Tips for Traveling with Toddlers

We recently returned from a trip to Budapest. This involved an 8 hour flight, a four hour layover, and another 2 hour flight. Here are some things we've learned over the years of traveling with Nick:

Preboarding can be a curse rather than a blessing. Imagine you are about to sit on a plane for a 4 or 8 hour flight. Would you rather A) Preboard and have an extra half hour of sitting still while you watch all the other passengers file on, or B) Have your child run, jump, and otherwise exert themselves in an effort to get rid of as much energy as possible before boarding? For us, the answer is almost always a resounding "B" - and Nicholas is usually quite ready to sit by the time we're on the plane.

For a longer flight, we travel with 2 sippy cups that we won't be upset to lose. We fill one and leave the other empty. Most airport security lines will allow a filled sippy cup onboard, but occasionally we've been asked to ditch one. I also regretted not having an empty sippy on a long flight when the milk soured, causing me to need to clean a cup in-flight. This was quite annoying. However, they do make bottle sanitizer wipes which can be handy to have along and can help in these situations. If, due to space, you can only bring one cup, you might want to wait until you are on the flight to fill it.

We use plastic baggies to organize our carry-on and bring a few empty ones as well. Snacks, small toys, a changing kit, and a change of clothes each get their own baggie. (The gallon-baggie changing kit removes the need to lug a diaper bag into a tight airplane bathroom.) Empty baggies get used for trash, keepsakes, dirty clothes, etc.

A note about the bulkhead: At times sitting here is desirable, at other times it's not the best place to be. If you are on a short flight or traveling with a lap child, the extra space provided by the bulkhead is wonderful. When I flew home alone from Germany on a full flight with Nicholas as a lap child, I was thankful to have floor space for him to play. Unfortunately, the armrests cannot be raised in the bulkhead, making it impossible for a sleeping toddler to stretch out on a long flight. We hated to trade our legroomy seats on our international flight for a middle row, but when Nicholas stretched out and slept for 6 hours of the flight, we knew we had made the right decision.

Still to come...
Favorite travel toys
Handy airplane snacks

Junk Art!

This project is perfect for Earth Day. Except for the tape, it requires no new materials.

The junk-art bin is one of my favorite items in the craft cabinet. Into this bin go the egg cartons, yogurt cups, cardboard packaging, and other recyclables that seem like they have potenontial to be something else. Sometimes they get turned into a specific project. But sometimes on a rainy day, they just get put on the table because it's Junk Art time!



Kids are infinitely creative. Put out some recyclables and masking tape, and you will be amazed at what they come up with. (Or you might be baffled at how they see anything in their sculptures!) T & G created a "spaceship" and a "dinosaur house". T was immediately engrossed in the activity and worked slowly and carefully. A few times he needed encouragement and help when his sculpture wasn't turning out as planned, but at the end he was thrilled with his creation.

G needed a little help as well because he was so eager to build that he smashed his creation a few times. Again, a few tears followed, but after I stepped in just enough to get back on track, he managed to create something he was excited about as well. They were both really proud of what they had created, and had fun playing with their creations. At the end, only one project went home; the other, alas, fell back into its origins - a pile of recyclables.



Junk Art Tips:

• before starting, tear 10 or 20 strips of tape of different sizes and stick them to the edge of the table


• resist the temptation to label their projects


• step in when it seems like they are struggling, then step back again


• praise the process as much as the final product
  

April Showers Craft

"April Showers Bring May Flowers"

Materials - feel free to substitute materials freely!
construction paper - white + one other color
scissors (for grown-up)
cotton balls
sequins
small amount of blue paint mixed with a little water
straw or paintbrush
tissue paper scraps

First we created the rain: Drip a little bit of blue paint on the white paper and blow it around with the straw. For some reason, Nick did not want to do this, but he thought it was funny watching me do it. Alternatively, you could splatter paint with a paintbrush.

Next, Nick glued sequins onto the umbrella. If your kids have the motor skills already, allow them to do the glue - it's ok if it gets messy (wihin limits!). Glue the finished umbrella onto your paper.

Put more glue along the top of the paper. Have your little one tear up cotton balls, and glue them onto the paper.

Finally, show your little one how to ball up tissue paper or construction paper to make the flowers.

Tip: I keep tissue paper scraps leftover from projects and gifts in a quart-sized baggie. That way we don't waste new tissue paper when it's not necessary.

Cariboo Review

Cariboo by Cranium

around $17 at Target.com

This is hands-down the favorite game in our household - and has been since Nick was about a year old. Back then, as now, he loved putting the key in the holes and looking for the balls. (Note: This is not a game for mouthers, as the balls are potentially chokeable!) Now we are actually able to play the game almost as described in the rules.

The rules:

Children choose a card that has a color, number, shape, or letter on it. They find a door with a corresponding picture and open it using the key. The players will find balls underneath some of the doors, which they put into the "tumbling tidepool". Once all six balls have been found, the treasure chest opens. There are two levels of play: numbers 1-4 and letters A, B, C for younger players; numbers 1-10 and the full alphabet for older players.

Our variation:

We play only with the color and shape cards. We take turns, but whenever we find a ball, we drop it right back into the gameboard. This has two advantages: it keeps the chance of finding a ball high, and it keeps gameplay going indefinitely.

Skills:

• color, shape, number, and letter recognition
• fine motor skills
• turn taking

The Good:

• engages children
• good method for practicing concepts
• it's not your ordinary board game
• kids of different levels can play together

The Bad:

• the pictures inside the shapes can be hard to recognize