The holidays are coming up which means busy airports, snowstorms, and chaotic holiday travel. This is especially the case if you have kids! Personally, our family is gearing up for our first trip to Disney with a toddler. While I can’t wait to share the magic of Disney with my daughter, I’d be lying if I said I had zero reservations about traveling with her. From the stress of keeping her entertained on the plane to wondering how she’ll sleep in a hotel room, there’s a lot to consider!
That’s why I couldn’t wait to pick Lauren Wood‘s brain. The mother and co-host of Ridiculousness is an expert at traveling with kids! Although there’s some turbulence, Wood has mastered the art of smooth sailing with her 2-year-old son, Zydn. Keep reading to discover her secrets!
First for Women (FFW): How do you keep your son entertained and calm during long travel days?
Lauren Wood (LW): My son is a social butterfly and he loves being among people. Travel presents an interesting contrast, being among crowds and yet spending time one-on-one with your child. I use that time to rub some love on him and he enjoys my undivided attention.
I like to educate and entertain simultaneously. We learn colors, shapes, and counting by pointing objects around us and describing them. He finds it very funny when I mislabel something the wrong color or shape and is very eager to correct me. We exercise by racing down to the gates, pushing or pulling our luggage, going up and down the escalators. I teach him to be responsible for his own luggage, and to help me out by entrusting him with small objects or his little backpack.
I always emphasize that we are not more important than other people and how important good manners are and the magic words, sorry, please, thank you, and you’re welcome. By now he is well aware of his manners and only occasionally he will stray away when the terrible 2s gets activated when he is tired, but he also knows that is not an excuse for disturbing the peace of others.
FFW: Are there any go-to activities, toys, or apps that help keep him occupied?
LW: A simple piece of paper and pen will do. Learning basic origami, the art of holding figures using paper, helps, but it is not a necessity. You can twist a piece of paper into any shape, draw some eyes on it and voila, you created a new creature. The worse your skills, the funnier for the child! and if you want to be a superstar in your child’s eyes, you can show your skills by folding a flower, a salt shaker, a hat, or even a leaping frog!
Drawing together is another activity we enjoy. The trick is that we take turns. I draw a line, he adds the next, then I figure out if we can make something out of it, like a beach ball, or cat’s face, or even dinosaur teeth. Let your imagination take you places no one has ever been before!
We often like to banter about who is bigger, stronger, faster comparing and contrasting our body parts. Zydn loves when I attempt to get it wrong and finds it very funny when I try to convince him against his common sense or the obvious.
We also talk about what we see out of the window, I run basic geometry, geography and meteorology lessons (to the best of my ability.) I struggle a bit with directions and spatial orientation but that is to his amusement.
You can also teach the opposites and comparison. Which is bigger, smaller? What is up, down? What is round, square? I always try to make our interaction fun or silly and we switch roles, where he is the teacher and I am the student. Finally, you can always do cloud watching! There is a whole sky zoo filled with life. We have even seen unicorns just around the edge of the clouds!
I prefer to stay away from apps and electronic devices for entertainment. He is way too young in my view, and traveling together, being “trapped” provides an awesome opportunity for us to spend some precious one-on-one time, where I am not multitasking and he gets all of me.
FFW: What are your must-haves when packing for a toddler’s first big holiday trip?
LW: Here is my list
- A travel size hand sanitizer and body wipes
- Surface sanitizing wipes
- A good organic diaper rash spray if the flight is longer, that is just an-in-case, live and learn item. Or you can add coconut oil to wet wipes to reduce skin abrasion, since you won’t be able to bathe your baby on the plane
- Pen & paper (Editor’s note: I love this LED pen and pad set!)
- Hand cream for mommy since we are washing our hands more often
- Xylitol chewing gum with cinnamon, mint or peppermint to help “pop” the ears to equalize the pressure while flying at high elevations — cinnamon and xylitol have proven antibacterial benefits, the mint family plants help to open breathing passages
- His favorite travel snack that he can get only on the plane, a.k.a, kept for “special occasions”
FFW: Are there any surprising essentials that make traveling with kids easier?
LW: I love my ride-on travel suitcase for kids, great in case you don’t grow an extra pair of arms. Also, a neck pillow with a rolled-in blanket in it.
FFW: How do you keep yourself grounded and reduce your own stress on busy travel days?
LW: Mindset is everything. I am not a mommy-for-a-day, I am a parent for life. That comes with the demand to be prepared for everything at any time. Nothing surprises me any more. If there is a problem I swiftly move to solution without any emotional reaction. How can we fix it, make it better? Since I became a mom, I have fully embraced the “keep calm and carry on” mindset.
FFW: Any self-care tips you rely on?
LW: As much as I love style and fashion, during travel parenthood trumps presentation. I make sure I wear clothing that can take a toddler’s beating and still look decent. Also my level of comfort and movement are taken into consideration. Sacrifice style for sanity is my Modus Operandi up in the air.
FFW: How do you prepare for unexpected travel mishaps like delays or cancellations, especially around the holidays?
LW: Sudden weather mood changes are anticipated around the holidays. This fact is the reason for my choice of personal travel items.
A neck pillow can become a blanket for your tired toddler. A stuffy nose could be very uncomfortable for the child, and a crying toddler could be annoying to other travelers. I try to be prepared to mitigate some of the problems that might occur. And always have an external battery to recharge my phone.
FFW: What are some of your favorite family-friendly hotels, destinations, and activities?
LW: Obviously Disney parks for kids. When it comes to family vacations we look for destinations where Zydn can be outside and spend a lot of time in nature. I prefer properties near water, like lakes, oceans, green meadows, nearby forest, more nature, less luxury, and more secluded, away from big crowds. Booking.com and AirB&B offer excellent choices for family travel.
FFW: What’s the best piece of advice you can give to parents traveling solo with their child?
LW: Leave your travel anxiety at home! Your child will sense it and escalate it.
Instead pack yourself some reasonable expectations and all of your creativity. Treasure the time as a rare opportunity to interact with your child, and give them that one-on-one time you both rarely get at home. Make friends with other parents at the terminal and try to see if the kids want to play together while you wait to board.
FFW: What are your favorite “just in case” items for holiday travel?
LW: Extra socks, bottle, beanie, and big warm scarfs that can double as a blanket. Prebiotics and probiotics for kids, zinc, ginger chews, small boxes of coloring pencils and a book to write letters to Santa and ask for gifts for others, like grandparents and family. And a download of short stories children books with excellent illustrations to your phone.
What I found surprising is that if you truly embrace travel as quality time spent together with your toddler and you bring your “travel kit,” then we are looking forward to that quality time. WE as parents can create a lot of great memories for our kids!
You will find out you are a lot more creative than you thought you are. Invoke your inner Doctor Seuss and let the fun begin!
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