Traveling with a Toddler: Tips for Stress-Free Trips
As a first time mom, the thought of traveling with my daughter was initially super intimidating. What do I need to pack? What will we do on the plane? How will she handle a disrupted routine? So many logistics!
My husband and I brought our daughter to Morocco to visit family when she was just under a year and a half. A few months later, I flew with her to California while my husband was there for training. Both trips came with a steep learning curve – long flights with a young one, figuring out meals and naps on the go, and adjusting expectations along the way. Β Β
Now, as we prepare for our next international family trip, I wanted to share some of the lessons I’ve learned to make traveling with a toddler less stressful! I’ve included some affiliate links to products that made traveling with my toddler easier – this means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).
Flight Tips
My friend shared with me that she nursed during takeoff to help with her child’s ears popping. By the time I traveled with my daughter, I was no longer breastfeeding so I didn’t get to try this but I did keep her water bottle handy to try to help.
If you are pumping, you will need to make sure to bring a portable pump and a small cooler to store the milk.
Night Flights
I’m going to be honest, the hardest part of our first flight with our daughter was that we assumed she would sleep since the flight was overnight. Silly us!! If you have a night flight, pack some PJs and a blanket or sleep sack and try to make it as comfortable as possible to encourage sleep. However, be prepared to be awake for more than you’d prefer. We were a bit loopy but eventually managed to sleep a bit.Β
Kids fly free in your lap until they are two for a lot of airlines, so we opted not to pay for a seat for our daughter. If traveling with a baby, you can request a bassinet through the airline for the flight. Our daughter was too old for that, so we were just hoping to lay her across us. We ended up getting super lucky and we had an empty seat in our row, so we tried to lay her down between us. This was actually harder than I thought!! We had to try to hold her to prevent her from sliding off the seat (apparently PJs + plane seats = slipping and sliding!) which made it very difficult to rest ourselves. Since then, I have seen this inflatable bed you can get for toddlers if you have a seat for them!Β
Day Flights
Although the sleep deprivation was a killer on our first trip, I found the day flight more difficult. If your child isn’t walking yet, it will be much easier to manage. However, it is really difficult to keep a walking toddler occupied (and seated!) on a long daytime flight.Β
If the airline has TV/movies, this can absolutely help. However, I highly recommend packing some toys and activities to offer them as a back up. My toddler watched movies a little but otherwise was pretty restless. I brought some fidget toys that occupied my daughter for a surprising amount of time and painters tape (cheap and randomly fun activity ripping and moving pieces of tape). The other toys that really helped occupy my daughter until she napped were travel size magnetic tiles. We still carry these with us for day to day outings too (the size is so easy to tuck into any bag!).
I found that having a few options helped. I think next time I will look into bringing something like an activity book. Kids can bring their own personal item (yes even one-year olds!) so when I flew with my daughter alone, she had a little backpack with snacks and toys for the flight.Β
Taking an aisle seat helps a lot because you may need to get up and down a lot – trying to help rock to sleep, chasing a little explorer down the aisle, potty breaks, etc.
Travel Gear
Car Seat
Double check with your airline, but usually strollers and car seats do not count against your carry-on luggage or personal items. If you’re renting a car, you can request a car seat with the car. However, you can also bring your own as a carry-on.
When I flew to California, I had rented a car for the first half of the trip but I had not for the second half and I wasn’t sure how readily available Ubers with carseats would be so I brought my own carseat to be safe. I was concerned about carrying too many things and wrangling my toddler on my own, so I got this carseat backpack to carry it on my back. It honestly helped a lot, I don’t think I could have otherwise dragged it with the stroller, toddler, and carry-on suitcase on my own.
Travel Stroller
We were going to bring our normal stroller with us to Morocco, but our friends all warned us that it could get damaged in transit. Our friends had this amazing travel stroller that folded up and had a carrying handle to easily bring as a carry-on and they lent it to us for the trip. You might think you don’t need a stroller on a vacation but it can be really handy to have. It leans back a bit so we were able to do naps on the go too!
