Disclaimer: I am no travelling expert as I have only traveled out of the country myself a total of 3 times and two of those times have been with my kids! However, I do feel that I can offer some tips, tricks, insights and a few funny stories that might help put your mind at ease or at least offer you some support if you are thinking of travelling with your kid(s).
The first time that we traveled with one of our kids was when Lily was 11 months old to Jamaica. We went to the Grand Bahia Principe resort in Montego Bay. Not only was this trip stressful because I was travelling with my kid for the first time, it was my first time travelling out of the country (other than to Florida) and we were going for our wedding! My biggest fear when packing for any trip away from my house is that I am going to forget something. I create an endless amount of lists in hopes that it will help but there is still that fear. It is one thing to forget something for myself but the fear of forgetting something when travelling with your kids is even greater! Especially when you are going out of the country as I always worry I won't be able to get the same stuff as I can here at home. I will start off with saying though that I always worry WAY more than needed and that everything always works out in the end.
This time around we traveled to Mexico. We stayed at the Riu Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta Mexico and we took both Lily (2.5 years old) and Mason (4 months old). Even though I had traveled with Lily before I did not feel prepared to travel with 2 kids. I think the part about travelling that makes me the most anxious, next to forgetting something is the airport process. Especially knowing how strict they are with what they allow you to take on the plane with you. I will tell you though, that the airport staff (at least the ones at Toronto Airport) are AMAZING and they are really accommodating with people who have kids. But I will talk more about that below!
I am going to try to break it down for you to help you learn from my experience and share some insight on things that might be helpful after experiencing it ourselves. I am going to start with the first step; packing!
Packing
I love lists and find it the most helpful to create lists for everyone when packing. It not only puts my mind at ease but it helps keep me organized. I use an app called Keep my Notes and it is amazing! I love that I can store all my lists in one place and always have them handy to me. That way when I randomly thought of something else I would need to pack it was easy for me to add it in my phone quickly instead of searching for the list I made on paper. I made a list for each of us; me, Mason and Lily. As I packed the item into the suitcase I checked it off of the list.
With regards to packing, I tried to roll up clothing into small bundles and by outfit so it was easy once we got to the hotel. Lily got her own suitcase which was great so I packed all her stuff in one place. Mason and I had to share a suitcase. One of my family members highly recommended using packing cubes. I have not used them before, but may try them out next time as it seems it would be a good way to keep your stuff organized and pack as compact as possible. I do recommend packing all liquids in a big Ziploc bag or a bag that won't be damaged if it gets wet so that you don't have to worry about any liquids spilling. I always pack our toiletries in a separate bag as well. I also find it handy to bring a few empty large Ziploc bags, or a laundry bag with you so you can throw all dirty and wet clothes into one bag as you use them. Then when we are packing up to leave the resort I always designate one suitcase for the dirty clothes and pack all clean clothes into another suitcase. Just helps for when I get home and I am working on the abundance of laundry we accumulated.
The last tip I will give you about packing is this. If you do not have summer clothes for your kid(s) go to a place like Once Upon a Child or purchase them used. There is no point in spending a bunch of money on new clothes that probably will not fit your children in the summer time (this is if you are travelling during the winter months like we did). For Lily it was a bit different as I don't think she will outgrow her stuff by the summer time but for Mason he was only going to wear what I got him for the week we were away. And you honestly don't need to get much. You can purchase reusable swim diapers so you don't have to worry about running out of disposable ones and for the most part you kid(s) depending on their age will be in their bathing suit most of the time.
