So I just flew internationally with my 5 kids and no other adults…do I qualify as an expert at this – or maybe just crazy?! It was home to the US for a family wedding, so a really good trip! But over 24 hours door to door, 3 flights, and some serious timezone jumping makes for a rough trip any way it goes (especially when they try to seat the 6 of you scattered throughout the plane for the longest flight. OK, stranger-who-won’t-trade-seats, here is my 1 year old and her diaper bag…)
I’ve written about traveling with kids before (series starts here).
Other tips I pulled from this trip:
-Bring balloons: uninflated, of course. Great to take an empty gate, inflate, and let them play. Don’t try to keep it to a smaller part of a full gate, though. It won’t work. Unless your kids aren’t quite as into it as mine are. And bonus points if you only tie the knot part way so it can be untied and reused. (I managed that the first time!)
–Yogurt tubes in a “TSA liquid approved” (quart sized) ziplock. The size (2 oz) gets them through and they are a great snack. If you freeze them first, they stay cool for a long time. We always bring sandwiches, but these are a nice supplement.
-Speaking of food, baby food isn’t just for babies! We brought some applesauce baby food pouches and some of the older kids enjoyed them.
-Sometimes a stroller isn’t for actually pushing the kids. It’s a baggage wain. I used a soft back carrier to wrangle my 1 year old and the rest walked unencumbered with their backpacks. The stroller was a bit heavy for me but it was 1am their body time and we were enroute to our third flight, so moving was more difficult for them and important for me!
–Extra cloth bag for jackets, wipes, etc. Or is it just me who seems to pick up stuff that doesn’t fit into our bags as we go? Especially as we go through security yet again…
Do you have any tips to add? I’m always looking!
