Tips for traveling with kids

My husband works for Southwest Airlines (woot woot) which means we are very fortunate to travel basically anywhere we want for FREE. I can't complain, it sure is nice. He's a keeper. There is one thing I can complain about- traveling with kids. There is really nothing too fun or exciting about it. I have become very brave at times and completed my fair share of traveling with my little nuggets, here are a few things I have learned to make things a bit easier on mom, dad and munchkin. 

1) The number ONE life saver when traveling with a child age 3+ is an Ipad. Download some fun apps, pay for Netflix and your golden for a a few solid hours. I really don't condone my son playing on his Ipad for long lengths of time . .HOWEVER if we are in any sort of aircraft, and he is playing quietly on his Ipad- go to town son. Go to town.

2) Dumdum lollipops- call me crazy that I am saying give your child candy on a plane. These suckers work at keeping a kid quiet (no pun intended). Xavier could suck on a dumdum lollipop all day long- these are also great for bribing: "Close your eyes on the airplane for 1 hour and you can have a lollipop." . .this works every time and normally the kid is so tired from all the excitement of flying that they pass out for 2-3 hours. Win!

3) Coloring books- Once your kid is on a nice sugar high from the lollipops and is sick of the games on his/her Ipad, take out some good ole fashion coloring books. These entertain my kids for hours!! Teach them how to draw inside the lines and they will be concentrated on those lines for awhile!

4) For our little infant nuggets travelers: Squeezable food: Anything an infant can squeeze in their mouth they will love. These are also very easy to carry along with you as they don't take up much space. Charlotte can stay busy with a tube of gogurt all afternoon.

5) Also for your infant: Put a little "Baby Einstein" on YouTube on your Ipad and let her be mesmerized. Seriously, Baby Einstein is genius (no pun intended, I'm on a roll with these puns) I don't know what it is about cheesy, creepy puppets, classical music, and big pictures of elephants and guitars . .but it works and I will take it.

6) If you can take a red eye flight that travels to your destination throughout the night DO IT! Your babies will sleep the whole way, you may get an ounce of sleep and everyone will be happy- this is for sure a WIN.

7) Snacks, snacks, snacks, snacks, snacks, snacks: I can not say enough times to bring enough snacks. Mix it up, bring fruit, goldfish, cheeze its, and cheerios. It's nice to have a wide array of snacks to offer when your kids are in the middle of a massive meltdown and the entire airplane cabin is staring at you. Trust me, this does happen.

8) Be the first ones on the plane and the last ones off. Sit as close to the back as you can without having to smell too much of the airplane bathroom. Other passengers get very annoyed when they are waiting behind you, your bags, and crazy kids to board or get off the plane. Be respectful and know that you and your family are going to take more time to get settled then most.

What are some travel tips you have for traveling with the wee ones? I'd love to hear them!