Traveling with Kids Not for the Meek

I couldn’t wait to book our flights to Portland, ME, until I clicked on the reservation and — gulp — saw the plane was a 50-seat regional jet.

I’m not crazy about those flying sardine cans to begin with. But add a toddler to the mix and my anxiety goes up.

My husband, Mr. Cool-as-a-Cucumber, shook his head when I shared my concern about bringing our 2 ½-year-old daughter onto a plane where you feel every bump and hear every engine roar. 

“It’ll be fine,’’ he said. “Book it.’’

Traveling with children, especially infants and toddlers, is always an adventure. I don’t expect every moment to be bliss. But I do try to anticipate situations where things can go from calm to chaos quickly — and I desperately try to avoid them. My neighbor, on the other hand, embraces the chaos and handles it with aplomb.

Last year, I almost audibly gasped when she said was taking her three kids — then 8, 3 and 1 — by herself on a 7 a.m. flight out of Akron — with a connection to make down South. And last week, she chuckled as she described how her family of five had to take a bus from Boston to Portland after missing a connecting flight. They made the trip without their luggage, which came a day later. 

I’m hoping for a much smoother trip. As you read this, we’ll be headed back. If you hear screams from above, you’ll know it’s not going well. 

But, as my husband often reminds me, worrying about the pitfalls of travel is pessimistic. And really, my daughter has given me little reason to dread it. 

We took our first long car trip — to New Jersey to visit my family — when she was two months old. As a new, inexperienced mom, I worried about the trip: Would she cry? Would she fuss? Would it take us forever to get there?

But everyone assured me traveling with an infant was easy because she would sleep most of the way. And she did. 

Four months later, we took her on her first plane ride. I’ll never forget the morning we left: She woke up with a whopper of a cough that made her sound more like a seal than a baby, and I thought: “OK, we’re staying home.” 

But a reassuring chat with a nurse persuaded us to go. 

A friend, a former flight attendant, gave me key advice: Feed her a bottle on takeoff and landing. That will help keep her ears from clogging and hurting. It worked. Julia was a dream on both legs of the 2 ½-hour flight to Florida.

Since then, she’s taken several more flights and even more long trips in the car. Fortunately, none resulted in meltdowns. Our strategy? Distract, distract, distract. Entertain, entertain, entertain. 

When she says for the 100th time on our road trips: “I want to get out,” we invite her to start looking for yellow cars on the road or pick a song on her CD. 

Here are some other tips from moms on how to stay sane when traveling with kids:

• Bring lots of snacks and special treats (Lollipops keep them quiet for awhile)
• Have an extra pair of clothes handy for you and the kids in case of an accident
• Drive when they’re likely to nap or sleep
• Find ways to free up your hands in the airport, such as using a car-seat carrier backpack

Share your travel tips with us.