Tips for Baby or Toddler Sleeping in Hotel

Hotels and Resorts are great at providing cribs or a pack n play. A majority of hotels will provide a small Johnson & Johnson gift pack; shampoo, lotion, and baby powder. I always brought my own blanket or sleep sack when DMC was a baby.

So once your child no longer fits in a crib or pack n play, naturally the child moves to a hotel bed. We typically just book a room with a king bed and use a travel bed rail since DMC doesn't sleep in the middle on the bed. The travel toddler bed rail is inflatable and light, fits in a suitcase.

We will be traveling to Colorado for Christmas and we are renting a town home with two other families. The bedrooms are a good size and DMC moves quite a bit in bed so we will be trying out a travel toddler bed on the floor for him.

Books at bedtime: Books are heavy and can take up room in the suitcase. So we still bring 2-3 paperback books. We also use the Dr. Suess App on the ipad, you have access to all the Dr. Suess books. 

Shrunk Products:
Travel toddler bedrail, we have used this bedrail on over 5 trips and it still inflates and works great. Fits great in the suitcase, perfect for hotel beds.

Travel toddler bed, bring your crib sheets they will fit. Only negative the bed is about 6lbs so compensate for the suitcase weight or carry on.

TIP: We brought our sound machine for DMC until he was about 1.5 yrs old

TIP: If the crib or pack n play is already set up in your room, lift up the mattress or any bedding to make sure nothing is under anything. We were in a hotel room and I lifted up the mattress to find a steak knife between the mattress and wooden support board.

TIP: If you can book a hotel with room suites, some hotel chains only have room suites. Its very helpful to have a room that you can close off from the main area for naps and bedtime.

TIP: Bring your child's blanket and favorite stuff animal from their crib or bed, I have forgotten this a few times

Unique Holiday Vacation Spots ( Canada, Colorado, and Hawaii)

The month of December you think of snow covered mountains, sitting by a fireplace, beautiful Christmas lights, hot cocoa, etc. So a majority of my recommendations are those snowy cozy vacation spots. Enjoy!

Christmas in November
Fairmount Jasper Park Lodge
Jasper, Alberta

I came across this unique and great post from another blogger that I follow Pretty Life in the Suburbs. You have to click on the link to see the beautiful photos she posted. What a fun idea! The Fairmount hosts a Christmas celebration before Thanksgiving. Christmas decor, Christmas meals, treats, crafting, and decorating. Now you can celebrate a month before your family and friends.

Photo credit: A Pretty Life in the Suburbs

Christmas in a Castle
The Fairmount Banff Springs 
Lake Louise, Alberta

Yes, its another Fairmount and Alberta recommendation, but once you see the stunning photos of this hotel you will understand why. It literally looks like an beautiful, eerie, large castle in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a painted lake and tall evergreens as far as the eye can see.

Winter

Spring

Christmas in Hawaii
Aulani Disney Resort
Kapolei, HI

If you have a toddler, you really can't go wrong with Mickey Mouse. Plus for the parents a beach getaway. Book early flights Hawaii is where majority of Seattlites travel for the 
holidays.

Colorado
The state of Colorado is a great winter vacation spot, great ski resorts and guaranteed picturesque snow setting. So here are a few options other than Vail, Aspen, and Breckinridge.

Colorado Springs, CO
Broadmoor Resort

SteamBoat Springs, CO
Steamboat Grand Hotel

Beaver Creek, CO
Hyatt Mountain Lodge

  

     

The Best Travel Invention Designed by a Flight Attendant (seen on Shark Tank)

I just discovered one of the most brilliant creative solutions for traveling through the airport with a toddler without a stroller or carseat cart. My good friend Jen and I were chatting about her upcoming trip traveling alone with her son back to Kenya. She shared this brilliant easy product with me, that was designed by a flight attendant.

I thought I was making things easier on my self buying a cart for our carseat converting it to a carseat stroller, in the airport however I then need to haul the carseat on the plane. Our last return flight from London to Seattle, the airline checked DMC's carseat and I did not have it. I had a wild toddler running through Heathrow and Sea Tac airport with no way to contain him.

I am so excited to try this product and will be ordering this ASAP. The headrest on the chair doubles as a tray for food and drinks...plus the chair has a buckle system to contain your toddler.

Ride On Carry On

Thanksgiving in Chicago

Chicago, IL
Flight Time: 4 hours
Trip length: 4 days
Age: 2.5 yrs

We are traveling back to Chicago for Thanksgiving. I lived there for 6 years before settling north of Seattle, my older brother has now moved to the Chicago burbs, and my parents are in Indiana. So it was a convenient meeting spot. Plus we have great friends who live in the city with a toddler the same age.

Chicago flights can be hit or miss due to O'Hare Airport. We have been delayed, lost luggage every time, and an airline attempted to re route us without us knowing. So I'm always a bit hesitant flying through or from this airport. Plus the traffic going to and from the airport is terrible to say the least. Enough complaining...onto our trip.

Hotel:
This time around we decided to stay at the Westin on Michigan Ave, its a great location. Hubs and I know the city so well, we just wanted to be in a central location. Plus we booked a month prior and already hotels were sold out.

