Organizing for a trip….oh my!
Updated to add: If you haven’t checked out the comments yet you really must. There are some fantastic ideas there! I’m feeling better already!
In two weeks I’m taking the kids and heading to Ontario to visit my family for a whole month! I’m not a traveller, in fact it wouldn’t be a stretch to say I hated it. Travelling takes me way out of my controlled comfort zone. I don’t do it very often. I’m an expect the unexpected kind of girl and there are just so many variables to have to consider when travelling that my head spins trying to plan for them all. I literally try and anticipate every little thing that could go wrong and be ready for it (stop laughing). I enjoy being in situations where a problem strikes and I have just the solution tucked securely away, ready and waiting, in one of the many pockets I have in my carry-on bag. Ah-ha I say gleefully as I pull it out. I knew this was going to come in handy. I’ll be honest and say most of the time I need none of it but I just feel better knowing I’ve got it all under control.
Screech….HA…who am I kidding….I’m travelling with three kids…one of them a toddler who doesn’t like to sit still and one who is severely allergic to just about everything….how in control am I really going to be for pete’s sake!
I’m delusional, I KNOW, but a girls got to psych herself up somehow. Remember my last desperate attempt to keep my baby still on an airplane. The return trip was a nightmare to say the least, we both ended up crying on the plane. I’m in so much trouble.
So back to my packing. While shopping at the dollar store I found these 14″ x 11.5″ bags with handles. I purchased one for each kid to specifically hold their books, workbooks, coloring books, markers, pens, pencils and crayons. They fit perfectly into their backpacks which will make it easy for the kids to just quickly grab them out when they want to amuse themselves with these activities on the plane and not have to rummage through the rest of their toys to find what they need. This will keep everything contained in one place. Also I’ve had the bags sitting out in the office so as we find/buy things to take with us we can quickly throw them in and we don’t have to worry about forgetting what we have and don’t have.
So my tackle for today is to start making my packing lists. Yesterday I hauled out the suitcases so as I find/remember things I can put them right into the suitcase (thanks for the tip Mom!). I also use a lot of Ziploc bags to help me keep things sorted and organized which works awesome.
Sorry, no magic tricks for occupying a toddler on a plane, other than maybe a portable DVD player with some brightly colored creatures.
BUT – I can so heartily co-sign the use of Ziplocs for packing. I’ve used them for my toiletries for a long time, but last month, used them to pack the girls’ clothes (one outfit per bag), and they rocked! I could easily see how many outfits were already ready while packing, and once we got where we were going, all they had to do was grab a bag and get dressed. No digging through the suitcases this time!
Good luck, and keep us posted!
I have traveled long distances (1100 – 1300 miles in a single day) with children from infant to teenagers. The portable DVD has been heaven sent. I got mine cheaply at a Thanksgiving door buster sale.
For a toddler, I had 3 “toys” that would keep them occupied for HOURS.
The first is an old man’s wallet with all of the slots filled. I used
1. fake credit cards – like the ones in some of the credit card offers;
2. laminated pictures of the family, pets, friends and interesting objects. Lots of games can be played with these “cards”
3. if I cannot laminate what I want, then I use an old deck of cards. Again, we can play – find all of the face cards. How about the one-eyed Jack? etc.
4. stickers and a very small book hidden. When my child found the book, he could put the stickers into the book. It was fun to hid the stickers in “secret compartments” or inside folded paper.
Next, I found a HUGE bolt at the hardware store. Huge, it is 12 inches long and rather heavy. I have several washers and 4 large nuts to go on that bolt. The children – both boys and girls – loved screwing and unscrewing the nuts. If your child likes that type of small finger play, then they will love that. If not, skip this.
Finally, if you can find several old locks and several old keys, then this is the one toy for you. I have 6 locks on a short string. I have a key chain with about 20 different keys. Only one key works on only one lock. All of the other locks and keys are just old and don’t work.
My toddlers spent hours with this toy. Finding the one key, one lock was a passion. When they could solve the puzzle, it became a right of passage.
During our travels, we would listen to books on tape from the library. Even my littles child loved listening to EB White read Charlotte’s Web or the author (Galbraith) read “Cheaper by the Dozen.” Or, we sing folks songs – again from the library.
