03/06/2026
Take the trip!
If you have a toddler, just take the leap and go. Lila has been flying since she was an infant and she receives compliments on every trip. She is still a lap rider until she turns 2, which means FREE 😅 This was her first international trip, so let me give you a run down to hopefully make your travel easier.
1. The flight- take LOTS of snacks, prep everything ahead of time so you aren’t cutting, peeling, etc on a plane. TSA is very lenient when it comes to kids snacks so just pack what they will eat and don’t worry about security turning it away. When flying alone with her I like the window seat because it gives you a wall as your second person 😂 but if you are traveling with 2 adults, it doesn’t really matter as much. Bring toys that don’t have multiple parts (I’m not chasing little pieces around an airplane) She loves the magna-doodle so much! Painters tape is fun and she likes to stick it to the tray, seat, wall, faces…and it just peels right off. Lila especially loves books so we bring many of those. I always try to bring 1 new toy (or a toy she hasn’t seen in a while) to keep her interest. We do not do screens of any kind at our house so she doesn’t expect those or really know what they are.
2. Packing- We do have a pack and play to use as a travel crib, but did not pack it for the international trip since the resort had cribs for guests. Carseats are a personal preference. I always take it on domestic flights and check it at the gate (when I fly alone with her I check it at the bag drop - carseats and strollers fly free on all airlines) I chose not to take the carseat on this international trip since we would be at a resort the entire time. We have a small umbrella type stroller that we push her in thru the airport then check at the gate as we get on the plane. I would always do that no matter the trip since it’s free to take and a great seat for the airport.
3. Sleep- Lila will not sleep in public, but sleeps completely normally once we arrive at our destination so I have ZERO advice on timing flights around nap times. We just go with the flow and get back to normal after we land. I take her sleep sound machine for the room once we get there. I follow the exact same bedtime routine that we do at home and she goes right down (but she also has slept thru the night since week 2 of being on this Earth) We had a 12 hour travel day this trip and she fell asleep as the wheels touched down on our last flight 😅
4. Eating- we don’t have rules about food when traveling. She eats “clean” at home but I’m just about survival when traveling. The resort we stayed at this time had buffets of fruit, so that was a lot of what she ate plus some pool snacks of fries, chicken nuggets, and pizza 🤷🏻♀️
5. If you are going on a tropical vacation, pack LOTS of diaper cream, swim diapers, wipes, and sunscreen. I think the long sleeve swim shirts are so helpful, we layered them over all her swimsuits. Sun hats are also necessary, she picked out that bright pink strawberry hat while shopping and she wore it the entire trip even when she didn’t have to 🤣 I decided last minute to order the pool float, it was the best purchase for the trip! It allowed us to have our hands free while in the pool, she does swim lessons but is only 18 months old so she can’t swim on her own.
This was Lila’s longest flight time trip and she did just as well as she does with short flight times. So pack those bags, where are we going next??
