Traveling with an Under Two

Emma testing the kid backpack carrier
with her baby inside...

It's true. We just got back a few weeks ago from taking our almost two year old daughter on an almost two week trip to three countries in South America. It was totally our choice, no reason we had to go, no reason we had to take her, but we did and we had a great time. Sure there were challenges and traveling with Emma is no doubt getting more difficult, but overall she was a great traveler and more than anything, she was just a typical toddler.

Over the past two years and traveling to 21 different countries with Emma we have learned a lot about traveling with a small child. And people always ask us, how we do it (and perhaps why), especially this last trip which required much more planning in rural and less developed areas, water and food safety to consider, extra vaccinations, and high altitude preparation. One of my favorite memories was the American couple who looked at us as we left breakfast at our hotel in Cusco, Peru with a backpack and a kid backpack carrier as we were headed for two days to Machu Picchu and just said "We are in awe of everything you guys are doing right now." We would be lying if we didn't say I think we were in awe of ourselves a little too, and we were also calling ourselves a little crazy!

So, I know as many parents tell me that they would be afraid to travel as much as we have with a small child I thought I would pass along my two cents on toys and techniques that have worked well for us at each age. Keep in mind that nearly all of our traveling has been done via public transit and not car, which also greatly impacted our choices for things to bring to occupy Emma's time. First, here's a look at some things that have always been important for us when traveling with Emma and then I broke them down by age.

Consistent Go-To's

• Snacks: I think every parent knows you can never go wrong with too many snacks, but if you can make sure they are time consuming to eat (and hopefully not too messy). The snack cup was a brilliant invention (make sure to get the type that has a fitted, resealable lid!)

Snack breaks are the best! In the car in Iceland...

• iPad: While we do try to limit Emma's "screen time" and she rarely gets to use the iPad at home, it makes it a really special treat when we travel. We also steer clear of any actual programs or movies and keep it to interactive apps. It's hard to not say that this one device can make traveling so much easier on both parents and kids of most any age.

Looking cool with her shades and sunglasses on a road trip to Louisville earlier this year.

• White Noise: Another great reason to travel with your iPad. You can download a good white noise app for your little one to sleep. Not only is it supposed to help sooth a baby, but it helps to drown out all the hotel noises, especially when you are sleeping in 15 square meter European hotel rooms.
• Bags full of "stuff": It has worked for us since Emma was about 9 months old. Little zippered bags (cheap toiletry bags or pencil cases work great). At first it was just about zipping and unzipping these bags and putting items in and out it didn't matter what the items inside were. As Emma got a little older some of her favorite items for these little bags were fake credit cards, little rubber animals, bracelets, necklaces, stickers, chapstick, tiny containers of play-dough, plastic keys, etc. Now that we're back in the United States I have found that Party City is the gold mine of great items to put in your little bags.

Emma had just discovered the joy of bags full of "stuff" before her one year photos last year and she never wanted to put her bag down!

• Talk about what they see out the window: Although they won't get much out of it in their first year, by the second year Emma was already quite intrigued by the world around her. There is so much to learn and it's one of the reasons we take her places with us (even though we know she might not remember the specifics, there are still so many things she is learning). Also, by making sure they look outside the window every now also helps to prevent motion sickness!
• Make friends: Make friends with the people around you. If you win them over early with your kids cute looks and antics you'll feel much less stressed if your kid does act up later!
• Crawl, walk, and run at the airport, train station or anywhere else you can: Cooped up travel days can be long, but many airports and public transit stations have areas designated for kids if you look or ask you might find a great place to expend some energy. And even if there is not a designated spot those moving walkways are the best!

Our airport entertainment after an unexpected overnight delay in Denver on our way home from Iceland last fall.