Baby Carrier
I’ve seen plenty of parents baby-wearing at the airport, which is a great idea! I brought my Infantino convertible baby carrier with me because I knew that I wanted to do some hikes with my daughter. Since it is lighter, I found it easy to carry with me and strap on when I needed it and didn’t take too much space in my luggage. I practiced getting her onto my back alone before because I figured it would be difficult, but some kind hikers had to help me out in the middle of Torrey Pines in San Diego!
Snacks
If there is one thing I learned on my first big trip with our daughter it was that you cannot let a toddler go hungry. It seems like such an obvious fact in day to day life, but time feels different when you’re on vacation and your schedule is unpredictable. The last thing you need is to be in between cities (if traveling somewhere remote) or scrambling last minute to get food while your toddler melts down in a foreign country.Β
One saving grace when my daughter was younger was Kirkland fruit and veggie pouches. I kept a couple in my diaper bag to help tide her over when we were ironing out meal plans. Now that she’s a bit older, my go to grab snacks are fig bars or peanut butter crackers.
Manage Your Expectations
Mindset really makes all the difference when traveling with a child. My boss told me these three magic words before my California trip: Manage your expectations. Children are more adaptable than you may think, however, you are just not going to be able to pack your days full of activities and sightseeing like you may have without children.Β
I went to California with a little list of places I’d like to explore and I highlighted the few that were my “must-sees” in each city. My hope was try to visit one or two places a day, and just see how each day went depending on how my daughter was faring. In the end, we were able to do and see way more than I had expected which was a really pleasant surprise.Β
My daughter has napped on the go since she was a baby, so I just tried to time my driving or long walks with the stroller around her normal nap time. If your child does not typically nap on the go, I would prepare to return to your hotel or rental midday for naps.
Practice Makes Perfect
In general, as a newer parent, I have found that doing anything with a child for the first time is intimidating but each time you get out there it becomes less stressful and eventually becomes second nature. Traveling with a kid for the first time was so nerve-wracking but the second time felt less intimidating. Now, I feel significantly less stressed planning another trip!
I hope these tips help you navigate traveling as a parent! How has your experience been traveling with young children?
13 Comments
Tara Pittman
This brings back memories when my family of 7 traveled to Disney. The youngest were 6 weeks and 18 months.
JRC
I love this blog! I feel like some of this you learn on the fly, but this blog helps you be prepared.
Amber Myers
I remember these days! It’s not easy, but you have some amazing tips here. I know I’d always bring a bag of new toys to entertain and it seemed to always work.
Imperfectly Wabi Sabi
Such helpful tips. This is so valuable to a new mama about to travel with a tot. It can be nerve-wracking! So all this shared experience and advice makes it so much smoother.
Jess Benoit
Your tips about flying during different times of the day & night are very helpful! I’ve never flown with a toddler but can imagine how hard that would be.
Lori Bosworth
Those are some amazing tips, especially about bringing fidget toys and an activity book for your toddler on the plane. I’m sure it is super challenging to travel with a young one!
Sharla
Traveling with young ones is always a challenge. These are some amazing tips for a smooth trip with the family.
jerry godinho
Your post beautifully captures the reality that traveling with a toddler isnβt about perfection but preparation and mindset, and I love how you emphasize staying flexible while still planning. The practical tips like packing smart, keeping routines in mind, and bringing engaging activities really align with what makes trips smoother and more enjoyable for both parents and little ones. Itβs an encouraging, honest guide that reassures parents they can embrace the adventure, chaos and all, and still create meaningful family memories. Jerry fourcolumnsofabalancedlife.com
Melanie E
Having a small herd myself I learnt snacks are essential. They seem to get hungry at the most inmappororiate times so having something handy is super important!
LisaLisa
Great tips! Whew, I remember that stage and it was both fun and a little overwhelming at times. I definitely learned that snacks are a must lol. Having the right gear and accessories really makes traveling with kids so much less stressful.
Mahy
Thanks a lot for all these tips. I was freaking out since my sister is brining a toddler with her, and we have quite a trip ahead of us. You helped me to calm down a bit. Phew…
Mary Ann
Some pretty great tips. Thanks. I need to shsre these.
Linda G
Lots of useful information here. Wish I would have seen something like this when my kids were young, but great information for the grandkids!