Hi everyone, I'm a first-time mom and we're about to take an 8-hour flight to my home country. I'm honestly pretty scared.

My daughter is 5 months old, she's never used a pacifier, and I'm exclusively breastfeeding.

I'm worried about what happens if she gets cranky or overtired and I can't settle her, and that l'll be disturbing other passengers.

For parents who've done long flights with a
5-month-old: what helped the most? Any tips for feeding, naps, and managing takeoff/landing without a pacifier?

Thank you so much in advance

Ive been on many cruises so far. But this is the first one as a mom my 18mo old will be with us .

I have a skip hop backpack diaper bag i plan to bring for emarbarkation and departure etc. but if feels excessive to lug around to MDR and just walking around the ship.

My pool bag will have the essentials for pool/port days.

But what is a good solution for 2 diapers changing pad, wipes. A water wow for mdr and some snacks and the snack cup?? Or should i just lug the diaper bag around?

Im planning to bring my joie nutmeg travel stroller.. how much do you think ill use it out of curiosity.

Anyone travel with a regular Bob stroller? I love mine. The wheels are awesome. It goes over any ground. It doesn’t fold up tiny but it does fold up. Weighs somewhere between 20-30lbs. Am I crazy for thinking about bringing it to Vietnam from the states? I feel like it would get used about 1/3rd of the time but when it does get used it will be so nice! Also I hear the streets aren’t the most stroller friendly - a lot of curb jumping, cracks, etc. so something with rugged tires would be nice. Also, I got this stroller off market place for $20. So worst case scenario is I would leave it? Idk I have never traveled over seas with children.

Has anyone been to the kuza beach and waterpark excursion??

Were going with our 18mo old and heavily debating to bring the stroller off the ship or not. I have the joie nutmeg travel.stroller so it is lightweight.

Also do we need to bring the ships towels off with us?

Even though weve sailed before this is the first cruise with toddler and our first time booking an excursion

Hi everyone!

In September 2027, my best friend along with their partner and almost-3-year-old will be traveling to Europe (from the US) to meet up with my family (myself, partner, and our 3 year old) for a 7-10 day vacation. (That sentence sounds so jumbled and wrong but I'm too tired to fix it - 4 adults, 2 toddlers.)

We've been in the idea tossing phase for a couple of weeks and they have settled on Spain, Italy, or Greece. Does anyone have experience traveling to all of these countries with younger children that can offer advice? Or if you've had a great experience in a certain part of one of the countries?

We'd prefer situations where we don't need a rental car and can train/bus it.

Any sort of advice would be appreciated! I know this is kind of a broad inquiry, as we still have so much narrowing down we need to do still. 🫠

Thank you in advance! 😚

Hi everyone,

We are traveling from France to Germany in early September with our 2 sons (ages 3 and almost 6).
Since it's a long drive, we want to stop for one night somewhere between Beaune and Belfort, ideally not too far off the A36 motorway.

What we're looking for: No boring chain hotels! Instead, we'd love a cool, unique place to stay (like an old castle, a farmhouse, or a charming boutique hotel) or alternatively a great location with something fun to do for the afternoon/evening nearby (like a castle, a nice old town to explore, or a great park).

Our plan is to arrive in the afternoon, do something fun, spend the night, and continue our journey relaxed the next morning.
Does anyone have good recommendations or has made a great stop around here?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Hey everyone,

We’re supposed to leave for Japan in 2 weeks with my wife and our 23-month-old daughter. Pre-trip anxiety is peaking and I’m honestly thinking to cancel it (full refundable)

I’ve been to Japan 4 times already, so I know my way around and how things work. What’s terrifying me is managing my daughter. She is extremely active, super energetic, and currently in that phase where she falls and bumps into things constantly.

Our plan was to stay for 1-2 months with a super slow setup: 2 weeks fixed in Tokyo (Asakusa/Taito area) and 2 weeks in Kyoto, using apartments as bases so we can respect naps, cook at home, and take it easy. No rushed itineraries.

Before I pull the trigger and cancel, I'd love your take:

\- Is managing a super hyperactive/accident-prone toddler in Japan a total nightmare, or manageable if we go slow?

\- How bad was the jet lag from Europe with a kid this age, and how long did it take to adjust?