I just returned from a 15 hour drive from Northern California to Southern Arizona. We only stop for sit down meals – the sit down meals give everyone a moment to stretch before beginning again.
Good luck with your trip.
Mary
Laura,
I recently made a 4 day van trip with my dh and 5 dds. I made myself several lists to help me prepare, as I am a avid list-maker. I would forget my head if it wasn’t attached (or on my list). I have published my forms/lists and hope that they will help you in some way. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any questions.
I also use the Ziplocs every time we travel.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgq7kz6_3hjf6ts
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dgq7kz6_2dpxqs9&hl=en_US
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dgq7kz6_1cs6trz&hl=en_US
Oh I’m so excited and glad I put this post out there.
WOW Mary those ideas are simply fantastic, I NEVER would have thought of some of those. Thank you so much!
Thanks too for the lists Lora!
Laura
You are way ahead of the game. Ziplocs…wet wipes and food…lots of food and you will be fine!
Hi Laura
Don’t forget to download my travel checklist as a starting point.
My must-haves for any travel are plenty of plastic bags to catch food, carry stuff in, dirty laundry, etc.
By the way, I LOVE those bags!!!
Organising queen and
Take charge blogs
Oh I feel your pain! I am planning a 9 hour car trip at the moment. Air travel with children scares me, so we haven’t ventured there yet. You are braver than I. I use the DVD player as distraction. And a few new cheap toys that I keep hidden until things totally melt down.
I’m glad you posted this today. I’m going to keep coming back to see what suggestions everyone gives you 🙂
For a long plane trip it is important to bring food your toddler likes because the plane food is seldom to their liking and having nothing they like to eat can be a much bigger disaster than anything else.
Good luck!
When my son was two we traveled to Hawaii and the trip was 10 hours. Someone shared with me the idea of going to the dollar store and buying several small toys and wrapping them. Every so often during the trip he was allowed to pick one out. I also had a bag filled with little things that he could recongize by feeling. He would put his hand in and have to guess what it was. We read and did stickers on a stenopad which he could also scribble on.
Hope this helps. Looks like you already have a lot of great ideas sent in.
Blessings
I just traveled with my 3 year old & 9 month old. Baby slept most of the time & toddler caught a quick nap. Here are my tips:
*Don’t make the bag too heavy for your child(ren) to carry themselves. Otherwise you end up with your stuff & theirs to cart around. I stocked his bag full of a leapster game, color books, crayons, reading books and a couple toys. The bag was untouched most of the flight and added to my load.
*If your child is still using a stroller, bring it to help carry everyone’s things.
*I totally get the whole ‘preparing for everything’ idea but since they have restrictions for luggage size I’d make sure you have plenty of diapers/undies & change of clothes.
*If weather permits everyone should wear some type of sandal or slip on shoe to get through security faster.
*Keep jackets in carry on to get through security faster.
*Empty sippy cups or water bottles before going through security cuz you’ll have to dump them anyway.
*Make sure any carry on liquid items (make up, medicine, etc) are in little ziplocs so you don’t have to toss your stuff.
I’d just say go with the flow, airports are stressful & even more so when traveling with kids. If you can find cheap disposable cameras the kids can have fun taking pictures of their adventure.
Happy list making, packing & traveling!
I’m afraid I can’t offer you any advice, but I’m definitely reading with interest the tips that are coming in! We never fly anywhere, but often make the 6-hr drive to the city where our families live. Of course, since my parents gave us a portable TV/VCR combo a couple of years ago, the trip hasn’t been much of an issue!
I totally understand feeling the need to be able to predict everything, but in the area of decluttering and organizing… well, let’s just say I’m hoping for some inspiration!! I found you through 5M4M, and instantly knew I’d be visiting regularly.
tammi
I have a real love/hate relationship with traveling. Love to see new places, but like you feel like I have to prepare for every single possible scenario. We’re not flyers though, and I expect its much easier to fit the “solutions for every single possible scenario” into the van.
Where in Ontario will you be? We’re “just across the lake”. We’re heading up there sometime next month…to North Bay and Algonquin. I just love it up there!