The Airport
This is going to be the most chaotic and probably stressful part of the day for you. I am not going to sugar coat it and say that it will be easy, just the thought of this day leading up was giving me anxiety because there was so much I could picture going wrong. Tip: make a list of what you have to make sure you have when you leave the house, and make a list to make sure you have all your bags when you arrive at the airport or get to the shuttle to go to the airport. I really wish I had done this as it would have avoided probably the most stressful part of the day for me. We got out of the house okay, everything fit into the car thanks to my husband being a master at puzzles LOL! Somehow he managed to fit 3 suitcases, 4 carry on's and a double stroller in my car. When we arrived to the shuttle it was CHAOS. There were lots of other cars arriving at the same time unpacking their cars to get on a shuttle so it was a race to get out of your cars and inside the building as quickly as possible, especially because it was cold. I took Mason and Lily right into the building while Chris and our family unloaded the car. I did a double check that he had all the bags there but somehow missed one important bag. It wasn't until we arrived at the airport that I realized Mason's diaper bag was missing which had all his diapers and formula in it. I went into immediate panic mode! Thankfully my father in law went back to the shuttle, got there before they moved my car and was able to get the bag and bring it back. I started crying when I saw him come back with the bag because I started worrying that maybe I forgot it at home. So, in order to avoid this happening to you make a checklist for yourself to ensure you have all your luggage and carry on's with you!
With regards to the rest of the airport process honestly, it goes pretty smoothly. You are allowed to bring sterilized water, formula, breast milk and snacks on the plane for your baby(s)/kid(s). They will check it all, but they are good at being quick about the process. You get to go in a special family lane for the most part which helps you bypass any crowds or long waiting periods with the kids. I never experienced any issues with any of the stuff I was bringing on the plane for either of my kids. Just a few things though to be aware of so you can prepare. I found it easier to have both kids in a stroller, some people prefer to baby wear but I found it easier to have them in the stroller. That way my hands were free and I knew where both of them were at all times, especially Lily. When you do go through security, you will have to take your kids out of the stroller and either carry them through or they have to walk through if they can. So for this process, sometimes baby wearing is easier so you aren't moving them in and out of the stroller. But that is totally up to you and what you are comfortable with. Some people choose to only bring a single stroller or an umbrella stroller. I loved having our double stroller. I had no issues bringing it right up to the gate with us, and it was ready for us as soon as we stepped off the plane. Having the double stroller allowed me to keep both kids safe during the chaos of the airport, but also helped me have a place to hold all our belongings. I was able to fit all of our carry on's in the space underneath the kids seats and I did not have to carry anything. Tip: I do recommend getting a bag to put your stroller in. I couldn't find one that would fit the double stroller. If you can find one to fit your stroller, Toys R Us sells them and Walmart I recommend getting one to help avoid any damage being done to your stroller or car seat. Just so you know, you are able to take your stroller right up to the plane and you fold it up before you get onto the plane. They allow families with children to board the plane first as well. I am not sure if this is a good thing or not. One good part of it is that you avoid the chaos of other people getting on the plane and you are settled quickly. The bad part is having to keep your kids entertained longer on the plane. If we only had Lily I may have waited till the end to board the plane but I found it easier when having both kids to just get on before anyone else and get settled.
The Airplane
This is the part that worried me the most. How the hell was I going to get through 4.5 hours on a plane with 2 kids! Mason I wasn't worried about too much as I knew that he would sleep most of the ride. Lily on the other hand I had no idea what to expect. This time around she had her own seat which I was looking forward to as I knew we would have some extra space and she wouldn't have to be confined to one of our laps. I packed endless amount of snacks and activities and I have to say the snacks are what won her over the most. Tip: Pack a TON of snacks! You can bring all sorts of snacks on the plane with you that way you don't have to worry about spending an arm and a leg when your in the airport and your kid will be happy with treats they are familiar with. I packed squeeze pouches, bits and bites, bear paws and then some special treats like small packages of smarties, suckers etc. Tip: A lot of people say that suckers are helpful for during take off/descent because it can help with ears popping. For infants it is suggested that you feed them (bottle or breast) or have them suck on a soother. We gave Lily a sucker during take off on the way to Mexico and that was it. She did not seem bothered at all by the change in altitude but it was good to have just in case. For Mason, I had a bottle ready and his soother just in case he was bothered. Luckily Mason fell asleep before we even took off and did not wake up until about half way there. We also packed an empty water bottle for Lily; the Contigo Kids Water bottle. Most airports will have a water fountain that you can fill up your water bottles before getting on the plane which will save you some money. We also found it helpful to have it for her at the resort. Tip: Be careful when opening water bottles with straws like the Contigo one on the plane. Funny story; Chris opened up Lily's water bottle during our flight and when he opened it the water sprayed out of it up into the air so high that it almost hit the person sitting in front of Chris & SOAKED his shirt (see picture)! I burst out laughing so loud because I couldn't believe what happened - Chris was laughing too! Which leads me to another tip: Bring an extra shirt for not only you, but for daddy too!