• Get over germs: I'm sorry for those of you that get really worried about germs, but if you travel with your little one you will have to overcome it. Maybe Emma just has a really good immune system (because she's rarely sick), or maybe the world isn't as incredibly germy that we all make it out to be, or maybe it just helps to keep exposing your kids to germs. Regardless, your little one has to explore and touch things if you all are going to have a good time traveling so they might pick up a few germs.
• A change of clothes (for everyone): Most parents always remember a change of clothes in the carry on for their little one, but don't forget about yourselves! If your little one makes a mess when traveling it is likely going to end up on someone else as well!
• Highlights: The classic kids magazine is made for babies as well these days and called Hello. It is phenomenal from a travel perspective because they have thin, plastic-coated pages (relatively indestructible for a small child and super easy to pack). There are lots of fun little stories, rhymes, songs, and activities for both babies and toddlers to enjoy. 

Under 6 Months

• Music: There may not be too many toys to entertain your child at this age and you likely don't need many, but what you will need is the ability to sooth your child in new, different, strange settings and music was key for us with Emma. I started taking Emma to Kindermusik when she was 9 weeks old and we got some great CD's. Those quickly got downloaded on my phone and went with us everywhere. If we were out on a hike or Emma was a little cranky in the stroller the phone got turned on with her favorite music. Still to day Emma requests her favorites when we are in the car.
• Old magazines: At about 5 or 6 months old we discovered Emma's passion for tearing pieces of paper and a magazine could consume a lot of time. And I had more than one flight attendant thank me for bringing them for her and say they were more than happy to help clean up the mess if it kept her entertained and happy.
• Mirrors: Little pocket-sized mirrors are the best. When Emma was 6 months old they could entertain her for 20 minutes at a time. You can't go wrong with this one.

6 to 12 Months

• Music with Movements: Music was still a go to, but as she got older a few favorite songs that involved specific movements (hand or whole body) really kept her entertained. Once again, Kindermusik was great!
• Cups & Straws: Don't underestimate the less obvious free objects you can get while traveling or at a restaurant. Do you know how long your under one can be consumed by putting objects in and out of a cup? And straws? There is a strange fascination that an almost one year old has with a straw!
• Plastic Credit Cards: Around six months old we discovered that a sample credit card you got in the mail that normally got thrown out the door could be the ultimate source of pleasure for your little one!

Emma loved finding her little animals in her bag when she was 10 or 11 months old. Here she is on the train ride home from Paris showing me what her animals say. This video seriously cracks me up.

12 to 18 Months

• Aquadoodle: There are many variations of this toy out there, but we got one similar to this, AquaDoodle - Travel Doodle and it was great for Emma! You can't beat the fact that you just fill up the pen over and over with water and let them scribble in two different colors. We also got one that came with a fun Doodle Pro too. However, that did make it a little bulkier to travel with if we brought both along.
• Tape and Stickers: Going back to the obvious here, it's important to not forget or underestimate them! As they are just learning the concept of stickers at this age, simply bringing a roll of masking tape (or painters tape so it is less sticky) can be a ton of fun for a one year old!
• Ice Cubes in a Cup: I already mentioned how great cups can be, but as they get a little older you can have a lot of fun by getting two cups and letting them move ice cubes back and forth between the two cups. Just be ready to potentially get a little wet. Otherwise it was a great way for us to kill 15 minutes on an airplane.
• Balloons & Pinwheels: Have a road trip planned? Then make sure to pack some balloons and pinwheels. On some of the longer driving trips we took last summer I would sometimes sit in the back of the car with Emma and blow balloons up and let the air out on her to her delight time and time again. She also loved it when I stuck a pinwheel out the window and she could watch it spin madly as we drove along.
• Quiet Books: These soft books are wonderful for kids, especially when you need them to be a little quieter. We have a few made by this company called "Pockets of Learning" and Emma has thoroughly enjoyed them, especially one like this, My Quiet Book. And it is fun watching her to continue to improve her ability to button, zip, and snap!
• Wood Magnet Puzzles: Emma absolutely loved magnet puzzles starting about 13 or 14 months old. We have this one,  Lelin Wood Magnet Puzzle, but it doesn't look like it is easy to find here in the states. I did recently come across this one made by Melissa and Doug that looks like it would be great as well, Fishing Magnetic Puzzle. Only downside with these are more pieces to potentially lose, so just make sure to bring a resealable bag along to store all the pieces and it might be best to keep this toy to the car and hotel room.
• Ribbon Puzzle: These puzzles seem to be hard to find, but I'm not sure why because the concept seems brilliant for a little kid that is traveling. While we never tried one, if you can find one like this, Ravensburger Ribbon Puzzle, I would recommend giving it a try!
• Items that open and close: Back to the simple, there are so many things that are great for this age group! Empty bottles with simple lids to open and close, an iPod with headphones that can be plugged in and out, a coin purse to put coins in and out. The possibilites are endless...
• Magic Animal Capsules: These capsules been out there since we were kids. Remember those little pills that inflate into sponge animals after soaking in water for a few minutes? Well it you're looking for something fun when you're back in the hotel room make sure have a few of these packed. Every time Emma was amazed as she watched it inflate and then she insisted she played with it for a long time after it was grown.

