Traveling with a Toddler

When I was single and traveling on my own, I silently judged parents who traveled with little kids. I just thought it was a crazy undertaking. Kids, especially little ones, are severely temperamental, demanding, hyper-active, and just a bit annoying in long flights.

And then I DID IT.

Three times.

So, I guess I had just successfully categorized myself with parents out there who are tugging little kids along in a busy airport. The truth is, my judgement as a single traveler was right. It IS a crazy undertaking to travel with little ones. But then that little bit of insanity somehow pays off when you see your precious (and overstimulated) child smiles from ear to ear as she discovers her new environment.

Travelling with a toddler is a lot of work, and even though I did a lot of research in preparation for our recent trip, nothing I've read online warned me about how exhausting it would be.

First is PACKING. When it was just Gian and I, we just had to pack our backpacks and we were set. Now that we travel with Rei, a check-in luggage is a must. I have to make sure that she has enough clothes to last us a few days (especially if we're not doing laundry) and that means A LOT of clothes because she easily gets messy when eating or playing. I also need to have a pack of diapers in case we don't get to go to a store after our arrival. Then there's her medication/vitamins, wipes, bibs, and toys. They're not a lot, but these "little" things can accumulate and the next thing you know, your bag is already full. With our most recent flight, we also had to pack Kuma and Blankey because she does not sleep without them. What used to be our carry-on only rule has long been forgotten.

Next is CHECK-IN. When we used to travel with no luggage, we easily did a web check-in and then we were good to go. But since we are now a must-pack-everything-we-need kind of traveler, checking-in is inevitable. And even if checking-in online is possible for those with luggage, we can't because we have an "infant" with us and a check-in at the counter is our only option. It would have been a breeze if queues were short, but to my dismay, they are anything BUT short.

MEALS are also a big consideration. As a traveling adult, having a small meal before departure and a bit of light snack on the plane would suffice. With our little princess, that is not ideal. I need to make sure that she eats a full meal or we'll have to deal with a hangry (hungry + angry) toddler throughout the flight. Sounds easy, right? We'll it's not if your daughter is a picky eater. She does not eat fast food and she only eats if there's soup. Since packing her a meal is just too much work, we have to make sure that we eat at a decent restaurant before heading to the boarding gate.

After we've checked-in and eaten, we wait for our boarding time and hope that our little one will be tired enough to take her nap. Well, she usually doesn't. We have to keep her busy and entertained while keeping an eye on our belongings and making sure that we don't miss any announcement about our flight. It's a bit easier to do since Gian and I always travel together, so we take turns watching her and taking a break. I would NEVER attempt to travel with Rei on my own. That would just be suicidal.

Fortunately, Rei is really good at sleeping during flights. When she was 6 months old and we traveled to Butuan for the first time, she slept throughout the trip and only woke up when we landed. But somehow, our recent trip was jinxed and she woke up an hour after departure so I had to keep her entertained until we landed (which was about 3hrs). I was exhausted. She wanted to walk around and play with the other passengers and I had to keep on taking her back to our seat. Then she wanted to play peek-a-boo with the flight attendants and I had to repeatedly get her out of their way as they tended to the other passengers on the plane. She was like an energizer bunny. She was very active and I was running out of ideas to keep her busy and Peppa Pig was no longer effective in keeping her still. One thing I was really grateful for was that the people sitting next to us were so considerate and helpful. They made sure my daughter didn't walk all the way to the back and they also played with her which made her really happy. Our flight coming home was a bit easier because she was asleep the entire flight. However, she did cry a couple of times because she was trying to get comfortable and that's just impossible in a small seat. I was sore by the time we arrived.

It may seem like I'm trying to scare or discourage parents from traveling with their little ones, but I'm not. I love traveling with my daughter and I would do it over again in a heartbeat (I just need the money to fund our next trip). It's challenging and it's a lot of work, but seeing my daughter interact with people and visiting new places is worth it. Also, traveling enriches the soul, even if it means that my patience and endurance will be tested along the way.

See you on our next trip!