Some of the activities that I packed for Lily on the plane were; a dry erase book/marker, travel size connect 4 game, sticker books, tablet with movies downloaded from Netflix, paw patrol toys, her blankie & her Chase stuffed animal. One thing I wish I had packed for Lily was a small pillow. I felt so bad for her trying to get comfortable sleeping, especially on the way home as our flight was at 8:00pm so it was her bedtime. If we had a small pillow I think it would have been easier for her. For Mason I packed items that I could easily attach to me/him so that I wasn't holding onto a bunch of things and it was within reach at all times. I used our @munchingmonsterchewlery clip to keep his soother attached to me and then I had a toy strap that I used to keep a teether, crinkle paper & some of those links together. Otherwise we did not need much close by for Mason. I made sure I had 1 bottle ready to go and I stuck it in the back of the seat so it was close by when needed. Tip: Keep one bag at your feet during the flight with all the things that you think you will need. Initially I stored all of my carry on bags in the overhead; my carry on, Mason's diaper bag & Lily's carry on. Chris kept his bag at his feet. What I hadn't thought about was once we got in the air, and Mason was settled it was not easy for me to get up and get into the over head compartment without waking Mason. Thankfully our in-laws were travelling with us so I was able to ask them to grab stuff for us, but it would have been easier to keep 1 bag with a few things for Lily & Mason in it at our feet so we did not have to bother others. I would say this is essential if you are travelling without help! You can always ask the flight attendants as well to help you.
Tip: Do not bother packing a carry on for yourself; at least with items such as reading material, etc. I packed a bag for myself with a few books and a notebook to write in. Boy was I silly to think I would be able to do anything. Between distracting Lily and holding Mason it was impossible for me to do anything like that so it was wasted space and just more to carry around. I wish I had just packed 1 bag for me and Mason instead of having 2 bags between us. It was too much stuff to carry. Coming home from Mexico I only packed 1 bag for Mason and I and it was much easier. The one thing I wish I had packed for me was a small pillow. Holding Mason for 4.5 hours was not easy. The arm rests are super uncomfortable and I wish I had something to rest my arm on. I bundled up one of Chris' sweaters and used it but it didn't quite do the trick. I did find it super helpful to use my @thisandthatdesignco bags to separate Lily and Mason's stuff. I just took the ones that I always use in our diaper bag and used them in our carry ons. That way I knew easily where Lily's diapers vs. Mason's diapers were and anything else I needed.
Overall our flight there and home was a lot smoother than I thought it was going to be. Both kids behaved way better than I thought, I was extremely proud of them. I couldn't believe the amount of people that stopped us in the airport or on the plane and would say "you are so brave for travelling with 2 kids", "I don't know how you are going to do it" etc. People were overall pretty supportive but shocked that we were taking on this adventure. I will say though we did encounter one grouchy couple who was not impressed with sitting in front of us. And lucky for them they got to sit in front of us on the way to and home from Mexico! On the way to Mexico the woman sitting in front of us was giving us dirty looks the whole way there and making comments under her breath (but of course loud enough we could both here) about Lily kicking her seat. Did Lily kick her seat a few times, sure, however what the women felt was Lily using the table behind her seat. And, the lovely couple decided to recline their seats so that we had ZERO leg space which led to us hitting their seats probably more than they wished. So of course, when we boarded the plane to come home, this lovely couple was in front of us again and before the woman even sat her but in her seat she decided to make a comment about "oh great, I have to sit in front of this kid again, she's going to kick my seat and I won't be able to get any sleep". It took every ounce of our being to not respond to her comment. The mama bear in me wanted to attack, as both of my kids did not make a peep on the plane either way and were so well behaved I couldn't even believe it! The nerve of this woman to open her mouth honestly appalled me. Then of course, Lily fell asleep as we were taking off, slept the whole way home and never touched her seat once! I felt like saying "eat your words lady!". But I knew deep down that she was probably some miserable woman and it was not worth my time even addressing her remarks. So just be prepared for people to make comments or give you dirty looks. But my advice is to just smile and keep walking because those people are just not worth your time. It may kill you, cause it nearly killed me not to open my mouth (LOL) but I quickly realized I wasn't the only one she was rude to as she was rude to the flight attendants as well. Tip: if you suspect your children are going to sleep and they have their own seat try and get them to fall asleep in their seat, with the seat belt on. I know this seems impossible, but if you can it will make your life easier! During take off and decent they want your child in their seat with the belt on, so if you are able to have them fall asleep this way then you don't have to wake them to put them in their seat and buckle them up later. This was something we struggled with when Lily fell asleep because she was not happy waking up and having to lye down to get her seat belt on.
