Air Travel - Flying With An Infant/toddler

Air Travel with toddlers doesn't have to be a stressful experience. Here are some exclusive tips that will help you make it through your flight.

Schedule your flights to coincide with nap/bedtimes.
Whenever possible, try to book direct flights during the time of day or night your child would normally be sleeping. In all likelihood, they will keep up the pattern and fall asleep despite being 25,000 feet in the air. Any sleep they get on the plane will serve to cut down the time they must be entertained while awake!

Car seat on the plane?
When our daughter was an infant we choose to save the money and only purchase seats for ourselves which meant she spent the duration of the flight(s) on our laps. More recently, we have taken to carrying-on the car seat which accomplishes two very important things: freeing up our laps, arms, and such, and keeping her in the seat. It also adds some familiarity to a new vehicle/mode of transportation - a little piece of home(life) in a new place. Yes, it is frustrating having to carry the seat around the airport, but the in-flight payoff is worth it. One Step Ahead sells an adapter to turn a car seat into a backpack which may help you manage your carry-ons.

Managing the Flight
An easy and effective way to manage your in-flight, family-with-toddler(s) experience is to break the trip down, mentally, into 20 minute segments (to borrow an airline term). So, if you have a 2 1/2 hour flight, you really have only 7 twenty minute segments to schedule and occupy your child's (or children's) time. When you think of your flight in this manner it becomes a relatively manageable event. Here are some parent and flight tested tips on segment ideas that will occupy and entertain your kids, providing you with some down time to peruse the SkyMall catalog, and not have you lugging a suitcase full of toys around the terminal.

(remember: each idea has to occupy a mere 20 minutes, anything more than that is a bonus!):

* A new toy or book (nothing fancy, just something brand new to him or her)
* Crayola Color Wonder Markers (an inventive product that will only write on the special Crayola paper) - This is a favorite of ours. No messes at all and no toxic marker smell. The marker caps make for great, silly kid fingernail extensions. In fact, if your child is anything like ours, the caps alone could be their own segment.
* Tape and/or Stickers - Plain old Scotch tape can be a load of fun for a little one. Roll it up inside itself to make a sticky circle and let them stick it to their nose, your nose, between their fingers...just good old fashioned fun with a 2 inch piece of tape.
* Magna Doodle (Travel Edition) - A classic toy that our modern kids still enjoy. (Note: really young ones may get frustrated at their inability to, independently, erase their work as the tab to clear the screen can be rather difficult to slide)
* A Discman/Portable CD player - If you do not have an old one collecting dust somewhere, they can be had relatively cheap in the iPod age. This is perfect if your child has a particular CD they are diggin' at the moment (or if you have made a Mix CD of their favorite songs). If they have never used a portable cd player before, the novelty of this device combined with the music they already love should carry you for two segments. Be sure to keep the volume at a low level and use only the classic earphones with the large, round and padded ear pieces that sit on the outside of their ears. kid size earphones?
* Their favorite book(s) - (often a bedtime book, which is essential if your flight will involve a nap or take place during bedtime).
* For older toddlers/young kids: some brochures/city-location guide books. Allow and encourage your kids to plan a day trip, museum visit, etc. Give the reigns over to them for a period of time (whatever you are comfortable with/have the time for) providing they devise a plan using the material you bring on board. Not only will this occupy a good amount of time, but they will love the chance to be the boss and decision maker. By engaging them in the trip planning you will also increase the chances of them enjoying themselves and going along with something you want to do (reciprocating the favor). For the younger members of your family, use the brochures as a conversation piece to get them excited and interested in what they will be seeing during the vacation.

Snap-Crackle-Pop (Dealing with the altitude and popping ears)
Be sure to pack their favorite beverage and snack on board. Not only will the eating and drinking occupy a segment but it is also an method of reducing the impact of air pressure on their ears. By drinking or chewing they will hopefully not feel an uncomfortable amount of pressure while taking off and landing.

Enjoy your flight!

Copyright 2006 OutWithTheKids.com
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
By: OutWithTheKids.com

Out With The Kids is a web blog dedicated to providing unique tips, trips, events, and ideas to families striving to raise healthy, happy, and interesting kids. Visit us at www.outwiththekids.com

Travel Blog

Why You Should Go For Travel Wallet?

If you are the people who love travel so you might find that having some special accessory is vary important in order to save your trip. Especially travel to remote area or travel overseas, where you may not be able to get enough support to when you have problems. The accessory that many of traveller look for are travel bag and travel wallet. The following article is about how importance of travel wallet and to describe why you have to get one when you are going to travel overseas.

Travel wallet is the type that a bit different from ordinary type as travel wallet have more space and slots to contain all necessary things for travel such as credit card, passport, bank notes, check book, air tickets and all other important travel documents. The reason for having travel wallet is not only you have the one thing that store all kind of travel stuff in one place, but the other important reason is also to protect yourself when there is an accident such as you may lose your travel bag or suit case during flight transfer but you still have travel wallet with you. This enables you to make sure that you still have all important things that you need to continue your trip.

Why you need travel wallet?

There are so many reasons to have it apart from things that the detailed mentioned earlier. Especially you may need kind of money exchange when you have to travel. That is, when they have to travel, particularly overseas travel, many people likely youll buy travellers checks to take along for ready cash when you want to pay for goods or services outside of your own area, where personal checks wont be accepted. Even though many of financial companied and banks also have fast services for travellers check and credit card replacement reclaims. But some time there is no guarantee that those companies will process as quick as they have advertised. Therefore it is good idea to keep those travellers check and credit cards with you all the time by put them in the travel wallet to protect you from losing those important documents.
Which format of travel wallet?

Some people may doubt that so if they would like to buy travel wallet, then which type of them they would use. As mentioned earlier that travel wallet is very much like ordinary wallet buy they are larger and have more slots as they are designed to be of sufficient size to comfortably accommodate passports, drivers licenses, cash, credit cards and travellers checks with ease. However, some body may argue that they still be uncomfortable to carry travel wallet due to its size. The good news is today we have other shape of travel wallet that called money belts which generally made of tough but lightweight materials like nylon and fit around your waist in a comfortable and inconspicuous manner. Therefore you have alternative not to buy carry travel wallet but use money belt instead. The distinct benefit of using money belt apart from the convenience, it is very safe from pickpocket because the pocket is sealed by large zipper and the pocket is at the front so it is quite difficult to reach. If wearing a dress, simply fit it around your waistline and tie a colourful scarf on as a belt on top.
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
By:

PisanK.'s a writer for Bag, Handbag, Luggage, Wallet websites including www.travelwalletshop.com. If you found this article helpful, visit us to get more information.

Travel Blog