It seems the holidays are upon us and many of us will be traveling with toddlers this holiday season or at least traveling to other people’s houses for parties and get-togethers. What things can you do to make your parties and travels go more smoothly?
While I am by no means an expert here are some tricks I have used to make thing go more smoothly:
7 Toddler Holiday Travel Hacks
1) Pack lots of snacks: I like to make sure the diaper bag is packed with snacks and a sippy cup because you never know when the next time food will be available. Last year, before we went on any car trip longer than 2 hours, I would take a trip to Aldi and stock up on puffs, yogurt and baby food pouches, and little easy to eat foods like that. This year my son is into mini boxes or raisins, cheese sticks, apple sauce pouches, and meat sticks. A sippy cup is almost always in our diaper bag.
2) Pack a change of clothes for them and for you: It goes without saying that most people always have a backup outfit for their toddler in their diaper bag at all times. However, I am suggesting that especially during the holidays and cold and flu season, it does not hurt to have a backup outfit for you in your car at all times. I learned this the hard way last year while my family and I were attending a fancy-ish Christmas party. My son did not seem sick when we got to the party, but things took a turn for the worst and I ended up leaving the party in my coat and shoes with the rest of my clothing items in a plastic bag. It was a very cold night and we had a one hour long drive ahead of us. So this year, I am going to put a simple outfit, like black sweat pants and a sweatshirt, in a special place and I am not going to take it out of our van unless I need it.
3) Use Johnson’s Baby Bedtime Bath (Lavendar Scented) when
4. Pack headphones and Tablet/ Laptop/ Smartphone for Evening Entertainment: Toddlers often like to go to bed at the same time they always go to bed, even when you are traveling. There has been more than one occasion when my husband and I feel like our day has to end when our toddler’s day ends because we are sharing a hotel room and our son has finally gone to sleep. Our solution to this problem is to bring a computer or a tablet and headphones and stream Netflix on the computer while our son is snoozing away.
5. Bring Pull-Ups for easy rest stop diaper changes: 
6. Always pack a swimsuit just in case: Last year when traveling to see my family at the holidays, I chose to stay in a specific local hotel because they had an indoor swimming pool that they advertised on their website. When we arrived at the hotel, I was told that the pool was not open during the winter because they did not want to heat the room the pool was in. Fortunately, I did a little calling around and I found two other indoor pools that were open to the public in a town of about 6,000 people. I rounded up our group of 10+ family members and we had a wonderful afternoon splashing around in a local pool on a cold and snowy day. Pools are a great way to burn off energy in the winter, so that is why I think it is important to always be prepared to go swimming when traveling with children.
7. Bring a white noise machine for sleeping away from home: My son sleeps with a white noise machine turned on at home, we always bring it when we sleep away from home. It seems to make him sleep longer and with fewer interruptions.
What are you child holiday travel hacks?
