Traveling with a Toddler Overseas

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of UPPAbaby. The opinions and text are all mine.

Toddlerhood. Boy, that word can be both exciting and frightening. Exciting because in this new stage of our baby girl’s life she is at her funniest yet, has an insatiable curiosity and starts to interact with you as a little person one can start reasoning with. Frightening too, because she can now walk and is more of a danger to herself… And to others! I curse the days in which I begged that she’d learn to walk on her own oncer and for all! Tired as I was from carrying her around and bending over to hold her hands while she cruised, I had no idea of what was in store for us when she was to “break free”. This post is about traveling with someone like her, an energetic, curious, young little being.

We just came back from a three-week trip to Spain. My husband’s family lives there, but we had mostly planned the trip to film around different cities and collaborate with other content creators like ourselves. Traveling with Isabelita for this trip was so much different than in any of our other trips, including the recent Christmas holiday we also spent in Spain when she turned one.

The Christmas trip was our very first really long trip with our baby girl. She was about to turn one, and she wasn’t as calm inside planes as she had been before (she started flying when she was 2 months old!). The plane on our way to Spain then went fine, since it was at night but the return trip was simply a nightmare. If you’re flying across the world you just gotta know that the 12h+ hour long flights and time differences when traveling this far can give you headaches at first, but these can also be controlled, diminished with some preparation. We had a chance to experience it on Christmas, and this time we were somewhat prepared. That’s why I’d like to share some tips on how to travel overseas with a toddler.

Surviving the plane

Being stuck with a super energetic toddler inside a cramped flying tube might seem like a daunting and impossible mission, but it’s not. It helps, of course ,if your child is somewhat familiar with flying (we started flying with Isabelita when she was 2 months old), but if not, there’s always a first time! My top tips are:

1. Book an aisle seat: there are many moms who recommend the window seat for privacy and “locking” baby in, but at least in our case of having a super curious toddler this isn’t true. You need to be able to get out of your seats quickly to tend to diaper emergencies or temper tantrums. On our way to Spain, we flew with Isabel and my husband using the middle and window seat. Our aisle-seat neighbor was super patient and gracious young man, but we made him get up at least once every half an hour. We know we cannot always count on this type of kind and understanding neighbor, so the safest bet is to get the aisle seat to avoid unnecessary annoyances!
2. Tire your kid as much as possible before boarding: if you are traveling with your spouse, one of you can board first and set up the seat while the other stays with your toddler out in the airport waiting to board last. They need to use up as much energy as possible, because a fully-charged toddler and long flight do not go well together!
3. Bring their favorite non-loud toys: light books, finger puppets (Isa loves them!), and things to munch on. You may also bring along a bag of non-toys that your kid may like to grab to entertain them. Isa is a fan of our head thermometer (she’s certain it’s some sort of laser gun) and her toothbrush – (she loves to brush her teeth, or pretend to brush them, or just suck the toothbrush!).
4. Snacks! LOTS of snacks! More on this below…
5. Give in to screen time (it won’t make you a bad parent!). This was advice I got from a mom at an event one time and I admit I didn’t like it when she told me that she let her kid watch learning programs on the iPad for traveling. We have a very strict “no screentime” rule with Isabelita (other than the video conference calls she has with the family) but even I succumbed to the screen on a flight this long! I don’t think I’d do it for 3-5 hour flights but now that Isabel’s attention span is so short, YOU NEED OPTIONS.  This is typiclaly a last resort, but when I need to keep Isabelita relatively calm so other passengers can get some rest, a bit of screen time is my fail-safe.

Food and snacking

Spending time in a different environment may make planning for your toddler meals a bit harder. Especially if you are picky about your little one’s meals, like I am. I had to learn to be flexible not only on the plane but also when we left our girl with her grandparents, so if I can suggest some tips, I would say:

1. Bring your toddler’s favorite healthy snacks for the plane, but don’t offer them all at once. Try to space out snacks every hour or so, so you don’t run out of them! Snacks that we brought: puffs, blueberries, yogurt melts, etc.
2. Pack in your checked bag some of the usual things you give your toddler that you know you won’t be able to find in your destination. In our case, that included my toddler’s cereal (which I use to make her favorite 5-food-group pancakes), some of her favorite pre-made purées with no additives, and a bit of protein pasta (made with lentil flour).  I also carried Ziploc bags of healthy fats such as chia and hemp seeds, that I could mix with whatever fruit we found.
3. Plan meals ahead of time if you can, but if you have no time or resources then opt for healthy quick protein-rich alternatives: my go-to favorites were turkey breast slices, cheese cubes, spinach, and edamame. All I needed to do was then to find a good carb (like bread or pasta) and fruit for dessert.

