Checklist for Traveling with Kids

Items in your Carry-on:

♀         Tylenol or Benadryl (Pack any other necessary medicines)

♂         Teething meds

♀         Pacifiers, teethers and teething rings

♂         Birth Certificate for tots under 2 (Passport for most international destinations)

♀         A package of sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer

♂         Plastic grocery bags for soiled clothing or diapers

                        You can also use the airplanes convenient barf bags for soiled diapers

♀         Overnight diapers for the flight to reduce the number of changes

♂         Wipes and extra diapers and diaper cream

♀         An extra set of clothing in case there is an in-flight disaster (for you & baby)

♂         Toys/Stickers to entertain, new if possible

♀         A blanket, lovey or cuddle buddy

♂         Milk, pre-measured in Ziploc bags if your child drinks something other than whole milk or enough pre-measured formula to last the duration of the trip

♀         Variety of Snacks and baby food to last the duration of the trip
                       Be prepared with extra food in case of delays

♂         A sippy cup for water

♀         A bottle or sippy cup for milk

♂         Portable DVD player and an assortment of DVDs
                      Bring the recharging cord in case of delays
                     Headphones for the plane (or they'll have to watch without sound)
          

Items in your Checked-bag and other must haves:

♀         Blue booger nose aspirator and saline nose drops

♂         Ibuprofen

♀         Constipation meds

♂         Teething meds

♀         Thermometer

♂         Baby SPF

♀         Dosing Instructions for OTC (over the counter) infant meds

♂         Adult Prescription Meds *make sure to pack your anxiety meds*

♀         Insurance Cards and important contact phone numbers for pediatrician, etc.

♂         Baby bath items - baby shampoo/conditioner & wash

♀         Baby comb/brush

♂         Baby toothbrush/toothpaste

♀         Travel potty (especially for road trips)

♂         Snacks, snacks and more snacks

♀         Extra bottles/sippy cups

♂         Bibs, baby spoons and forks

♀         Pack N Play (Some hotels offer pack n plays and travel cribs)

♂         Lots of baby blankets

♀         Baby Monitor – handset and receiver

♂         Stroller (can be checked at the gate)

♀         Car seat (can be checked at the gate if attached to the stroller)

You can also rent a car seat if you are getting a rental car

♂         Cell phone charger

♀         Camera and extra batteries

Additional advice from other traveling moms:

Children under 24 months can ride on your lap for free…at the cost of your sanity

Be prepared for a time zone change

Let your kiddo run around before the flight and between connections if possible

Travel aids like MapQuest may “predict” a shorter route but allow for extra time

Don’t be afraid of urgent care

Sunscreen your little ones face if they'll be exposed to a lot of sunlight while in the car

Opt to rent a car seat and pack n play to lessen your baggage

Fly Southwest as they honor 2 free checked bags under 50 lbs. & no seat assignments

Use your stroller as a highchair

Prop your car seat on a chair to double as a highchair

Have something for your kid to suck on while flying/driving in high altitude

Some kids have trouble sleeping in a car seat; invest in a travel neck rest (see below)

Ask if your flight is full at check-in, they may offer you seating next to a vacant seat

Acting a bit helpless may gain you some additional assistance from airline personnel

Buy bottled water prior to boarding

Bring toys out one by one to maximize each use

With quick connections, ask at the gate for the stroller to be checked through to        
         your final destination
Choose flights in the morning if possible, as kiddos tend to be in better humor early in the day
Be prepared to lose something

Travel wearing a scarf or shawl for nursing or additional privacy

Don’t dress your baby in a onesie, 3 less snaps at a diaper change stops you from snapping!

  

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Gullible’s Travels (Part 2)

             Seat selection is a game of musical chairs.  As you begin to board the plane, all eyes will be on you.  A sigh of relief is what you will hear in passing as row upon row of passengers will relax knowing that the “lady with the baby” will not be sharing an armrest with them.  Some airlines offer open seating but there are a few tips you may want to know when choosing that special spot.  Per a Federal Aviation regulation the row of seats directly in front of the exit rows do not recline.  Unfortunately for me, at the time of my travels, there wasn’t a brilliant blogger who was willing to share such valuable tips.  So for one leg of my trip I sat in an upright position for four hours.  The jury is undecided as to whether it’s better to sit in a window or aisle seat as both seem to offer their share of restrictions.  I prefer the window but if you do choose the window, limit your fluid intake as the ins and outs, ups and downs will simply irritate your neighboring travelers.  If you choose the aisle keep an eye on your little one's appendages as the passing drink cart could cost him a limb.  The aisle also exposes you to four other aisle passengers that may choose to reach out and touch your babe.  Most importantly, don’t expect sympathy from other travelers.