Places to eat:
Chicago is known for Steakhouses, our Thanksgiving dinner is at David Burkes Prime house (kids 5 and under eat for free).  There are some other places that just bring back memories, I loved brunch in Chicago this city has some amazing brunch restaurants. Here are some other options close to Michigan Ave:

Eataly (63,000 sq foot Italian oasis)
L'appetito (great hidden Italian cafe at the bottom of John Hancock) 
Eggspirence and Pancakes Cafe (breakfast)
Cafe Iberico (tapas)

Things to do:
The holidays have such great friendly activities, but living in the Chicago I avoided the tourist spots on every holiday and weekend. I even worked at the Museum of Science and Industry which is still my favorite museum in the US...but its a mob scene.

Museum of Science and Industry, love love this Museum. The holidays are stunning, there are over 50 Christmas trees from around the world and one large tree in the Rotunda. It also snows in the Rotunda 

Children's Museum at Navy Pier, this is a great Children's Museum plus the location on Navy Pier is unique too. Some other fun things at Navy Pier: Open performace space the main area that always has short kid friendly theater shows ongoing throughout the day,Indoor Botanical Garden,  and theAmazing Chicago Funhouse Maze.

Santa El Train, you have to watch the youtube video. The El train is decked out with Christmas lights, the train is wrapped with Christmas paper on the inside, and elves hand out candy canes...the best part Santa's sleigh is on a flat bed car between two train cars.

Festival of Lights, this is such a great magical and fun parade on Michigan Ave. It is worth standing in the cold and navigating the crowds. The parade is weekend before Thanksgiving so we are missing it this year.

Chriskindlmarket, another great outdoor market..beware there's always a crowd. However its a great German market. You get a cute little boot souviner cup with your purchase of hot cocoa.

When the Carseat Doesn't Work on the Plane Anymore....

I have always been an advocate for bringing our carseat on the plane, DMC loved it and slept great from 2-2.5 yrs on over four trips including an international trip Seattle> London>Nice and then back to Seattle. I even had a great carseat cart that was like a mini stroller.

Whelp we are getting to the point where DMC legs are too long for the carseat, but the height is still great. So we are moving on now to travel booster seats. I've found some options, but we have not tried any yet on the plane. Most booster seats are for 4 yrs and older. DMC is 2.5 yrs so we are still on the border between the carseat and booster.

           UPDATE: We brought the carseat along this time (Chicago trip) and it fit fine in the                economy plus seating. DMC is pushing 31lbs and booster seats are 40lbs >. 

• CARES Harness (FDA approved) 

• Mifold (booster March 2016, approved Global Carseat Regulations)

• Bubblebum Inflatable Booster 

• Booster Backpack (European Child Restraint Standards)

Phoenix, Arizonia

Phoenix, Arizona

Flight Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Trip Length: 4 days

Age: 10 months & 22 months

We've been to Phoenix twice with DMC for weekend trips in March, thats when the rain starts getting to us Seattlites. We need to feel and see the sun. Phoenix has been a great family friendly weekend vacation spot for us. We always just hang at the pool the whole weekend and eat great dinners outside, DMC thinks its cool to eat outside at night.

Phoenix is a great family friendly city and short flight, we definitely will be back for weekend sun needs.

Where we have stayed:

Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort, this my favorite resort we stayed in. Everything was very walkable, variety of restaurants, large rooms (living room and bedroom), and very family friendly.  The lazy river was alot of fun and quite long, DMC loved sitting in the tube with his Dad.

JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge

This was a beautiful resort however it didn't seem that family friendly. We saw other families but the pool was a bit smaller and the lazy river was shorter. The rooms were very nice as well.

Restaurants nearby:

Aunt Chilada Squaw Peak (Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort)

• Family friendly
• Out door seating
• Bocce Ball area
• Live Music

Rico's American Grill (Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort)

We ate there for breakfast and dinner, it was family friendly. When we ate dinner our waiter handed us some glow in the dark bracelet and necklace for DMC, he loved it.

Stone Grill (JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge)

This was one of the best breakfasts I've had at all of the hotels/resorts we have stayed in, Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits (gravy and scrambled eggs). DMC ate free from the breakfast buffet which was a nice perk.

Activities for the Hotel Room

As our toddler continues to grow I have been not only bringing activities for the plane, but also the hotel room. For a majority of our trips we have been using our books, plane activities, ipad apps, and toy cars for play in the hotel room. We tend to travel to places with beaches and pools so we spend a lot of time outdoors. However for Thanksgiving and Christmas we will be traveling to places with snow. So I have started to brainstorm a bit more about hotel activities especially during the winter season.

Our little guy will play anywhere as long as he has a toy car, construction truck, or train. I found this great travel car mat that will give him a 'defined car play area'. Plus it fit in your suitcase and is super light Alex Little Hands Play Mat

I also always bring a reusable sticker book that has come with us on every trip since DMC was 1.5 yr old. The reusable sticker book has four different scenes (construction, airport, train, and under the sea theme) Melissa & Doug Reusable Stickers 

We are still going strong with our Playdoh Firetruck...this comes on the plane and DMC still plays with it in the hotel. This was a gift for his second birthday and has been on three flights already.

