• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • TikTok
  • FOOD/DRINK
  • BLOGGING
  • FITNESS
  • My Story
  • Work with Me
    • Disclosure
  • Contact Us
This Real Mom

This Real Mom

Keepin' it real in motherhood!

Home / FAMILY TRAVEL / Travel Essentials for Young Children

Travel Essentials for Young Children

FAMILY TRAVEL, PARENTING

Traveling is often one of the most important gifts we want to provide for our children. As the child of a commercial airline pilot, we traveled A LOT as children.

I learned so much from seeing our country and other parts of the world, and I want my children to have the opportunity to do that too. That being said, traveling with younger children is not always easy (shocking I know!).

 Animal Planet Neck Support Pillow, Children’s Neck Pillow, Giraffe, Machine Washable, Soft and Plush, Brown ReTrak ETAUDFSHRK ReTrak Animalz Retractable Volume Limiting Children’s Headphones Harry Potter Coloring Book Trailmaker Boys’ Shark Camo, Multi, One Size

I have learned over our trips that there are some things that help make the trip a little easier for both kids AND parents. Here are some of my travel essentials for younger children:

  • Bubble Bum booster seats— I discovered the portable Bubble Bum car seats a few years ago, and they have been a lifesaver when traveling! If you rent a car at your final destination, the add-on charge for car seats and booster seats can be exorbitant, and you can never really be sure what you’re getting. The Bubble Bum car seat (only for children over 4 years of age and 40 lbs) is inflatable, so you can compress it for traveling and blow it up when you reach your final destination! 
  • Good kid headphones— Whether you’re pro screen time or not, faced with a long flight, comfy headphones for your child can go a long way! Keeping them entertained, while protecting their ears, can be a godsend! We like the ReTrak headphones because the boys think they are comfy, and I feel good about the fact that there is a maximum decibel level to protect their hearing! Bonus: they have a retractable cord. 🙂 
  • Kids neck pillows— If you’re lucky, you child(ren) will fall asleep at some point on your flight. They have super floppy necks, so a good neck pillow can keep them propped up and sleeping. I love these little ones— they are just the right size and cute to boot! 
  • Coloring materials— Never underestimate the power of new coloring books and a fresh box of crayons. I like to go to our local Christmas Tree Shop or Michaels to stock up with the $1 ones, that way there’s no love lost if they get left on the plane! If your children are a bit older, there are some great more advanced coloring books (usually near the front with the mandala ones). My oldest son fell in love with the Harry Potter one!
  • Child-size backpack— You have enough stuff to carry as it is, make sure you child has an appropriately sized backpack to fill with their own items (stuffed animal, books, small toy, coloring supplies). I think it’s a good idea to get them started at a young age being responsible for some of their own items. It’s also very helpful for making sure that they don’t pack too many items to take on the plane!

What’s on your essentials list for traveling with young children?

0 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

December 22, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Previous Post: « Iliotibial (IT) Band Syndrome
Next Post: Here’s Where We Will Be Skiing in Vermont and Maine This Season! »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