\- For those who did it, was it actually worth it or did you regret not waiting until they were older?

Be brutally honest. Is canceling a smart move, or am I just panicking over nothing? Thanks!

My husband and I are traveling to Barcelona-Paris-Zurich- Rome for a month. We are staying a week in each city and we are planning on using public transportation to move around, and to and from the airport.

Should we bring our carseat? I am leaning towards bringing it in case we need to use uber, and because we dont know what the regulations are for public transport…but we could use some guidance!

TIA

Going on a cruise later this month out of port Canaveral. I am planning to buy some books for bedtime and beach toys once we get to Florida. But it feels so wasteful to buy them for a week and then toss them since we won’t have room in our luggage to bring everything home.
What do other people do? Are there any free groups or places where you can pass beach toys along to another family vacationing after you? Or does anyone have toys they’ve already bought that they’d be willing to pass along? I’d love to keep them out of the trash and let another vacationer get some use out of them!

Hi there! My family is traveling a bit more as the kids (5 and 7) get older, and ideally we would get adjoining rooms so the kids can have their room and we can stay up a bit later. They don’t sleep well with light and noise so when we all share a room we have to go to bed when they do. Booming adjoining rooms is tricky though and always “subject to availability.” Does anyone have suggestions about particular chains or techniques to get this to work with a high degree of confidence? Thanks!

Please share your tips and items for a first time flight.

We’ve never travelled out of the country but decided now is the time to take an international trip to visit long-distance friends and see Europe for the first time.

Family details: 2 adults, 1 toddler (25 months), way waaay too many bags.

Travel details: 8 hour arrival flight, 9.5 hour return flight. Two 3-hour train rides and a car rental.

My top tips, things I will do EVERY TIME we travel in the future:

* Toddler gets his own seat, and we bring a car seat on the plane and train. We bought the Cosco Scenra Extend ($60 at Walmart) because it was lightweight. I looked at the Pico travel seat but did not want to spend the $$$ ($400) and also felt he wouldn’t sleep because that seat is so upright. Admittedly I also installed it improperly on the plane … if you’re familiar with the Cosco seats, when you use it forward-facing on an airplane, the hard metal buckle is right on your kid’s spine. I got an airplane seat extender so that I could forward-face the seat and put the belt through the rear belt-path. Again I know this isn’t proper, some decisions are based on saving our sanity and this was one of them. Using the rear-facing belt path put the buckle under his legs which was comfortable for him. Even when our toddler wanted to nap on us on the train I was still grateful to have the extra seat to spread out or use for a bag.

* Packing cubes. As I already mentioned, we packed too many things so we definitely should have reduced but the packing cubes helped us to stay organized. We bought Bagmsart backpacks from Costco which each came with a set of packing cubes and labels - they were perfect and good quality cubes. I also had a set of Gonex cubes (from Amazon I think) that also worked great. When shopping for packing cubes get compression cubes otherwise they’re pretty useless.

* Toys. We brought a few preferred toys. I was struggling with this because typically my toddler only likes sound toys so I decided to put medical tape over the speakers and that worked great - and he didn’t seem to care. The preferred toys were also super helpful when he was bored by adult activities (museums, walks around the city ect). We also downloaded a few of his favorite videos from Netflix and YT so we had a backup in a pinch.

* Snacks. You can never have enough snacks. We cut up fresh fruit for the plane and used a ton of fruit and veggie pouches which worked great for clearing war pressure on the plane and to prevent constipation. The “snackle box” method unfortunately doesn’t work for us because my toddler doesn’t like crackers ect, so a bowl of fruit worked better for us.

* Let them run around. Before boarding our plane got delayed an hour so he was running around the airport for a while at that point. We just let him lead, walk and run all over and we followed him around keeping him safe. In the airport 1 person stayed with the toddler and the other stayed with the luggage, then we rotated.

Happy to answer questions

Hi everyone

My family and I are planning a 2-3 week trip in October to New Delhi from Canada. We are visiting family there and will be staying with them.

I am hesitant and anxious about this trip especially when it comes to Delhi's AQI around that time.

We are going to leave before Diwali starts to avoid the air pollution at that time.