The Mama Bag. When Rob and I lived in St. Louis and made the eighteen hour drive (one way) to visit family in Colorado, I had a “Mama Bag.” My girls still talk about it.
I used it to reinforce good behavior. It was full of wrapped presents. And each present was an activity, something totally new to them, so it held their interest. Every time we stopped somewhere, if they behaved, they knew they’d each have a gift to unwrap when we got back into the car.
Obviously, on an airplane, you aren’t making stops. (You hope LOL). But perhaps you could use it in time segments – behave for 30 minutes and you’ll have a new surprise to open.
Doesn’t have to be expensive at all. We just found that having something totally new to them really kept them busy (and quiet) in between stops.
All these years later, my girls remember the Mama Bag and both of them plan to have one themselves someday, to help the traveling angst with their own children.
No advice, Laura (though it looks like your getting some great tips already!), but definitely some commiseration. Travel always stresses me out too – and, like you, I think it’s because I’m just so out of control when I’m not in my home / comfort zone! I know you’ll do just fine though. Trips always turn out to be much better than I think they will. 🙂
Having taken 4 children between 8 and 1 on an international flight by myself, I found the following wonderful:
Wikki Stix (wax-coated pipe cleaners)
Plain Ol’ Pipe cleaners
A notebook with a small baggie full of those little “peel off” foamies…new designs just for the trip. They made illustrations to stories
A new matchbox car
A tiny travel container of play-doh (although this last trip, this was not allowed, due to security)
A ziploc for a trashbag …we used the slide locs, easier for little fingers
For the older two, a small cheap puzzle (max 25-30 pieces, I think)
two snacks in individual servings that THEY had control of when they could eat them. They still asked me, just in case we were “near” a meal, but on a 10 hour flight, “near” is relative. 😉
in my bag, baby wipes and a change of shirt for all children. I also had a dry washcloth in a ziploc for wetting down in the morning to wipe off faces and wake them up, then put away. It stayed dry until then so it didn’t sour in the bag. I also had playing cards and “quiz cards” for they layovers that we expected, as well as more snacks to be at my discretion.
WOw, that’s a lot of stuff, but it got us through a LONG day of travel… 😀
beck
I’ve got the best readers! Awesome, awesome, awesome ideas. I can’t thank you enough.
I’m not laughing at all. I’m just like you in anticipating everything when travelling.
Keeping toddlers happy when they have to be still for long periods? My sure fire thing was buying them each a sticker book on a favorite topic of theirs, be it race cars, dinosaurs or Barbies. Make sure you get the kind where they can take the stickers on and off and reposition them as many times as their little hearts desire.
Laura, as you know I just made a few trips with teh kids, the youngest is 4 years old and I was worried that he wouldn’t be easily amused.
I was surprised because most of the plane ride he was happily looking out the window, he loved looking through the instructional book they have on the airplane, literally sat there for an hour with this thing on his lap just looking at the pictures LOL
I also had each kid take a favorite stuffed toy with them and just like you, we had a backpack with their own toys to keep them busy.
Don’t forget the gum or something to drink when the plan is taking off or landing so as to help their ears.
For the car ride, we have the DVD’s and those were life savers, PLUS I was able to connect the kids nintendo system to it, so they pretty much played video games the whole 15 hour drive LOL
Another thing I did was buy inexpensive toys at the dollar store and kept them hidden with me, when they got cranky I would pull one out and give it to them, they loved it.
Oh and one more thing, I printed out a map of the USA and got some crayons for the kids. As we drove by the different states and cities, the kids marked off and were able to see as we got closer to the destination. Another thing I did was also get them disposable cameras that they used to take pictures of whatever they wanted.
Sorry this post is so long, I didn’t realize I had so many things to say LOL
Hubs & I have been traveling by plane with our ds since he was 3 months old – over 6 round-trip flights at this point & he’ll be turning a year old soon – and we don’t own a portable DVD (yet).
I think the tips moms gave for the older kids are truly awesome & I’ve stored them away for future use! But for the little guy, definitely travel with a BUNCH of new things he hasn’t seen yet. Small, of course, but just new to his little eyes:
– a book
– a small toy
– a (safe) kitchen gadget
– a new snack food
You get the idea.