One of the best things about whole foods plant-bas One of the best things about whole foods plant-based eating is that weekday meal prep can get a lot easier! This afternoon, I came home from a day of teaching, tutoring, and kid,-chauffeuring, and there wasn’t a lot of time to get some thing ready for dinner. Thankfully, there was some arugula in the fridge and I used the night before’s pasta dish and a can of diced tomatoes to repurpose a new dinner! #who#wholefoodsplantbaseda#plantstronga#plantbasedrecipesa#plantbaseddinnern#runonplantsa#plantbasedg#veganfood#mojo.video
Here’s the lineup for today’s meals: sprouted Here’s the lineup for today’s meals: sprouted whole wheat toast with almond butter and banana for breakfast; field greens with Thai veggie burger, and edamame topped with maple mustard vinaigrette; and for dinner or warm potato salad served over farro with apple cider vinaigrette. The Thai veggie burgers were from dinner the night before— an easy work lunch to prep in the morning!
Instagram post 18003924953010638 Instagram post 18003924953010638
Loved this “leftovers” salad! One of my favori Loved this “leftovers” salad! One of my favorite things to do for lunch the next day is take last night’s leftovers and put them over greens. Just added some sunflower seeds, lime juice and avocado to this one and it hit the spot!
Perfect end to a beautiful #mdw at home on the Cap Perfect end to a beautiful #mdw at home on the Cape! Picked up the oldest from a friend’s house and headed to @seacrestcapecod for a cocktail on the beach before heading home to get dinner and watch the @celtics 🏀
Checking out a sneak peek of @dcleagueofsuperpets Checking out a sneak peek of @dcleagueofsuperpets with 2 of the boys! #hosted 🐾
.
.
.
.
.
.
#dcleagueofsuperpets #movies #summermovie #pets
#ad Summer is going to be SUPER busy in our house #ad Summer is going to be SUPER busy in our house with 3 active boys and mom teaching and in grad school! #MakeMealsEZBBxx. 
Frozen meals are an AWESOME option for busy weeknights or a quick lunch at work. Our family loves bowls, so the @fronterafoods Chicken Verde Burrito Bowl was a huge hit! My personal favorite was the @mariecallenders_  Shrimp Fajita Meal – it had the perfect amount of spiciness and the black beans were delicious! My middle son is a pasta lover, so he called dibs on the @bertolli_us Pasta Sides Herb Gnocchi - SO GOOD! It’s perfect for a quick meal or to serve alongside an easy to prep Italian meal like the @mariecallenders_ Duos Creamy Pesto Chicken + Four Cheese Ravioli. Since our family loves PF Chang’s, the battle for the  @pfchangshomemenu Chicken Teriyaki bowl was hotly contested! The last item we were excited to try was the @gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Breakfast Saus'ge Original. Believe it or not– 2 of our boys are still in school until June 29th, so these plant-based breakfast sausages have been a great option to add to a quick breakfast before school. Stock up on these delicious frozen options and save the time and hassle of prepping lunch or dinner on busy summer days!
#sponsored We had so much fun hosting a backyard f #sponsored We had so much fun hosting a backyard friends with help from @stopandshop - we love one stop shopping! It was the perfect ending to a beautiful day. S’mores choices included sea salt and caramel, mint chocolate, peanut butter cups, milk chocolate, strawberries, bananas! It was sea salt and caramel for the win. 🥇 
#StaycationWithStopAndShop #FeedTheMoment #StopandShop
Load More...
One of the best things about whole foods plant-bas One of the best things about whole foods plant-based eating is that weekday meal prep can get a lot easier! This afternoon, I came home from a day of teaching, tutoring, and kid,-chauffeuring, and there wasn’t a lot of time to get some thing ready for dinner. Thankfully, there was some arugula in the fridge and I used the night before’s pasta dish and a can of diced tomatoes to repurpose a new dinner! #who#wholefoodsplantbaseda#plantstronga#plantbasedrecipesa#plantbaseddinnern#runonplantsa#plantbasedg#veganfood#mojo.video
Here’s the lineup for today’s meals: sprouted Here’s the lineup for today’s meals: sprouted whole wheat toast with almond butter and banana for breakfast; field greens with Thai veggie burger, and edamame topped with maple mustard vinaigrette; and for dinner or warm potato salad served over farro with apple cider vinaigrette. The Thai veggie burgers were from dinner the night before— an easy work lunch to prep in the morning!
Instagram post 18003924953010638 Instagram post 18003924953010638
Loved this “leftovers” salad! One of my favori Loved this “leftovers” salad! One of my favorite things to do for lunch the next day is take last night’s leftovers and put them over greens. Just added some sunflower seeds, lime juice and avocado to this one and it hit the spot!
Perfect end to a beautiful #mdw at home on the Cap Perfect end to a beautiful #mdw at home on the Cape! Picked up the oldest from a friend’s house and headed to @seacrestcapecod for a cocktail on the beach before heading home to get dinner and watch the @celtics 🏀
Checking out a sneak peek of @dcleagueofsuperpets Checking out a sneak peek of @dcleagueofsuperpets with 2 of the boys! #hosted 🐾
.
.
.
.
.
.
#dcleagueofsuperpets #movies #summermovie #pets
Load More...
© Copyright This Real Mom 2019. Site design by Seaside Digital Design & Marketing LLC
0 shares