10 Amazing Tips for Traveling with Kids

I have a BIG family. I’m not just talking about my five kids. I also mean my four older siblings, my husband’s four younger siblings, plus a whole slew of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. And since my husband and I grew up across the country from each other, our family is spread all over the United States (and one in Europe!).

We’re very blessed to be able to see our extended family as often as we do, but it usually means a lot of driving and flying to get where we’re going. Our kids are well seasoned travelers at this point, but there are a lot of ways we make traveling easier on all of us. This list rounds up some of the tips, tricks, and treats to make road trips and cross country flights just a little bit easier for you (and your kids, of course!).

Potty Seat – If you’ve never pulled over on an abandoned stretch of highway to yank a toddler out of the car because “me have to pee – NOW!”, then have you really lived?? We finally invested in one of these potty chairs from Ikea (best $5 I’ve ever spent!) and it just lives in the back of our van now. I also keep a stash of outgrown diapers in a seat pocket in case the situation is a bit more…erm…solid than expected. I line the potty chair, let the kid do their business and then wrap it up like normal. It’s been a lifesaver!
Coloring books/notepads – Once your child figures out that scribbling on paper is the best game ever, coloring books (or just a plain notepad) is pretty clutch on those long drives and flights. We’ve tried letting them use crayons (they melt in a hot car) and markers (they use their skin as a canvas), but finally realized that colored pencils were best option. Young kids can doodle and older kids can play games (tic-tac-toe, hangman, etc.). Plus, art supplies are generally cheap and easy to find (dollar store anyone??).
Accessible diapers and wipes – Please, let me stress the accessible part. I’ve definitely put the extra diapers and wipes in the van…underneath all the luggage. And I’ve definitely put them in the overhead storage compartment on the airplane….fifteen rows from where we’re sitting. I’ve learned my lesson! Now I keep a small basket of diapers and wipes right in the front of the car (or in a bag under the seat in front of me on the airplane) so I can grab what I need quickly. When it comes to changing a soon to be leaking diaper, time is of the essence.
Extra clothes – Sometimes that diaper change doesn’t happen quickly enough…..or the sippy cup that you swore was tightened down, really wasn’t….or maybe you just want to change everyone’s grubby clothes before you show up at your in-law’s house for Christmas dinner. Whatever the case, it’s always handy to have a small bag with extra clothes for each kid at the ready.
Extra pacifiers – If you love your hearing, bring extra pacifiers. This really pertains to any sort of soother (pacifier, special blanky, or stuffed animal). Just be prepared to keep a very close eye on any irreplaceable items. Once we boarded a plane only to realize our oldest had lost his most favorite stuffed dog in the airport somewhere. I was ready buy a replacement before we even landed, but my husband had the genius idea to call the airport’s lost and found department (duh, right?). They not only had it, but they mailed it to us! Shout out to the Denver airport…the real MVP’s.
Clean up bucket – Full credit on this one goes to my dad (a very seasoned father of five). We once drove 1000 miles to my parent’s house with two toddlers who had the flu. We didn’t make it twenty minutes from our house before our daughter threw up down the front of her. It really set the tempo for the rest of the drive too….bleh. Thankfully, my dad had told me once to put together a small bucket of cleaning supplies to take on road trips. Our bucket usually contains: paper towels, shammy towels or a few old rags, plastic bags (to hold soiled, stinky clothes), and antibacterial wipes. It’s been put to good use on more than one occasion!
Small toys – This one depends on how on the age of your kids and your mode of transportation. For the toddler/preschooler age, we’ve always found that multi-use crafts are great for long trips. Pipe cleaners can be twisted into shapes and letters or just poked into an empty water bottle to practice fine motor skills. Window clings can be used on windows or the fold down tray on an airplane. And then there is always a drawing pad and colored pencils (see #2). I try to avoid toys that are messy (play dough), irreplaceable, or that roll. Not that it isn’t kind of funny to watch a Hot Wheels car go careening down the aisle in a descending airplane…..
Snacks – If we’re being honest, this might be the most important item on this list! Chewing mouths are happy mouths! We always have a hefty supply of easy to transport snacks for both long car rides and plane trips. Some of our favorites are applesauce pouches, fruit snacks, cut up carrots, celery, and peppers, popcorn, and snap pea crisps. Sometimes we’ll also load a small cooler or insulated bag with cheese sticks, grapes, and pre-made sandwiches. We also like to bring juice boxes. In the event we have to run through a drive thru for a hamburger, being able to toss a juice box to the backseat keeps the kids from drinking an unhealthy soda pop with their meal. And don’t forget to bring empty sippy cups that can be refilled with water during pit stops.
Garbage recepticle – This one is pretty self explanatory. All those snack wrappers and doodled on papers have to go some place and without a bag for trash, they’ll probably just end up on the floor of your car. In our van, we like to have a couple of bags (one in the front, one in the back) so there’s no excuse for not throwing garbage away.
Books/Kindles – Our kids are all avid readers (Thank God!) and we always have a few books stashed in the seat back pockets in our car as well as the diaper bag. However, we recently invested in Kindles for our three oldest kids. What a lifesaver those have been. We load them up ahead of time with age appropriate books for long drives and flights. We’re pretty strict abouthow much screen time our kids get (especially app and show time), so the Kindles are only used in desperate times. But they have certainly saved us from a full scale kid meltdown more than once!

So there you have it! Just a few tricks to hopefully make your next family adventure run just a little smoother. What other tips do you have for those long drives and flights?