Having a smart and light-weight traveling system

It can seem like a hassle to travel with all the equipment you need for a toddler but in my experience, it depends on what you choose to bring. We used a baby carrier at the airport for the first year of traveling with our baby but decided to entirely rely on our stroller afterward. As your baby grows, you’ll feel the need to forego carrying certain things.  With Isabelita now a fully functional pedestrian, we figured we could do without the baby carrier. We were lucky Isabelita fell in love with the UPPAbaby MINU stroller the second she saw it. It is by far the most comfortable travel stroller I’ve found.  Unlike her previous stroller, the UPPAbaby MINU stroller has Isabelita facing forward and taking in the world.  It may seem silly, but having visual stimuli around her entertains and soothes her.

Some other reasons why we love the UPPAbaby MINU:

1. Its one-hand, one step fold.  This is the sort of detail that lets you know moms and not just babies were fully involved in the design of this gear. Because if you are a mom, you ALWAYS have at least one hand busy carrying a child/a toy/anything related.
2. It’s light (less than 15 lbs!) yet super sturdy too: we debated on getting one of those “umbrella strollers” but since we usually take Isabelita on all of our travels, I was afraid some terrains would be too much for this. We brought our MINU everywhere! Even in bumpy streets, this stroller was swift to move with!
3. It’s portable: you fold it, and can stick it anywhere! It comes with its own built-in carry handle and shoulder strap.  We also have the MINU travel case that comes with two straps to wear it as a backpack, so you can take it wherever in a more comfy way when traveling.
4. It has an extendable UPF 50+ sunshade: perfect for our long strolls in the scorching Madrid sun. Isabelita could still see ahead or sleep peacefully if she wanted (more on that below).
5. Its multi-position recline: you can easily adjust the recline in the back to allow for napping or sight-seeing.
6. The space: in the pursuit of a nimble and light stroller, many brands forfeit including storage space. This is because in order to be considered “light” they take out pounds in the compartments that you might need to store your little one’s things. Luckily the MINU’s easy-access basket can carry a diaper bag, sheets, your purse, a ball, toys, and yes… all of that at once!
7. Super smooth: I was able to push our MINU with one hand even while having Isabelita on it plus a thousand toys and a diaper bag that I had stuck underneath her in the basket.

Besides a travel stroller, you need to decide on the car seat situation. I would prefer to rent out a car seat instead of bringing one but some people like to carry their own – in which case I’d recommend checking it in with the luggage to have your hands free past security and on the plane.

Dealing with jetlag

We all experience jetlag in a different way. I, for instance, don’t really suffer much from it while my husband can be miserable for a week and wake up in the wee hours of the morning every day. With a baby/toddler this is the same, but you CAN help them adjust to the time difference if you keep them awake as much as possible during the times they have to be awake. Isabel usually gets more jetlag when we travel to Spain than when we return. When this happens, she wakes up at 4 am and wants to play – luckily my mother in law doesn’t sleep much, so the two end up having a little playdate before sunrise.  On this trip, Isabelita hardly got jetlag on our return, which was UN-BE-LIE-VA-BLE. Comparing this second time to our first, I believe what helped was that we had a very hectic and tiring travel itinerary, which consisted of: train from the house to the airport in Madrid, plane to Barcelona, then 12-hour plane to LAX, then a rental car to San Diego, then finally getting into our own car that we had parked in San Diego and crossing the border around midnight. This intense itinerary had Isabelita exhausted at bedtime by the time we got home. We also decided to stick to her usual schedule and she went to daycare the following day since she had gotten a good eleven hours of sleep. At daycare, she was a little less active than usual in the afternoon and fell asleep on the way home but we had a dancing session as soon as she got back to re-energize her and keep her awake until it was bedtime on our new time zone. I know it may seem rough to keep your toddler awake, and some kids will experience jetlag with more crankiness than other, but, if you can, try to get your kids their favorite activities/toys/songs to keep them distracted from their tiredness and help them stay awake as much as possible… otherwise, you’ll probably find yourself playing with an energetic toddler at 3 am or 4 am!

Pick your battles

Sure, you might be the most organized mom at home but remember that when you are in a different environment, you might need to adjust certain things and be open to change. If you focus too much on controlling every aspect of the trip to emulate the same environment at home, you won’t enjoy it and you won’t help your child (and yourself as a mother) adapt to different situations. This basically means that certain rules like “no screen time” or “no outside snacks” might have to bend, even if it’s just a bit, in order for everyone to have a happier, more memorable experience. Because in the end, you’ll want to remember the happy memories you can create with your family while exploring a new place, not the stress and tiredness that already comes with traveling, right? Loosen up a little bit, and you will be able to get back to your schedule and usual rules once you return home. For now, enjoy the trip!

If you have any questions or any more tips that you have used in your travels with a toddler, or any more questions of our experience with the UPPAbaby MINU, let me know in the comments below! I realized I also have enough material to create a separate “airplanes and airport with a toddler post”, so expect that soon! ¡Buen viaje!