Things You Need in Your Carry On if You’re Traveling With Kids

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I am currently writing a short series dedicated to what I have learned during my first two years of motherhood as well as what I wish I had known before I went through some of these experiences.

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Today I am going to be sharing with you the five things I always take with me whenever I am going on a plane with little Holly.

Her first time on a plane was actually when she was 9 months old because I took her to introduce her to my family and friends in Alaska.

Going home to visit family in general has always been a pretty big task because my husband is from New Mexico and I’m from Alaska, but now that we’re adding kids into the mix it honestly would be nearly impossible if I wasn’t a strategic planner.

So that is the inspiration behind this post and now here are my 5 things you need in your carry on if you are traveling with your kids.

Extra Clothes and Toiletries

I think this is one pretty obvious and I see it everywhere in travel blogs and YouTube videos, but it is essential.

Say for example you have a layover, your bag gets lost, or you miss your flight and there isn’t a new one until tomorrow. You will probably want something to change into because day old airport clothes are just gross.

If you’re a parent you also need to be prepared for spit up, blow outs, and air sickness. Take it from me, it is extremely difficult to wash a onesie in the sink of an airport bathroom and blow dry it in a hand dryer so you can put it on a freezing cold baby who is now screaming.

By the way hopefully this doesn’t happen to you because when It happened to me, I got a lot of stares lol. Anyway if you are planning a trip with kids do future self a favor and pack at least one extra outfit for each one of your kids.

Medications

I don’t know why but for some reason when I travel I always think to myself “I have limited space and even though I use this product every day I’m just not going to pack it”.

I’m telling you right now, pack the medications and vitamins you and your kids are taking on the daily. I’m sure you already know what to take for yourself, but if this is your first time on a plane here are my recommendations for what you may need for your kids.

Infant Tylenol because when you are ascending and descending during takeoff and landing the abrupt changes in air pressure can make your kid’s little ears plug. This is especially true because the tubes in their inner ears are more horizontal than adults which makes it even easier for them to plug up and stay plugged for longer. One way to prevent plugged ears is to give Baby a pacifier or a bottle during takeoff/landing because swallowing can help unplug ears.

Next is children’s Benadryl. If you have really little kids, you may not even know what they are allergic to but an airport is not a great place to find out about food and other allergies. So be sure to have allergy medicine for kids on hand in a place where you can easily find it just in case.

My last recommendation is sea sickness bands or Dramamine for kids. Sea sickness bands are like bracelets but they go on the pressure point of your wrist which helps with keep nausea under control. Again if this is your first time on a plane with your kids, you may not know if they will get air sick but trust me you’ll want to be prepared if they do. – Side note if you’re pregnant and experiencing morning sickness, sea sickness bands are a great way to help calm your nausea.

Breast Milk/Premade Formula

This one is tricky because breast milk and pre-made formulas are technically a liquid so you would think that you can’t take it through airport security, but you actually can as long as you have 4 oz in a bottle. You also can take more than one bottle with breast milk, so if you pump and have 8 oz, you can split that up into two bottles and take all that liquid gold with you.

By the way some airports have pumping/nursing rooms, but in my experience they are pretty terrible and if your flight is more than 2 hours it is a good idea to bring a wearable electric pump breast pump, a portable hand pump or even Breast Shells with you in your carry on so you can discreetly maintain your pumping schedule and prevent mastitis while you travel.

Electronics

In general it’s a pretty good idea to have chargers with you in your carry on for your phone, tablet, laptop (and breast pump) etc. and it is extremely important when you are traveling. You are going to want to let your loved ones know about any unexpected delays there may be and when you make it safely to your destination.

Most planes have a place for you to plug in your electronics and most airports have charging stations, so just in case you have Mom-brain because you haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep in like 100 years, here is your reminder to pack your chargers, headphones and the actual electronics you think you might need on the plane in your carry on.

Jacket/Blanket

I don’t know why but it is always freezing in airports and on planes, so I always have a light jacket with me and one for little Holly even if we are going somewhere warm. Furthermore, no matter how many times I check the weather before I leave for vacation it always seems to randomly rain or even snow when I least expect it.

I also always have a light blanket that folds up super tiny because I have had my flight canceled before and ended up sleeping in the airport which was super uncomfortable and weird.

Thank goodness I didn’t have kids at the time so it wasn’t too horrible, but a comfortable blanket is a must for yourself and your kids.

Blankets can be a comfort item for some children so even if you aren’t stuck in the airport because of a cancelation, having a blanket on hand to give to an anxious baby or toddler is a great way to distract and calm them down.

That is all I have for you guys today. Thank you so much for joining me!

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