My best advice for traveling by plane, from beginning to end, is to try your darndest to STAY CALM. Getting frazzled will only add to the yuck of traveling on a plane with kids – plus, the calmness you exude will most likely rub off on your kids, helping them enjoy the trip, the airport, the plane, the excitement of travel!
We are taking our first long car ride this week (approx. 10 hours) & I went to Home Depot to stock up on my “distraction toys” because that is the name of the game with my son – completely content as long as he is distracted from the fact that he’s strapped in a car seat or stuck in a plane seat.
I paid less than $20 for about 10 small PVC items – he was interested in them when they were in the cart, so they should hold his attention in the car seat.
I wish you luck – I remember the first flights we took & the wreck I was, but I couldn’t believe how “strong” I felt once they were over. DS pooped out of his diapers, spit up, cried his eyes out – all on the plane. Once I dealt with that, I felt I could take on the world! Our last flight, DS was 9 months old & pee’d out of his diapers on the plane – hubs was not with me – I changed a diaper on a 9-mth old IN MY LAP – no crying. WOO HOO!
Have fun!
With my daughter when she was younger, I made a little travel kit to take with her, it held snacks, drinks, her lovey that slept with and a couple of board books and toys. It kept her entertained until she fell asleep and this was for a 13 hour bus ride!!
I was going to suggest the re-usable stickers. My children kept busy for a 7/8 hour flight by colouring, watching a video and cartoons and even a couple of games on the t.v. monitor. Eating helps, too!
I usually do the small toy from the dollar store, I usually get one for each child. I keep these a secret until we are well on our way, and their usual stuff starts to bore them…sometimes I don’t even have to pull out the ‘surprise’ toy! I always take the kids to the dollar store with me and they each get to pick out a new coloring/activity book for the trip. That way, they have picked out what they think will entertain them, and they look forward to using them. However, I don’t give the book to them until the trip! That way they have something to look forward to.
Also, the DVD player is a life saver! We also like to drive at night, so the kiddos sleep as much as possible. Hubby sleeps, too! I get to check out a book on CD and listen to it while I drive in peace and quiet! I just have to remember to go easy on the water and pop so that I don’t have to wake everyone up with a potty break!!! :o)
Blessings-Andie
***Home a week from a 15 hour (one way)car trip!***
Great ideas so far!
Don’t forget to pack an extra shirt for yourself should some mess wind up all over Mommy. And tuck away a favorite treat to reward yourself for all the work it takes to travel with kids!
Do you have an ipod? I know that keeps my son still for just a tiny little while because it’s something different (and you can put some of her music on it). Snacks worked wonders with his big sister, but not so well for him. I always took his car seat onto the plane (even though it’s WAY easier to check it and be done with it), because then he had to sit there.
Wow, you do have a great readership! I’ll just add: take a deep breath, and realize that “this too shall pass”. 🙂 Good for you for going out of your comfort zone. Many people wouldn’t .
For long car rides we love audio books.
For toddlers I strung fruit loops and cherios on dental floss so they could wear them like a necklace (bracelet) Then they can much on them without spilling them all over.
These ideas have all been very helpful as I too will talking a 6 hour flight with my 14 month old by myself next week. Today I went to the dollar store and found several little fun toys including a stretchable squishy “hairy” ball and one of those miny water games where you can push 2 different buttons and try to get the little balls (or rings) in the baskets. I also went to Staples and got a small magnetic white erase board. I figured this would be a nice flat surface for my son to have fun with letter/shape magnets, stick stickers on and off from, and use the wikki stix to create fun things on. Board books with little flaps, finger holes, and textures are a must as well. We’ll see how the trip goes! 🙂
I love some of these ideas… the keys and locks… wallet filled with cards and photos… so clever.
Someone mentioned having a bag filled with wrap presents/treats. I did that on our last trip and it worked so well. The kids loved looking forward to something new each hour. Small, inexpensive goodies from the dollar store, a yummy treat, some special markers, even printouts from the computer like coloring pages, word searches and easy crafts.
Good luck!
Fun ideas! I hate traveling as much as you do but I hope you have a good trip!