By necessity we've become more adventurous. When DD was a baby, travel was such a hassle, particularly having to stop the car to nurse the child, stop the car 15 minutes later to change the child, stop the car 15 minutes later so I could use the little girls' room (after chugging 16 oz of water)... you get the idea.
Plane travel was not much better, as I was reliant on the breast pump, and my hand-me-down mammoth was prohibitively heavy and full of hassle. Not to mention finding a way to sterilize the pump parts or store pumped milk. Plus my kid is so squirmy, and has never been fond of having her space restricted. But I digress...As soon as we stopped nursing, as sad as I was, it made travel so much easier. When DD was 11 months we flew across the country to Seattle. She has also been on vacation to Phoenix, Mexico, and North Carolina, and on several moving-related car rides between our current residence in MI to our former residence in the DC area.
Every kid and every family is different. Some may have a good temperament for extended travel. Here are some tips I've gleaned from our experience and friends. If anyone is reading this, your comments and suggestions would be a great addition.
I will preface these activity-oriented suggestions with one more logistical one: Take LOTS of baby wipes! Hands, face, spills, and that's just for my husband...
1. Pack lots of bite-size snacks. You eat when you're bored too, right? Raisins, cheerios, cut up grapes or cherries, dried fruit, and toddler crackers all work well. Remember safety - a sudden stop can cause your child to choke. Even if your child can handle whole grapes, for example, cut them in half.
2. Pack bite-size snacks in lots of little containers. I use the plastic Gerber baby food containers. For one, it makes a handy serving size. And two, opening and closing the container is half the fun. Yes, it makes a mess. Personally I'd rather vacuum up cheerios than have an grumpy toddler strapped in the back seat.
3. Books - For you to read aloud and for your child to look at and 'read' alone. Go with any favorites you have and first word books. It's amazing how much the little ones love to look at a picture of something and identify it. Board books with lots of colorful pictures of a variety of items (household, animals, food, etc), are great, especially when that vocabulary starts its upswing.
4. Of course, take the most favorite toy (or 2) with you in the car or on the plane. Just make sure it's not electronic if you are on the plane! DD could stay occupied for quite a while with a baby doll and a bottle. She also loves (and we struggle to tolerate) the leap-pad reader, where you press an item and it makes a noise, and the leap frog alphabet radio.
5. Take nap-time security items, even if it's not during nap time. This makes your little one feel comfy cozy on the trip. And it just might help them fall asleep outside of normal sleeping hours.
6. Music, music, music. We are partial to Wee Sing and anything from Raffi. Brush up on your own repertoire - Twinkle twinkle, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Patty-cake, Head-and-Shoulders (knees and toes), Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald, Bingo, etc. An enthusiastic sing along with hand motions and lots of applause fills up a toddler's happy-tank.
7. Finger games - where is Thumbkin, This Little Piggy.
8. Activities -
a. Magnetic dress-up dolls (older toddlers)
b. Paper and stickers (parcel out the stickers to younger toddlers, they also may prefer to stick them on their shirt)
c. Spiral-bound notebook paper and a pen.
d. Pipe cleaners - they can bend into shapes or just flap them around
e. For preschoolers, "I spy with my little eye" is a fun game
9. For car rides, plan out a place to stop and let everyone run around (literally run) at least every 2 waking hours, and be prepared to stop more often, just in case. It's not fast traveling with these guys! Play tag, bring a push-toy out of the trunk. Climb on benches and up and down stairs at the rest stop, play chase, hunt for leaves, play follow the leader with mom or dad leading running, galloping, skipping, and jumping. Plan AHEAD of time how you will entice the child back into the car (food or the special blankie often work for us).
10. On plane rides, a stopover takes longer, but if your flight is longer than 2 or 3 hours you will be glad to have it. Try to plan enough time to engage in physical activity, and do your best to wear out that child before you get back on the plane.
For more on traveling logistics with kids, check out: http://www.flyingwithkids.com/
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