The Travelin’ Two-Year-Old
We Get Letters…
I received a lovely email from Judy, who was going to be flying with a toddler to Florida . It worked out that she’d be flying solo with her toddler daughter. Their travel day would include a fairly long layover…
From Judy:
My daughter and I will be traveling to Fort Myers via a 4+ hour layover in Chicago. My husband is following two days later and flying home a different route. My daughter and I are on comp tickets that we won at my husband’s Christmas party last year and it was too expensive for him to get the same flight (especially with seat sales available!). I’m a tad worried about flying with an opinionated two-year-old & how do I keep her entertained for 11 or so hours?
Our response:
Well, Judy, flying with a toddler is work. This will be a very long and tiring day for the both of you You have a number of things working against you, but also a lot in your favour!
She’s two. Which means she gets her own seat and also her own luggage allowance. But because she’s two, ultimately you will be the one shouldering the luggage when she’s tired of “helping.”
If you haven’t got one already, invest in a cute toddler-sized wheeled luggage bag (I love the ones from Skip Hop ). Make sure it has a shoulder strap so that you can manage it easily when she no longer wishes to pull it. You can get her excited about the trip by allowing her to pack a lot for herself. Bub loved packing his woobie and a few toys at this age. I did a final once over to ensure there was nothing to trigger alarm bells and include a few extras. Make sure there’s a variety of activities like colouring books and crayons and a travel etch-a-sketch (more popular than you might think). Bring the tablet. This stays in your bag, of course. But, if you have a number of low-tech toys mixed in with some new apps, movies, and/or shows, cycling between them will help pass the time.
During your four-hour layover, never underestimate the power of a movator. When we had a five-hour delay at Orlando airport, the many movators saved us. Seriously.
She’s two. Which means she’s probably eating and having snacks at fairly regular times. But because she’s two, she probably gets super cranky when she’s hungry. Arm yourself with snacks. Obviously the more nutritious, the better. But, don’t be afraid of packing a few reward/bribe foods. You can re-enter the race for Mother of the Year when you get back