18 to 24 Months

• Gertie Ball: I would highly recommend the Gertie Ball as it was so easy to pack and inflate. It comes with a little straw like device to use to inflate it, which just takes a couple of breaths. While you could just pack a beach ball (and ours often got used in the pool) what I like about the Gertie Ball is that it is truly multipurpose. It has a unique surface that makes it easily gripped by a young child. It also bounces well, which makes it a great ball to play on the sidewalk with. 

First night in Peru... taking the Gertie ball to the pool!

• Buckle Toys: While I had never seen one to my knowledge before we bought Buster back in April, I have now seen them several times and for good reason, Emma loved this toy! Buster was super easy to pack and/or strap onto a bag and take anywhere and Emma loved to sit still for awhile and buckle all of the buckles on it!

Emma made some friends in a small Peruvian village and they loved Buster the buckle toy!

• Playdough: You can't really got wrong with this and the addition of a few little cookie cutters greatly increases the amount of time played with it!
• Photo Book: While most of the time I will just give Emma my phone to look through photos at, I thought it would be a good change of pace to make her a photo book showing photos of family members and close friends.She had lots of fun flipping through the pages during our trip to South America and many new friends she met during our travels also enjoyed looking at it.
• Colorblast Activity Books: Similar to the Aquadoodle, Melissa and Doug make many unique products. While they do have some books that require a pen that you fill up with water I really enjoyed this specific book, Colorblast on the Go, that simply has a magic pen which will "paint" different colors on the magic pages of the book. Considering how much Emma enjoys just dumping the entire water pen over the Aquadoodle, this was a nice change that was still safe and ensues nothing else gets colored that should not.
• Lauri Toddler Tote: This was probably one of the biggest duds of travel toys we bought for Emma. The Lauri Toddler Tote had reviews from parents saying they were shocked to see how much their child liked it after it appeared like such a basic toy. I was thinking the same thing when I bought it and hoped I would be surprised by how much Emma liked it. I was wrong, she really hardly played with it at all on our trip to South America. Maybe I'll revisit it in a couple months and see if she is more into it.

While we hope it is not the case, in all reality we think our "crazy" traveling days may be dwindling. With Emma turning two last week the biggest hurdle is that we now have to pay full price for her airline tickets! It is also becoming more challenging and we expect that trend to continue for the next few years until she reaches an age where she can truly appreciate the travels. And while I will say traveling with Emma was never as easy as it was before we had her, it really wasn't that hard looking back at it. Yes, you have to be prepared, but it also taught us to take our time (especially me) and enjoy some of our surroundings when we had to take a break for Emma. Traveling with Emma has also led us to interact with locals more so than ever before. There are so many things we learned and unique experiences we had because we traveled with her. 

The most important thing for us and we hope other parents cane takeaway is just because you have kids doesn't mean your life has to stop and you have to stop exploring and experiencing new things. It might have to be modified, but it doesn't have to stop. 

And even if Emma doesn't remember anything from our trips I hope she takes away the ability to be flexible and an appreciation and respect for people that are different from her. I also pray she grows up with a love to travel as much as we have and that she won't be too upset that she doesn't remember the 3 continents, 21 countries, and 11 states she visited before she turned two years old! No matter what, we know the past two years have been amazing traveling with her! I hope there are many more amazing trips ahead!

Some of Emma's travel favorites are great just for a trip to Target!