             At a point during my flight I realized that poor little Gavin was up to his neck in pee.  I wouldn’t even consider venturing into the lavatory for a second time so instead I turned to the old man sitting to my right and pointed to my lap.  “Do you mind if I change him here?”  He shook his head “No”.  I then proceeded to ask him to rummage inside of my bag under the seat and search for a diaper and a pair of extra pants.  Although he did as I directed he looked at me surprised as if to say, “I didn’t know I was being recruited”.  Hey, I was obviously going to need some assistance, and yes, I probably should have asked him before making demands but mild panic was setting in as I realized what I was up against, changing this pee soaked child on my lap.  As if changing his diaper wasn't difficult enough I now had to successfully complete an entire wardrobe change.  Just in case you were wondering, changing your baby on your lap is okay just try to wait until your neighbors have finished their bag of peanuts.  However, changing your baby on the tray table is never okay.

             As much as you don’t want to rely on the assistance of strangers, it is inevitable when you are traveling that at some point you may just have to have a stranger hold your baby.  It may just be for the second needed to make a fresh bottle or while you ferociously shake the baby carriage closed on the gateway but after the 8 hour and 15 minute return flight home I would have let Charlie Sheen hold my baby.  Hand sanitizer is your bestie when traveling so pack it in every bag, pocket and carry-on.  

             Even with the mass amounts of sanitizer I still managed to contract an angry intestinal virus.  For the final days of my trip I lay in bed, away from home, helpless and without the help of my dear and much needed husband.  I was impressed with little Gavin’s immune system.  He had managed to side step contracting the virus.  That was until we were on our return flight home when he began crapping his pants somewhere over Oklahoma.  This followed by a forty-five minute mid-flight meltdown with mommy on the verge of one herself. 

             I closed my eyes and envisioned what the reunion at security would be like.  Would I look disheveled?  Would I cry at the mere sight of my husband?  Now missing him and appreciating him more than ever, the Boca Fever, as I coined it had taken its’ toll on both Gavin and myself.  I was in need of some relief. 

            Even without any experience in mind control I still attempted to coerce the captain to fly the plane faster, attempting to “will” it home.  Faster and faster my feet tapped the floor of the cabin as if somehow I could manage to create enough friction that would cause the plane to fly faster.  Then it happened…the captain came onto the overhead, “Ladies and Gentleman, I have turned on the fasten seat belt sign as we have started our descent into Portland”.  Tears welled in my eyes.  I was home.  I hurriedly pushed my tot towards security and left to right my eyes searched for my husband.  There he stood smiling at me and then he placed the sweetest kiss on my lips.  Little did we both know that at that moment it would become the kiss of death.  There was no relief in sight as the Boca Fever lived on. 

After both of my trips I have said that I will never travel again, but the love I share for my far away family will always send me sky high.  My only hope is that this post assists another traveling mother by offering her the advice that I obviously wasn't given.  So, the next time you are traveling, even if you are flying solo, be willing to lend a hand to a fellow struggling mother after all it may just be me.

Gullible’s Travels (Part 1)

The following post is intended to poke fun at the process of traveling with your tots by sharing my disastrous personal accounts.  I figured if any of you had actually seen how disheveled I looked mid-flight you too would’ve considered posting some advice on the do's and the don’ts of traveling with tots. 

Florida and I use to have a really great relationship, probably a little too great if you were to ask a few of my college buddies.  The days of sipping colored cocktails and staying out until the wee hours of the morning are long gone.  Now that I am married with a child, revisiting the Sunshine State in my current “state” makes my beach bound vacations lackluster at best.  It may possibly be that traveling from the Northwest to the opposite corner of the U.S. with a toddler in tow is quite possibly in itself a recipe for disaster.  Both of my yearly ventures to Florida were for the sole purpose of bringing my son to meet his long distance relatives.  My husband and I would never have expected that both of these visits would sadly end up being a race against time to have a dear family member meet our little boy before their passing. 

            When I received the call that my grandfather was checking into hospice I knew that selfishness aside the trip was a must.  The first journey Gavin was just shy of 6 months old and afterward I told anyone who would listen that I would never make the trip solo again.  Gavin was 17 months old for our second and most recent expedition and sadly, we were at yet another familiar impasse.  Exactly one week prior to our scheduled trip my husband’s grandmothers’ struggle with cancer ended.  Even under the best of circumstances traveling a far distance with kids is tough.