The Resort
I think one of the hardest parts when we arrived was the feeling of being unorganized. There is nothing worse than having kids and feeling unorganized. We arrived to our resort quite late so the first thing we wanted to do was eat. We grabbed some food and headed right to bed! As soon as we woke up in the morning the first thing I had to do was get organized. I unpacked mine, Lily & Mason's suitcase and organized all of our stuff. It made me feel so much better. I hung up all my dresses, put all Mason's and Lily's clothes in the dresser and organized our toiletries. At least this way I could see everything we had and Lily also knew where all her stuff was if she wanted something.
If you are worried about drinking water don't be! Mason is formula fed and so was Lily. This was one of my biggest concerns about travelling with them is sterilizing their bottles and water. The hotel provides you with bottled water if you are travelling somewhere that tap water is not safe to drink. We always had enough bottled water in our room and if we needed more the hotel was more than willing to bring some to us. That way I did not have to worry about sterilizing water for Mason's bottles. I also brought my own dish soap so I could wash his bottles properly. When we stayed in the hospital after Mason was born the lactation consultant informed us that you are no longer required to sterilize baby bottles/parts anymore. That washing them with soap and water is okay so that relieved a lot of my stress as well. I brought a bottle brush with us so that I had all my supplies for washing Mason's bottles. I will say though one of the hiccups that we encountered was I ran out of formula. Prior to going away I kept track for a week how many bottles Mason used and how long a can of formula lasts me. Typically a can of formula lasts me 1 week + 2 days. So seeing as we were going away for 7 days I felt that one can of formula would be more than enough. Well I was wrong! Tip: always bring an extra can of formula! Mason ended up drinking extra bottles while we were away because he wasn't sleeping through the night and probably because of the heat he needed the extra hydration. I didn't account for this and went into major panic mode the day before we left and I realized how much formula I had left. Thankfully, we were able to get a can of the same formula Mason drinks in town. It was good we did because we also experienced some delays at the airport, which I also didn't account for when planning his formula.
Another hard part about travelling with kids is they basically rule the roost. Neither of my kids have a really strict schedule but there are a lot of things to think about when travelling with kids. One thing I was concerned about was both of them being in the sun too much, but particularly Mason as with him being under 6 months old he wasn't able to wear sun screen. There were a lot of times where I wished I could have laid out in the sun all day but honestly, having to go back to the room for breaks was kind of nice. I actually had a few naps during the day with the kids (and that NEVER happens at home!) because I had nothing else to worry about. I wasn't worrying about the laundry or the dishes that needed to be cleaned. I was able to just relax and nap with my husband and kids. Tip: if you are worried about your children being in the sun bring a sun shade tent with you. Click here to see one similar to what we bought. It is a great investment! We use it a lot in the summer and they are really compact so easy to pack in your suitcase or bring with you for a day at the beach. Lily did not care for the beach too much so we weren't able to spend as much time at the beach as I maybe would have liked to but hanging by the pool was just as fun and a lot easier with Mason as well. Tip: Sun shade tents are great for kids who don't like the sand cause keeps them off of it. Also water shoes are helpful if kids don't like the feel of the sand. I did find it hard though when it came time to eat. Mason is pretty good with his sleep especially his bedtime. He always goes down around 7-7:30pm. So what typically happened is when we would go down for dinner, Mason would be ready to go to bed. So it usually meant that I was eating quickly so that I could get him asleep. Sometimes it sucked having to leave dinner because Mason was fussy and I had that #momguilt that we were disrupting other people's meal because he was fussy. But I want to share a story that put that #momguilt I was feeling into perspective and set my mind at ease for the rest of the trip.