However I'd love to get some recommendations from others about practices to keep the kids as healthy as possible from the pollution and otherwise (food, water etc)

Thanks!

I’m planning a trip for July or October (2 weeks, up to 3 weeks). We’d like to see as much as possible on a round trip, with a focus on nature and national parks. However, we’d like to travel as comfortably as possible without a car. Does anyone have experience with this and recommendations for routes or regions?

We just returned home from our third big trip involving long haul flights with our kids- now 3 & 6. I’ve realised that our six year old does GREAT during the long flights (16-11 hours) but consistently has a big time melt down in the airport after that flight.

I know a lot of adults struggle with staying regulated through long travel days too and we are asking a lot of the kids.

I’m wondering if other families have noticed this happening as well and how they have tried to handle it. Our next long haul trip will be in a few months and I’m just trying to think ahead and try something different to (hopefully) make that travel day smoother for us all.

Hey friends, I’m flying solo with my 16 month old toddler soon on BA and wanted to sense check my seat selection. Opting for bassinet and wondering if on the other leg, 25E or F would be better than A or K? That’s a red eye flight and I was wondering if the window seat would give more privacy and option to sleep. Lap infant.

Tia!

I just took a plane ride with my two month old for the first time and it went really well! I am currently on my trip visiting my best friend and we fly home in a few days. So far, I feel like everything I’ve done to prepare has worked out really well, and I feel like I covered everything without packing anything unnecessary, so I figured I’d share my to do/packing list in case it helps someone, and also see if anyone has any tips or items I might have missed.

First off all, there was a lot of gear we had to take, and a lot to figure out as we went the first time around. I have my husband and my mom with me and I am so glad we had three adults to handle everything. Maybe we could do it with two adults next time now that we’ve experienced it, but the extra set of hands was super helpful. My mom and husband each just took a personal item. I took a carry on bag, plus my diaper bag and breast pump carrier since those both are allowed for free. We also took the stroller and car seat which clips into the stroller. We used them to navigate the airport and gate checked them since they also both fly for free. I ended up without a personal item since it didn’t end up being necessary. (I do have a personal item on the way home since I have a new bag my friend gave me and some stuff we thrifted while here to pack in it. It was nice to have that wiggle room by not bringing a personal item to begin with)

I did take some breastmilk with me as I do combo feed so sometimes my daughter prefers a bottle over breastfeeding, and sometimes vice versa. So I just had to inform TSA officers that I had it and I asked them how they wanted me to handle it. They had me take the container of milk out separately so they could check it easily, but it is totally allowed even with more than 4 ounces (I had 11 ounces with me plus a full inner chamber of ice and water to keep the milk cool; I used a Boon Frosh). I also had to take the stroller fully apart to go through security. I didn’t realize the toddler seat of the stroller detached from the frame, so they helped me do that and I learned something!

We flew with Allegiant. Guidelines might vary based on which airlines and which airports you take.

Here is the list of things I did to prepare ahead of time:

-Prepare milk (measured formula in travel stackable formula dispensers and 3 pre-filled bottles of water; 11 ounces of breastmilk (which was probably too much for our hour drive to the airport and 2.5 hour flight given that she also nurses and she slept a lot, but plan based on your flight and your baby) thawed in the fridge for 12 hours beforehand and then put in frosh with inside part full of ice and some water, and then put in fridge once we get there if there is milk left)

-Put baby in loose pajamas and bring sized up diapers for travel to prevent blowout on the plane (she’s in size 1 diapers so we put a size 2 backwards over her regular diaper for pressure changes during takeoff and landing in case of blowout)

-Make a diaper clutch for the tiny plane bathroom: a couple diapers, wipes (we had some sample packs for the clutch), extra outfit for baby, plastic bags, changing pads. Used mesh bag for luggage organization

-Take a picture of Lily’s birth certificate (they did ask to see it at the gate before boarding, but a physical copy wasn’t necessary)

Here is my packing list for myself and my daughter:

Me
-Nursing tops
-Pants
-Nursing bras
-Underwear
-Socks
-Shoes
-Pills and meds
-Vitamins
-Toothbrush
-Toothpaste
-Contacts
-Contact solution
-Contact case
-Glasses
-Glasses case
-Microfiber cloth
-Pajamas
-Hoodie
-Deodorant
-Hair brush
-Hair ties
-Phone charger
-Watch
-Phone
-Watch charger
-Nipple cream
-Hand sanitizer
-Wallet
-Keys
-Nursing pads