I’ve been back for almost two weeks now and let me just say, “Mama is still recovering”.  I can now look back at our first trip and laugh but as for our second, I haven’t reached laughing status as of yet. 

            I fully support the TSA’s job of preventing any would-be terrorists from boarding my plane but I do think that requiring a 17 month old to remove his shoes and jacket is a bit much.  The only possibility of him carrying a bomb is in his diaper.  With that being said plan on extra time to navigate your way through security and a possible TSA fondling.  Opening your wallet to expose the bundle of much needed ones may leave other travelers speculating that your day job consists of more than just turning dirty diapers but struggling to disassemble your stroller and car seat, removing your shoes and coat while simultaneously holding your baby is a delicate process that you will definitely need some assistance to complete.  Make sure to pack lots of ones for your tip I mean trip after all you may be fortunate enough to get the TSA security screen with the “happy ending.”

For those of you taking a trip by land, air, or sea with your husband at your side, I envy and hate you.  Your dear husband WILL make your voyage a bit more peaceful, however peaceful a voyage with a screaming, non-sedated kid can be.  Traveling solo tests the patience of even the strongest of parents so if you’re a SAHM that has to make a few solitary trips you are going to need to do a fair amount of planning and by planning I mean plan on having a pocket full of xanax.  Let’s be real, no matter what type of planning you put into your trip there will always be some unforeseen circumstances.  Practice some ballerina skills prior to your trip because being flexible and having the ability to think on your toes will be your techniques during your very own traveling circus. 

There is one important thing that you will need to make sure to pack for your tot and that is Tylenol.  Or, you may be into heavier types of sedation like Benadryl.  The idea of knocking my son into a Benadryl delirium didn’t appeal to me but traveling with a rowdy lap child soon caused me to hit a dangerous threshold.  My sanity and the sanity of the other 150 passengers took precedence.  This fact became evident when the passengers seated in the rows surrounding me were ordering scotch and water, jack and coke and double fisting vodka tonics.  It was time to mix up a cocktail for my little man.  Let it be known (because I found this out the hard way) that not all babies respond to Benadryl.  In some instances Benadryl can actually cause your little one to become more wired.  There I was 30,000 feet from having my feet firmly planted on the ground and my 17 month old was high on Benadryl and using my lap as a trampoline.  The 6 hour and 50 minute flight from Portland to Ft. Lauderdale left me plenty of time to contemplate the purchase of a new home in Florida because I sure as hell wasn’t flying back.  Although I was initially against drugging my child, upon landing I frantically called my pediatrician to determine what other drugs or methods of sedation were available.  After a small chuckle from the other end of the line I found out that unfortunately doctors do not sanction the use of chloroform for traveling and other than Tylenol and Benadryl there really are not any other potions. 

            When I made this trip when Gavin was six months old I followed the precise directions of his doctor.  I settled myself and Gavin in our one seat and thirty minutes prior to take off I administered a dose of Tylenol.  As the wheels left the tarmac I offered him a bottle to help his ears adapt to the pressurization.  Fearful that he may hear the elevated beating of my heart I momentarily considered chewing up a xanax but instead I remained shockingly calm and proceeded with my motherly duties.  He woke an hour into the flight and looked up at me and smiled.  Piece of advice, don’t get cocky.  Keep alert as your little one’s moods can change faster than the moods of a bi-polar girlfriend on her monthly.  If you are not careful your little one will catch you off guard and throw your flight into a tailspin.

            My first mistake came when I had an arrogant surge of energy.  His diaper was wet so I foolishly decided to proceed to the back of the plane to the lavatory.  The special in-flight lavatory with the germ free walls, extra leg room and the plush fold down changing table.  This lavatory does not exist.  What you should know is that some airplanes do indeed have a changing table.  The location depends on the type of aircraft and the airline you are flying.  On most flights it is actually located in the front of the plane but don’t venture into the dirty cubicle without recalling that it is nearly impossible to go to the bathroom in there on your own let alone when you are dangling a wriggling six month old from your lap, preventing him from falling to the germ infested floor by merely a grasp to the ankle.  And let me just tell you, the acoustics in there are unbelievable!  If you’re a risk taker and plan on taking this walk of shame only bring the necessary diaper doody supplies.  Once inside the confined space your little one will begin pawing at the dirty walls and the anxiety of the situation is enough to ensure panic causing you to run back to your seat with his pecker still exposed.  Take my advice, unless your child has severely poo-ed his pants venturing to the planes lavatory changing table is a ludicrous waste of energy.

To Be Continued…