Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Tips for Traveling with Babies and Kids
- Beth Bliss
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
It can be extremely nerve-wracking to travel with a baby. I tend toward being a more anxious person, especially socially anxious at times, and I was terrified to ride on a plane the first time with a baby. Not for myself or my baby but for how it might impact the other passengers or what they might think of me or my baby. Maybe you're not someone who cares what other people think- great for you! But that's not me. So I did what I do best....I researched and researched and over-prepared for my first (and subsequent) flights with babies and kids. And I learned a lot, both from that research and (probably more) from real life experiences. At the end of the day, it's best to have a bunch of tips and tricks up your sleeve to then be able to try and see what works for you and your baby. As it turns out, apparently not every baby is the same!
For plane travel, the biggest thing is to prep for the pressure change and how it impacts ears. We know this as adults- we chew our gum or yawn to clear our ears, but think about how scary or weird it would be for a little baby who has no idea what is happening to their poor little ears! The best thing you can do is have something for them to suck. For babies, that would be either nursing or a bottle or a pacifier. For kids, that would be lollypops and drinks.
Aside from the issue of the ears, another concern would be entertainment. This is less of a concern for babies...bring a couple rattles or small items, but really they'll probably sleep most of the plane ride anyway. For kids, I suggest they each have their own little bookbag with all the things. Really, you can't be too prepared here. I pack a coloring book, crayons or colored pencils, a reading book, their device (iPad or phone), headphones, and a couple small toys. Little pencil pouches or zippered pouches are great for travel to keep small toys together or to keep several pencils/crayons easily accessible. I also pack snacks in their bag because you never want a hangry kid traveling! Headphones are a big thing to remember for us because the little earbud ones that the airplanes will sometimes give you for free are uncomfortable to most kids or fall out a lot, so they like the full over-ears kind.
Finally, the last concern would be not annoying the other passengers! Even if you don't generally care what people think about you, it's probably best practice to try not to be too annoying or disruptive to other people. Don't give all of us traveling families out there a bad name! When you have a baby, you might want to kindly explain to the nearby passengers that it's their first trip and you hope it goes well and they aren't too bothered. People can really be so kind and offer helpful tips or be more open-minded if you're just nice to them too!
That's actually where we got the next tip I'm going to share- if you're trying to get a baby to go to sleep, go to the bathroom. If you don't lock the door (and have the other adult stand guard outside of it), then the lights don't come on inside. Even if you do have to lock the door, this prevents the baby from seeing other passengers and being distracted. If they are crying and fighting the sleep, it is less stressful for you because the sounds are muffled for the others and you're not as worried about bothering others. This is really the best way we got my first born to sleep on most planes, and I strongly recommend trying it. For older kids, it's less of a concern about a crying sleepy baby and more of a concern about making sure they're not talking too loudly (especially with headphones on!) or kicking the seat in front of them. My youngest has little legs that happen to end right at the seat in front of him which makes it prime for unintentionally kicking or bumping every time he moves slightly. Knowing that is important so I can try to sit him behind an empty seat or behind one of us if possible. If not possible, I just try to frequently remind him to be careful or sit criss-cross applesauce.
For car travel, there are naturally differences from plane travel. On the one hand, it may take longer to get somewhere so there's more time needed to entertain. However, you're not worried about disturbing other people which can be a huge stress relief, at least for someone like me! You still need to bring a ton to entertain children but can also use things like road trip games (I Spy, Road Trip Bingo, the I'm going on a trip alphabet game, etc) to make the time pass. The other bonus is you can stop along the way if needed, making the trip last longer perhaps but making fun spontaneous memories at times too. I will say that my children are fairly good travelers in general because we've done it so much, but they probably travel slightly better on planes than in cars. But that's again not true of everyone, and you just need to get to know your family and what works for you.
I added trains in the title here and feel the need to address it as such, but to be honest, I've had limited experience with trains and kids so far. I guess we've been on trains in other countries- going from London to Paris with my stepson when he was a pre-teen for example, but it's not typically how we travel. That being said, I think trains can be a nice combination of the two types described above. I'd love to try a "real" train ride with my kids sometime soon!
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