Survival Tips for Traveling with Our Little Humans
Seeing the words “baby” and “travel” in the same sentence might make your palms start to sweat and stir up traumatic memories of sitting on a plane next to a screaming child—but that’s exactly what we’re here to help with.
With just a little extra prep, we think we could actually have a shot at making outings with our babies and three-nagers a bit less hectic and a lot more fun. And while we can’t make any promises that these tips and tricks will prevent tantrums and hanger, it’s at least a start in the right direction.
We asked a few parents in our crew to tell us some of things they swear by when it comes to traveling with a baby. This is their wisdom.
Favorite SPF for Babies-On-The-Go?
Elise: Our new Roll-On is a game changer. My kiddos have gone from hating applying sunscreen to loving it. We draw pictures on their bellies and zig zags down their legs, they giggle from how it tickles and have a blast!!
Kerry: It can be a challenge to make your toddlers stay still long enough to apply sunscreen, but the new Roll-On has been a LIFE-SAVER. Kids love using it because it’s fun and they get to apply it themselves without it spilling/spraying everywhere. We also love the Scalp Mist just in case the girls refuse to keep their hats on at the beach/pool.
Elise is The Mama of Two Boys, Luke and Ben.
Bring Familiar Toys. Bring things they know and love to help make them feel more comfortable (like our little stuffed duke). Both of my guys have never been super connected to a lovey (aka fav toy). Ben, my youngest, is just now getting attached to a blankie but that’s about it. If we’re going out of the country or away for a while, we bring a bag of toys on the plane to keep them busy. It’s ALWAYS new toys to keep them engaged and interested longer.
Stick with Baby’s Normal Patterns and Routines. My kids stay on their schedule the entire trip (for the most part). With time zone changes, we try our best to keep them on PST zone – but they usually end up adjusting naturally to the new time zone.
Sand Removal. Use baby powder or corn starch to get wet sand off . I totally forgot about this hack until now! BRB – off to buy more baby powder.
Swim Diapers. CANNOT (will not) live without these. A soiled swim diaper is the most disgusting thing on the planet, so the reusable ones are just disgusting to me. We use the disposable ones. I know, not super planet friendly – but they save my sanity.
Extra Sun Protection: hats, tents, blanket/towel, rash guard/t-shirt, umbrella ALL of these are essential. In our beach bag we throw in hats, some type of pop up tent or umbrella, towels, etc. and apply tons of sunscreen throughout the day.
Keep Kids Hydrated. The boys go nowhere without their water cups. They are don’t drink water—they guzzle.
Kerry is a dad of twin 3-year-old girls. Enough said.
Always. Plan. Ahead. It sounds simple, but can be hard to remember.
Pack the Essentials. Only pack what you know you’ll need, not what you think you would need if there was a tsunami. Lol. Bring sunscreen. Lots of it.
Dirty Diaper Duty. We keep the girls in swimsuits the whole time, but we change their swim diapers every chance we get. We apply some Baby Bum Diaper Rash Cream to help protect them from diaper rashes which aren’t fun for babies, or us parents.
Give Them Shade. To keep the kids (and adults) from overheating, we usually pack an umbrella/tent for extra shade and obi, towels. Hats are cool, but kids like to take them off more often than not, which is why we use the Scalp Spray throughout the day. Sunglasses can protect their little eyes, but they tend to throw those off too. Lol. Beach shoes or sandals rock, especially if the sand is hot.
Bring Snacks and Water. We bring options for food and pack hydro flasks for each kid/adult, so we have enough water. Throw in a few zero-sugar Gatorades in the bag in case they ask for “Juice”. Sneaky way to get some electrolytes in them.
Avoid Bringing the Beach Home with You. Sand is fun for castles, but can seem near impossible to keep out of every nook and cranny. Cornstarch-based baby powder works wonders when we need to get all that nasty sand off.
Toys, Toys, Toys. We bring lots of toys for the beach to build castles and for shoveling sand. They bring along their Baby Bum Bath toys too, so Meow Meow, Bean Bag, Coco and Duke all come along with us!
Bonus Ride. If there’s one thing I recommend besides all the sun protection, it’s a wagon. I used to look like that parent who tries and bring all the groceries in one swoop while herding sheep—but now I know better.