Pepper Design Blog

Tips for Traveling with Toddlers

About a year ago I wrote a post on tips for traveling with babies and I thought I’d take a moment today to share a few thoughts on how that has transitioned into toddlerhood.

Here we are on the go back when traveling solo was as easy as an ergo! Okay… maybe with a few additional caveats . I travel plenty for work (back and forth from San Diego to a corporate office near San Francisco) and Liv gets to come with every time! It’s wonderful having family in that area.

But now Liv is two and our traveling needs have expanded. As have the tricks up my sleeve.

Traveling with toddlers. It’s one of those things that you can plan for, prepare for, agonize over, but you really don’t know how it will all play out until you’re there sitting on the plane, train or well on your way for a family roadtrip. I’ve been pretty fortunate with Liv, for the most part she’s an all-star traveller with few hiccups over the past two years, 50+ flights and I don’t even know how many miles we’ve logged for work, visiting Grandpas and Grandmas (each set at least a day’s drive away), and for vacation.

I think it’s safe to say that much of travelling is all in the mindset of the parent and what approach you take to packing your kids up to hit the road. If you don’t stress about a journey then it won’t be stressful, if you pretend it’s a necessary part of life your kids will feel that sense of calm and respond appropriately. But if you get overly anxious about an upcoming trip (or even, heaven forbid, avoid planning one because of kids) there’s almost a guaranteed level of wreckless nerves that will get in the way. In these situations, prior proper planning prevents… well, you know how it goes.

Here are also some sneaky tricks that I’ve learned to help make traveling easy, peasy!

1. Preparing for your trip. For kids that don’t travel often, the idea of a big airplane, train or long car trip might be daunting. We have the below Olivia book and Liv loves it. We also frequently point out airplanes and trains and talk about what its like to go on a journey.

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2. Time to spare. Give yourself extra time for extra trips to the bathroom or extra long walks to gates, etc. Time is always my best friend. Liv and I have security lines at the airport down pat (take off shoes, pull carseat out of stroller, out comes the laptop from my carryon, snap stroller shut and slide through x-ray, unbuckle Liv, carseat facedown through x-ray…) but sometimes you can’t anticipate the unnecessary gaps and waits and it’s far better to enjoy a Starbucks treat on the other side rather than race (oh we have ran, we have ran. I have played the baby card.).

But it’s not the end of the world to fly with a little one on your lap. I highly recommend an ergo or moby for easiest transport (and again, the whole idea of strapping them down ) and – biggest tip – don’t give up that middle seat next to you until the very last minute. When the plane was too full for them to promise me a seat for the carseat and we had to gate check it, I usually plopped Liv down in the middle seat next to me (choose window + middle if your babe is still in diapers) and let the plane fill up. 9 out of 10 times a passenger would miss their flight and we would keep the middle seat (more room to play). If you give it up too early there is a business man somewhere on that flight with extra room for his briefcase.

Now that we have to purchase a seat for Liv I bring our Combi carseat on board (which fits perfectly in our BOB and is the only compact toddler carseat I know that can travel so darn easily. Plus it’s super light. Light carseat is key!) There are so many great carseats brands out there that are very heavy and very difficult to haul around (let along down an airplane aisle solo) but if you have one of those guys, give something like this a try so that you can still pull toddler around the airport and move carseat easily. I’ve also heard great reviews for this product. Be sure to double check that your carseat will fit on the airplane and is one that is FAA certified. I did much research before purchasing the Combi carseat and I am pretty sure it’s the only toddler sized carseat that fits comfortably into a stroller.

If you travel sans a large stroller like we did when we went abroad (we brought this smaller Maclaren with us instead – great travel stroller!) and choose to bag check your carseat, here’s a solution you might try if your child is still under one.

7. When flying internationally, go bulkhead. Call ahead and reserve that sweet little section at the front of each compartment of the plane. You’ll appreciate the extra floor room when they get ancy and want to spread out.

8. Plan around sleeptime. This is awesome for car rides if you have toddler/baby  that sleeps easily in the car. We try to time our lengthier car trips for right around 2pm (Liv’s nap) or late at night when I know that the sway of the car will put her fast to sleep. When she wakes up, we’ve made significant progress! Sometimes this works like a charm for plane flights and sometimes it backfires (picture the suuuper tired toddler who just can’t fall asleep – Liv’s only a super plane sleeper if she’s in her carseat or attached to me via an ergo, if she’s flying without either chances are she’ll be awake for the duration).

