How toTravel With Kids And Enjoy it

This last week my wife, 2-year-old, and I flew halfway across the country to visit my parents. And we did it- proudly- with zero meltdowns. How is this possible!? You may ask. Well, to be honest with a lot of preparation. And today I'm going to share with you a couple of our tricks that saved us from what could have been two hours of hell on an airplane! The thought of traveling with little ones can seem like a daunting task, but if you do it right, it's not so bad!

The first thing we did was take our daughter Phoenyx to the dollar store. We let her pick out up to five items which we had her then pack into her very own backpack. This included a stockpile of her favorite snacks as well. Next, we allowed her to pick 1 stuffed animal (which was, of course, Minnie!) and 1 blanket. With each item as she put it in her bag, we explained this would be going on the airplane with us.
Another thing we did to prepare her for the big trip was to pull up videos on youtube of planes taking off from the inside! That way, she could familiarize herself with the sounds and sights she would soon experience. Every time we talked about going on the plane, we emphasized how much fun it was going to be!

Lastly, we brought the ever faithful iPad. When in doubt- games! Shows! Anything that can be used as a distraction in case she was frightened by all the new things going on. The iPad ended up being our most used item and kept her entertained the whole way. (Pro tip side note: most headphones don't fit little ears. Be sure to buy headphones made for little ones!)
In the end, our journey there and back was relatively painless. I think traveling with small children can be done as long as you prepare yourself and go the extra mile to ensure your child feels prepared as well.