open making sure the kids haven’t been on the iPad all night during a red-eye!
Bathing Suits
Now all that is left is planning the trip!:) My best advice for parents is to have one parent in charge. Do yourselves a favor for your relationship, please do not share the burden of any one duty while traveling.
For example, one person packs and knows where everything is. One person plans and books hotels. The worst thing is to have you and your partner on vacation playing the “do you have it? No I thought you had it!!” game!
Relax with that book you have been dying to read on your Goodreads list knowing everything is organized!
Ps. Read on if you want to know why books are the best travel souvenir.
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Tips for Reading with Kids
Join the Biracial Bookworms tribe and you will get our FREE printable Top 10 Tips for Reading with Babies, Toddlers, and Pre-Schoolers. You will learn the best strategies for parents and teachers to read to young kids. It's up to you to make reading fun and memorable and the love for books life long, but we're here to equip you to do it.
05/19/2017 @ 6:12 pm
These are wonderful tips. Journey with children can now be much easier.
05/19/2017 @ 5:05 pm
We have traveled with our daughter since she was 3 months old. Yes certain things do make your life so much easier. This is a great list.
Vrithi Pushkar
http://www.epicurioupassport.com
05/19/2017 @ 7:39 pm
Wonderful to hear! Happy traveling!
05/17/2017 @ 9:52 pm
Some good ideas on here. I hate it when friends say they can’t go anywhere because the kids are too small.
05/17/2017 @ 10:11 pm
It’s a pet peeve of mine and I have kids. It’s tougher for sure, but doable with effort!
05/17/2017 @ 9:41 pm
Great tips on what to bring to make traveling with your LO easier. I definitely took notes since we’re taking our first plane ride with our baby this summer.
xo, Laura
05/17/2017 @ 9:42 pm
Awesome!! Happy traveling!!! Where are you off to on your adventure?
04/26/2017 @ 9:16 pm
This gives great and useful products for traveling with younger children. We often struggle with planning trips because my niece is only 15 months. Now I feel a little better about planning trips including her.
04/26/2017 @ 9:18 pm
So glad we can include the little ones in our adventures! Thanks for commenting! Cheers!
04/26/2017 @ 5:44 pm
Fantastic tips for traveling with kids! We love to travel yet haven’t had any kids of our own, partially with the fear that it is impossible to travel with little ones. I am glad to hear there are great products out there for the aspiring travel moms 🙂
04/26/2017 @ 8:35 pm
A lot of people told me “you won’t travel as much when you have kids”. My 6 year old has been to 26 countries. We pass on our passions to our kids! Thanks for commenting!
03/02/2017 @ 7:26 am
These are great. WE plan on doing more traveling soon and will be bringing out 2 kids along with us.
03/01/2017 @ 6:55 am
Those gadgets like Ipod case and the travel high chair as well as potty are great! I´ve never heard of any of them actually, but seem to be quite handy when traveling with kids.
I´ve recently also written a blog post about traveling with kids. I´d like to invite you to visit my blog too. http://adinajustina.blogspot.ch/2016/12/5-tips-for-long-car-rides-with-kids-5.html
03/01/2017 @ 7:07 am
Thank you for your comment fellow lover of travel!!:) I will check out your blog as well!