9. Take advantage of take off. In my experience, the only chance of little one falling asleep while flying is during the assent to 10,000 feet. Use the trip down the runway as a chance to softly sing songs, stroke eyebrows or do whatever else it might take to send baby off to dreamland. As soon as those wheels leave the ground the change in cabin pressure will magically cause eyelids to flutter.

10. Toys are overrated. Sure, a favorite toy or a new novelty game can keep a toddler entertained for a bit, but if you were to pack enough toys to entertain for an entire journey (airport, airplane, car, train, you name it), you’d be lugging around a bag the size of your suitcase. I love the idea of giving little wrapped gifts throughout a long plane flight as a way to distract – but the thought of carrying all of those gifts around on vacation for the flight home sounds like a waste of precious suitcase space.

Instead, I like to let Liv pack her small backpack with her choice of a doll, crayons (triangular crayons can help to keep you from retrieving rolled drawing utensils from under your neighbor’s seat), sticker book (Liv LOVES sticker books, keeps toddlers occupied for a long time), a little ball of playdough in a ziplock bag or an eye-spy game (like Where’s Waldo) for slightly older kids. We pack one or two books as last-ditch resources because they can be read over and over with different made up games to play (searching for animals or squares or the color pink). But the rule is that it all must fit in her backpack.

Very favorite game to pack? Sticker books!! Seriously, airplane/car/train gold.

11. Technology. Let’s face it, regardless of how great we are at keeping our kids from soaking in hours of television on a regular basis at home, travel is the one opportunity to cash in on all of that missed opportunity. I have three short videos on my iPad that Liv gets to look forward to when we travel and she can amazingly watch the same one 5 times without getting bored! As a special treat, sometimes I’ll download a new episode and her eyes light up when she finds it inflight. My favorites: Backyardigans and Blues Clues for toddlers. When she’s a little older with a longer attention span we might move on to Disney or Pixar movies, and maybe even iPad apps. We’ve experimented with headphones and my favorites are anything inexpensive, small, and that fits like a headband over the ears (rather than earbuds).

When we traveled over to Europe, Liv had a five minute attention span for videos. This is when learning how to take pictures with the iPad or playing silly interactive apps can help pass time. We once survived an entire flight just by rereading the safety manual (you know, the plastic one in the back of everyone’s seat) while looking at different pictures, colors and that sort of thing.

12. Last but not least, be kind to other travelers. As much as I love traveling with a toddler, it can be tough to sit next one on a long flight. I usually aim to sit in the middle or the back of the plane (that’s where the rest of the families congregate), watch Liv’s feet vigilantly for accidental kicks to the seat in front of us (you’d be surprised at how few parents catch this, Liv and I have a special ‘legs up!’ rule where she has to keep her legs folded up into her carseat for the trip, otherwise she can’t help but throw an excited kick out when she sees something fun), and quiet voices are a must. There’s nothing like traveling next to a four year old who constantly yells ‘clouds!’ or ‘mom, more juice!’. On crowded flights we often look for nice looking grandmas to share our aisle with, too .

We’ve since kicked the binkie habit, but here’s the little traveler sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the ride.

There you have it! A few thoughts on traveling with a toddlers. I love, LOVE to travel with Liv and her joining our family has not stopped or deterred roadtrips, airplane rides, you name it. We are hoping that travel becomes a natural part of her life.

Happy traveling!!!

PS Here’s a link to a similar post on traveling with a baby and one on traveling on a budget. All of our travel adventure posts can be found right here.

Travel Adventures: Finally Home!

Ohhh the feeling of your own bed and pillow and shower and conditioner… it all is so wonderful. 18 hours of traveling later and we are happy to be back in our own casa.

(Yay for bulkhead seats for families on British Airways!)

This is my hallway at the moment…

A spur of the moment picture. I don’t think I spot any dirty underwear… (ps so excited to wash and dry that underwear in a real washing machine and dryer.)

