Tips for Traveling with a Toddler

At 3, CJ is already quite the traveler, having been to California several times, Japan twice, Mexico, Vancouver and Alaska. So how do we survive the long flights? Here are some of my top tips, in no particular order:

• Bring nutritious food and snacks he likes, since he may not like the airline food, but will certainly eat the chips and pretzels (and that's no good for long travel).
• Bring a sippy cup and then ask the flight attendant to put his juice or milk into it. This prevents spills and he gets to drink out of his favorite Thomas cup, which makes him drink more anyway. I always dilute his juice with water since I don't like him to drink juice straight up AND I don't want him to get too wired on the plane.
• Encourage him to drink a lot of fluid so he doesn't get too dehydrated from the plane ride, and it will keep him comfortable.
  
• Bring an extra set of clothes.
• Bring two small books, and some small toys. I like to bring a couple of small tubs of play doh, a couple of crayons, and a small train. This way, I have enough variety, but I don't have to lug a toy chest on the plane with me.
• Bring one new toy or activity book. We bought CJ a Thomas mystery coloring book (the kind that works with a magic pen) and it kept him busy for hours.
  
• Even if your child is toilet-trained, bring wipes because wipes are just useful for cleaning up all kinds of messes.
• Even though CJ is pretty much toilet-trained, I put him in pull-ups since a bathroom may not be available when he needs to go, the seat belt sign is on when he wants to go, etc., and I don't want him to have an accident.
• Bring a portable DVD player and pack 3-4 of his favorite movies. In our case, we bring our PSP (Playstation Portable), where we have loaded a few episodes of Thomas and Little Einsteins. Don't worry about your child being bored with the same movie; you will get bored to tears, but toddlers seem to like repetition.
  
• On international flights, ask to be seated in the rows with power. During the flight back from Tokyo, CJ was able to watch movies on my laptop, which I kept plugged in. Of course, we had invested ahead of time in plane-friendly power adaptors.
• Get up and walk around a lot. Go to the bathroom frequently, walk up and down the aisles, and visit people you know in other sections of the plane (if appropriate, obviously). Walking around kills time and keeps your circulation moving.
  
• Dress him in layers that you can easily remove or add on, as the temperature in the plane shifts regularly.
• Bring medicine with you. I brought a big bottle of Tylenol on board and didn't have trouble with the TSA agents (I told them about it and pulled it out of my bag), who saw I was traveling with a toddler. Just in case your child suddenly gets a headachet, fever or sniffles, having the medicine with you will be key.
• Be prepared to tell lots of stories.
• Nap when your child naps.
• I asked the CJ's pediatrician ahead of time if I could give CJ Benadryl to help him sleep. The doctor said that some kids fall asleep with Benadryl, with others get really wired, so he asked me to do a test ahead of time. I never go to do the test, so I didn't bring Benadryl, but it it might be worth trying in the future.
  

My last tip involves taking a bath or shower when you get home, before you hit the bed. Just think about all the germs circulating in the plane's HVAC system and all of those people with coughs, colds and god knows what else. No matter how tired I am, I take a shower and clear my sinuses with nasal saline. Ever since I started doing this, I have not gotten sick from a plane ride (knock on wood). Now I make Maki and CJ do the same.

Good luck!