Oscar just conquered his first flight so I'm no expert at travelling with kids - but I did want to share what really worked for us, helping ease Oscar into the flight and stay in a destination resort. We plan on doing this more so I'm sure I'll gather more tips & tricks along the way but for now here are some things I am so glad we brought with us, and did prior to leaving that prepared us for travel.
First things first - I talked to friends and asked them what they did. My friend Meagan has an awesome travel blog and we chatted over pedicures one night a few days before my flight and she gave me some really valuable tips like bringing presents for the kids on the plane and things like bringing snacks. The food tip was a life saver. Seriously, make a mental note on that one.
No. 1 - Books and toys from home for familiarity + communication tool
I brought some (soft cover) books from home that were some of Oscar's favourite so that at bedtime had some familiarity. When we we had gone to Great Wolf Lodge a few months back - I was surprised that even with all the excitement and fun Oscar was really sad at night and wanted his own bed. ("I want to go home Mommy". It broke my heart) Knowing that, I wanted to make sure bedtime felt like home so I brought familiar books and a stuffed animal (his "Bun Bun") The bunny was also important as a communication tool - I would ask him on the airplane how the bunny was feeling - I found that he was more open to talking about how the bunny was feeling vs. himself. Thankfully Bun-Bun was always "super excited!!!" about the trip. ;)
No. 2 - "Play Packs"
I picked up a few "PlayPacks" from Target's dollar bin and they were awesome. Play Packs come with crayons, stickers, and an activity book. I bought a few, and wished I had brought more. We brought them with us to dinners at night - It kept Oscar entertained so Aubrey and I could enjoy our dinner at a relatively normal pace. Available at: Target, Dollarama, Amazon Typically around $1-$3 each
No. 3 Tech / iPad and LeapPad + Headphones
I appreciate that not all families have iPads or, tablets of any sort but if you are thinking of getting one, or, can borrow one from a family member - it comes in really handy. The iPad was awesome - I loaded up a whack of new apps and movies (more on that later) which saved us during the flights. The LeapPad was also awesome - we let him bring the LeapPad to the pool area, so he'd lie in the shade, under an umbrella, and Aubrey would read his book beside him. The two had some quiet time in the shade outdoors after a full day of swimming and searching for coral. The headphones were a life saver as it meant Aubrey and I could talk and not interupt what he was watching.
No. 4 - Gifts & Loot Bags
My Mom did this for us kids when we'd travel to Ottawa to visit my grandparents - she'd make up lootbags of new things to entertain us on the trip. Oscar is too young to be given a loot bag because he'd just seriously go through the whole thing and the excitement would be done in 2 minutes. So I wrapped up individual gifts in wrapping paper and brought them along in our carry on bag, and also, packed others in our suitcase. This was awesome for the flight. My own downfall was that I forgot to save some for the flight home, and well....oops.
Tip: I resisted buying toys from the dollar store because they always end up being kind of junky so I got nicer cars like Hot Wheels and some Disney Cars characters because I knew Oscar would play with them. I also got some gummy / stretchy frogs / lizzards that he thought was hilarious. Buying from Mastermind? They gift wrap for free!
No. 5 - Sand & Water Bag by Melissa and Doug
Officially this is called "Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Cinco Starfish Collapsible Bucket" but let's just call it a sand and water bag because that's really what it is. This was awesome to have at the beach! It's waterproof and Oscar could carry his cars,shells and coral around in it. I love this bag!
Available at: MastermindToys.com
No. 6 GlowSticks
Go to the dollar store and buy a few packages of necklaces, bracelets etc. Oscar adores glow stuff, but also it turned out to be a great way for Oscar to meet other kids*. You know when you're out at an event and someone has the coolest glow stuff, and we've all wondered where they get them...(And usually a vendor is selling them 10 blocks away) Well, here's my trick - bring a whack load of glow stuff in your bag from the dollar store. Oscar would play with some glow wands and offer extras to other kids. It was an awesome ice breaker.
*Unfortunately English wasn't dominant language at the resort so it was a little tricky - but this "ice breaker" for kids is really great should you maybe go somewhere where your language is more common.
No. 7 Backpack
Kids love taking ownership of things, so we got Oscar a backpack a month before the trip, and he packed some of his cars and his LeapPad in his own backpack.
Available at: Skip Hop Backpack, Purchased at Target
No. 8 - Food
This was the one recommendation that Meagan gave me that I owe her BIG time for. Snacks. She mentioned that kids sometimes don't want to eat the food in a new place. Oscar unfortunately got a picky food eater gene from me - so I knew that we may run into some issues. Meagan suggested those baby foods, which kids love - apple / pear / etc. I also brought some goldfish and, granola bars. As it turns out, because our resort had the whacky dining times, we really needed those snacks (gold fish / bars) to hold us between lunch and dinner. The snacks were also great on the plane, and just to cure crankies. The rainbow goldfish we never get at home, so it was something a little different and fun that was added fun for Oscar. Just bring some snacks / food just in case your kids don't acclimatize to the dining facilities.
No. 9 ZipLock Bags
Bring Ziplock bags. Seriously, they were awesome and take up little room. They will come in super handy for if you want to bring some food home from the buffet to keep your kid happy until the next meal. We also used them for storing things like shampoos, suntan lotion - it keeps everything REALLY organized and easy to find. Bring extras for the food.
That's it for my list of what I'm so glad I brought, that kept Oscar entertained and happy at the resort. Please feel free to share your own tips & tricks for travelling with kids for others, as I'm sure there is a wealth of knowledge that you all have!
xo Lindsay
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