And this is our dining room table. Thank you to such great friends who welcomed us back last night with peaty whiskey to celebrate Kevin’s birthday! thank you to Stephanie for yummy yummy pie, to Cassie for delicious red wine and to Trish for the incredibly thoughtful detail of fresh cut flowers. sigh.

And a huge, heart-felt thank you to everyone who commented, sent a personal email or made contact with me this weekend regarding my brother-in-law’s recent diagnosis. We are headed out to Tempe soon to huddle up with our family and to share the love. Will keep you updated on Michael’s prognosis.

More to update on Spain and Morocco soon…

Travel Adventures in Spain: Barcelona (and the human towers of La Merce!)

We happened upon (part by chance – the days worked out perfectly) Barcelona in the very middle of their huge Festival La Merce, Catalonia’s (of which Barcelona is a part of) annual extravaganza to honor Our Lady of Mercy. Festival La Merce involves parades, building ‘human towers’, concerts until the wee hours and packed streets. It was part wonderful, part totally crazy.

Much of our respite was found in the adorable apartment we rented just outside of Las Ramblas (the main street with shops and restaurants a plenty, it’s also very wide and almost all-pedestrian).

There’s the cute flat (with original beamed ceilings and a wall of all brick) above – at night unfortunately, and our neighborhood on laundry day (first opportunity! a plus of renting an apartment).

Before we jump into Barcelona, check out this madness! This is a highlight of Festival La Merce, and somehow we ended up right below one of the crazy towers.

Video of the ‘Castellers’ – if it’s not loading check back in one moment!

We also witnessed a few Gigantes in their customary parade. These giant figures dance with one another and parade in long lines through the streets.

Outside of the festival, our first tourist visit was to the stunning cathedral, which was partially blocked by one of the huge La Merce stages. And these stages rocked all night long! Many a night we came out from our late dinner to hear great music, and it was still playing long long after we went to bed.

PS The schedule, speaking of late dinners, is one of our favorite parts of Spain . A small first breakfast, a late larger breakfast closer to 11, a big lunch at 2ish followed by a long siesta, and dinner around 10pm at night. As an entire family! We loved having tapas and sangria, followed by a heartier meal, so late at night but surrounded by Spanish families doing the same, babies and all. Liv of course slept in super late in the mornings, but it was okay but us to have a lazier start on vacation.

Extra long straws from the waiter to entertain the little ones (and maybe some adults)? Why not.

 Another must-see in Barcelona is the Sagrada Familia, architect Antoni Gaudi’s magnificent church that he spent much of his life dedicated to (and the last 14 years for in isolation). He passed before just one tower was complete, but construction continues to this day and will until 2026. Unfortunately the holiday meant that the church was closed to the general public, but we circled and circled and took many pictures.

Each side (or facade) is dedicated to a momentous occasion in Christ’s life. The first is the Nativity, the second the Passion (or the crucification) and the last (and yet to be complete) the Glory of Christ (or the Ascension).

Another of Gaudi’s architectural designs includes Casa Mila, or La Pedrera.

Kevin, who’s studying architecture, was all about being behind the camera on this day, so I’m in a few of the pictures for a change!

While we’re at it, another amazing Gaudi moment.

One of the treats of traveling with Liv is our frequent park exploration. We visited Park Guell (also by Gaudi – but the camera battery was dead at this point – bah!) as well as this little guy whose name I don’t remember.

Sometimes it’s the little stops that are so fun.

Speaking of travels with Liv, she LOVES the cousine of Spain! She’s all about the preserved meats, cheeses and veggies that make Spanish food so yummy. It’s definitely a plus (and a whole lot cheaper) when Liv can eat off our plates and we don’t have to order a special meal (or even worse, seek out a special restaurant) for her little appetite.

Check out this face:

Here we are, back to strolling Barcelona. With Liv napping nonetheless. Nothing like a nice long walk to take you to dreamland.

On our last night in Barcelona we enjoyed a delicious dinner of tapas underneath a brightly lit up Church (in all sorts of colors). Liv napping again at our side. But alas, none of those pictures really turned out (darn iPhone and night time photos…). Next up on our Spanish adventure – a road trip down the eastern coast.

PS our entire trip is being chronicled right here.