My husband and I love to travel. We believe that travelling is so important to expand your school of thought and explore your personal growth. My husband is from Venezuela and I am from Little Rock, and we have traveled with our kids since they were infants starting from when they were about two months old. Our oldest is now five. We have learned through trial and error what works best. Here are my top travel tips for parents with young children.
1. Let them burn off excess energy whenever possible. Find a less occupied area of the airport and let your child run sprints until they fall down. Take a short break and start over. If you make a game of it, they'll be exhausted before you know it.
2. Walk between your connections and make your child walk too. They are sitting just as much as you are and need to let out some excess energy and stretch their legs.
3. Pick flights that are near their usual bedtime so that they're more likely to fall asleep.
4. Buy child-sized, noise cancelling headphones. Priceless.
5. Always have a change of clothes for you and the kids. Babies leak, toddlers spill, and you never know what you'll sit on in an airport terminal.
6. Bring suckers and use them only in your most desperate moments. You will know when it is time.
7. Bo on the Go is a wonderful, interactive show we used as our children got older. It has them do a variety of activities as they go on adventures with Bo, the spunky heroine of the show. So while they get their TV fix, you can take a breather. The kicker is you usually end up playing along with them and look like a crazy lady pretending to climb imaginary walls. You'll find most of your fellow passengers will be supportive of your heroic effort to entertain your children.
8. A neck pillow is great for supporting baby's head so you don't have to hold them the entire time. It is also useful for propping up your arm while you hold baby. If you get lucky, you may even be able to use it for what it was intended for and get a little shut eye yourself.
9. Request the bulkhead area, even if your child is too old to use the bassinet, you can get extra blankets and pillows and make a bed on the floor. Some may find that gross but remember, they are laying on blankets, not directly on the floor. And, you're not having to hold them for the entire flight.
10. Bring all the snacks on Earth. There's no such thing as too many because you never know what may happen. It's better to be over-prepared and stop a meltdown from happening than hangry during a flight delay. You can even share them with the kids should they get hungry too.
BONUS TIP: Be prepared to lock yourself in the bathroom with your screaming toddler. Just remind yourself that it will be OK. Lower your expectations and just enjoy the ride.
Sarah and her husband Yeimer own and operate La Terraza Rum & Lounge and Graffiti's Italian Restaurant in Little Rock where they frequently host Parent's Night Out where parents can enjoy a date night dinner at the restaurant while their children are entertained in the party room.