About half way through our trip we went to one of the specialty restaurants for dinner. It was right smack at the beginning of Mason's bedtime so I knew it was going to be a challenge. When we got there he was in a good mood, however right after we ordered our food he got really tired. I tried snuggling him in the restaurant and getting him to sleep but he just wasn't having it. I don't blame him, it was bright, loud and not what he was used to. I was able to make it through the 1st course and he then got quite upset. So I decided it was best for me to step out of the restaurant and take him for a walk. As I was getting up to leave the table beside us stopped me. They all told me to please not leave as Mason's crying was not bothering them at all. I wanted to cry happy tears because it is not often that people say something like that. Usually you get the dirty looks, or snide remarks, but these individuals really made my evening. Then another table spoke up and said they felt the same way and that they understand as they have grandchildren and know how difficult it can be to take kid(s) out like this. Even though so many kind people let me know it was okay to stay, I still took Mason out for a walk to get him to sleep. I'll be honest, I wasn't going to eat my main course anyways (I ordered it for Chris lol!) and I knew Lily wasn't going to eat any of the food at the restaurant either. So it was best for me and both my kids to get out of there, go for a walk and then hit up the buffet when daddy was done!
After this night though, I threw my #momguilt out the window and enjoyed myself a lot more! I stopped worrying about if we were disrupting other people and focused on enjoying myself with my family. It was the best feeling! So the moral of this story is; lots of people travel with their kids, if people don't want to be at a resort where there is a possibility of kids, they can go to an adult only resort! And most of the people you will encounter have kids themselves, grand kids, nieces or nephews and have some kind of insight in what you are experiencing. That judgement is not as big as you may think it is. So let go, and have fun!
My 2 biggest pieces of advice for you while you are on vacation are;
Make sure you make time for just you and your spouse. If you are travelling with family and are able to leave your kid(s) with them for a bit DO IT! You will regret it if you don't. I know I struggled with leaving Mason and Lily for too long. It made me anxious as we were in an unfamiliar place. But, I also had to remember that my husband needed my attention to and we needed some time to enjoy ourselves together. So we got the kids to bed one night and Chris' parents came and watched them in our room for a bit. We went for a walk along the beach together and then sat on the beach and looked at the stars. This is something we have never done before and it felt so good to be alone with Chris. We talked about the different constellations we could see and he taught me about the stars. It was really refreshing to bring back some romance into our marriage!
Do something for you! My goal this trip was to do something that I would probably never do. I wanted to make one special memory for myself. Do you want to know why? Because we aren't just moms! We deserve and need to do things for ourselves every now and then. The first day we spent on the beach I saw people going on horseback rides. Right away I thought this was what I wanted to do. It was the day before we had to leave and I was so tired and just wanted to relax. Thankfully though Chris' dad convinced me to go parasailing. I never in a million years thought I would do it but it was exactly what I needed to do. Was I scared, sure but as I looked back at my daughter watching me all my fear went away. It was the most peaceful moment I had the entire trip and something I will never forget. Afterwards Lily kept telling me I was Skye from Paw Patrol because I "fly in the sky" she gave me the biggest hug and kept telling me she was proud of me. It was the sweetest thing ever! So mom's make it your mission to do something for you; whether its to enjoy the sunset by yourself, go for a walk on the beach or parasail, find some time for YOU and to celebrate how amazing you are!
I really hope that this post has made you laugh, decreased your fears (at least a little bit!) and maybe even helped you feel better prepared to go on your next adventure with your family. I would love for you to share your travelling stories below so that we can all help each other out! Travelling whether with or without kids can be stressful but we all deserve to escape to paradise every now and then! So let's all join together and share our stories to help empower families to feel confident in travelling.
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