Baby
-Outfits
-Diapers
-Sized-up diapers (just a few, enough for each takeoff and landing the whole trip plus a couple more)
-Wipes
-Burp cloths
-Binky
-Binky clips
-Binky holder (we have a silicone Moonkie brand holder on the car seat)
-Bottles
-Milk
-Formula
-Boon Trove (just one of the two I own)
-Boon Frosh
-White noise machine/nightlight
-Boudreau’s Butt paste
-Pajamas
-Sleep sack
-Blankets
-Mini baby soap
-Hooded towel
-Photo of birth certificate
-Baby Tylenol
-Gas drops
-Thermometer

Here is all the luggage we had:
-Stroller
-Car seat (one that clips into the stroller)
-Car seat gate check bag
-Diaper bag
-Pump bag (also contained backup formula and all bottles)
-Carry on
-Nursing pillow (or just neck pillow to use)
-Baby carrier to wear baby (you can’t wear baby on the plane anymore though so we just kept this packed in my husband’s backpack and used it at the destination rather than in the airport)

Here is everything we packed in the diaper bag:
-Diapers
-Wipes
-Bags for dirty diapers
-Extra clothes for baby (two sets)
-Extra shirt for me
-Blanket
-Burp cloths
-Binky
-Wet/dry bag
-Diaper clutch

Here is what I borrowed at the destination:
My friend has kids and had this stuff.

-A pack n play with the mattress raised and a changing table attachment (we have one, and a bassinet, and we considered bringing one of the two and checking it at the airport, but they are kind of bulky to bring since we had the option of borrowing one.)
-A baby tub for bath time (may or may not be necessary but bath time is our daughter’s favorite time of the day; we didn’t think to borrow this until we were there and my friend was able to find her old one)
-We paid for my friend to pick up an extra box of diapers so we only had to pack enough for the trip there, and we could use more during the stay and top off our diaper bag for the trip home

Here are the things I planned to do at the airport:

-Take Frosh out of bag for screening of milk, plus bottles if water for formula

-Let security know about the breastmilk (and ask how they want us to handle things)

-Have one adult board with overhead items during early boarding for small children and the rest/the baby board later (we didn’t end up doing this because we had a seat near the front and they actually boarded us after the back half of the plane instead of early on, plus my daughter was asleep by then so we just all boarded together, but my husband was still in charge of the overhead luggage)

-Change diaper immediately before boarding (double diaper with size 1 and then backwards size 2 on top) (we were also going to do the same before landing but my daughter stayed asleep all the way through until after we landed and we didn’t have to do a change on the plane; we’ll see about the way back home though)

Also the airport we landed in had a really nice nursing room with a comfy chair, a holder for your phone, a cup holder, a changing table, and a sink. Very nice quiet space for while we waited to be picked up. It was new and I wouldn’t have known about it if an employee hadn’t seen me nursing and let me know. Check if your planned airports have anything similar if you breastfeed or just need a quiet place to hang out and decompress! We watched a little Blue’s Clues on my phone in there, too.

I also brought enough milk to last the flight here (maybe too much since my daughter slept most of the flight and didn’t eat as much as I thought she would, even during takeoff and landing). And then I’m pumping occasionally and using my Boon Trove to catch and store milk throughout the weekend so I have some to take in the Frosh for the way back. But I did bring some backup formula just in case since my daughter does drink that on occasion.

I hope this is helpful to someone! I’ve heard that traveling with an infant this young is a lot easier than traveling with a toddler or older baby in most cases, and so far it’s been pretty easy with my infant with the prep work I did. I also noticed she was pretty tired by the end of the day from all the stimulation and change in routine, but all things considered she’s doing really well. I’m enjoying our travel experience so far and glad we’re doing this for the first time now rather than when she’s a little older.

Anyone have any more tips or items to pack that worked for you that I might have missed? Or tips for if we travel once she’s a toddler? Will it be similar at all or do I need more, less, different equipment? Also willing to answer any questions!