The construction trucks that we travel with will fit in your purse (there's 5 of them), so they tend to come to restaurants with us as well. DMC loves them so much they live on the train table at home too. Another bonus he uses them on the plane to play with playdoh.
Caterpillar Mini Machines 5 Pack

DMC is really interested in interactive books especially hidden flaps, here are some great interactive books that always come with us.
Thomas the Train magnet book
The Busy Train book (this book is a train track with a small train inside)
Thomas the Train hidden flap

Traveling with another family in Spain

We travel quite a bit with our family friends who also have a toddler a few months older than DMC.  Our first international trip was with our friends, we met them in Spain after visiting the Grandparents. We traveled for two weeks via plane and car to Barcelona, Granada, and Marbella. 

Both our toddlers were about 15 and 17 months, they were aware of each other but mostly played on their own. We did our best to keep them on similar eating and sleeping schedules which worked out pretty well. DMC use to sleep pretty much anywhere so that made things a bit easier too. The jetlag was not bad at all on the trip. The other surprising factor was the kids ate pretty much everything.

Alot of great memories were made on the trip along with alot of pool and beach time.  Spain was a very child friendly country. We also made sure to stay at a family friendly resort and rented a shared apartment together on the last leg of the trip. It was great to have a kitchen and laundry room.

Here are some kid friendly activities for Spain:

Barcelona (2 days)

Parc de la Ciutadella
We walked over to this park (similar to Central Park NYC), it was beautiful we stumbled upon a great enclosed playground. There was so much space to walk around as well. We ran out of time to see the zoo. But the kids really enjoyed being in this large outdoor park.

Granda (4 days)
We stayed at a great secluded hotel, with a beautiful pool and kids pool. We did do some sight seeing including Alhambra. This was a bit difficult, not stroller friendly or kid friendly at all. It was absolutley stunning though.

Marbella (5 days)

Hotel: We rented a two bedroom apartment at the Marriott Beach Resort in Marbella. This was a awesome kid friendly resort. 

• Store onsite to purchase groceries, swim diapers, bottle water, etc.
• Toddler playroom (separate from the Kids Club)
• Toddler splash pads
• Beach access
• Kid friendly restaurants

Bioparc Fuengirola
This was a great zoo, the adults and toddlers enjoyed it.  Easy to navigate with strollers, a great playground area for the kids and a great gift shop.

Travel Apps for Toddlers

If you have flown once with a toddler you know how important the Ipad is...wifi is not always available. Even though there is a personal tv on international flights with a kid zone station..one of the personal tv was broken our last flight so we did seat switching and relied on the Ipad. So I always have about 6 shows and 3-4 learning apps. 

Tip: if you load too much on the Ipad, your shows may be moved to the cloud. If you have no wifi, you have no shows...we learned this lesson.

Apps
Little People Apptivity Barnyard 

• Taking care of barn animals
• Sorting colors
• Finding letters
• Counting vegetables

Tiny Hands Lotto

• 10 matching games for toddlers

Tiny Hands Whats My Pair 1

• Colors, shapes, and numbers

Tiggly Toy & App

• Award winning toy with 4 toy shapes that you use on an app to learn shapes

Room on the Broom

This app is based on a british children's book and short movie. Very cute story and DMC really enjoys playing this

Dr. Suess Bookshelf App

Traveling international you are limited on your books we tend to read the same ones over and over. With the Dr. Suess book app you have access to all the popular books in one place. DMC really enjoyed picking 2-3 stories out each night. 



ABC Mouse
This is a great app, with over 400 activities (reading, coloring, songs, puzzles,etc.). There are lesson plans according to age group and after each lesson is completed your child receives a ticket. The ticket is used to purchase items for pets, clothing for avatar, or to decorate a room. The only issue when traveling is you need wifi.

Playgrounds at the Airport

There are a few memorable times we have been delayed at airports, the longest was 4 hours at our own Sea Tac Airport. The 'play space' made all the difference. A majority of the airports we fly in and out of either domestic and international have a 'play space' area. Look on the map at the airport for a icon of a teddy bear.

Here is a great article link 'Airport Fun Guide for Kids'

We personally really enjoy:

Sea Tac Airport (there is a family restroom and nursing area in the playspace area)

Chicago O'Hare Airport (this a a very large playarea, however family restroom is across the hallway)

Frankfurt Airport

London Heathrow Airport (Terminal 5)

Travel with your Family to Celebrity Resort Locations

I came across this article on yahoo recently '5 Family-Friendly Resorts that Celebrities Love'. Of course I had to see where celebrities travel and relax with their families. The resorts are pricey however the locations can be budget and family friendly. So you will still be able to appreciate these locations that celebrities flock to with their families. Since we have stayed at three of the five recommendations, I'm able to give my budget and family friendly travel advice.

1. Los Cabos, Mexico

Celebrity Resort: 
Las Ventanas (price per room $1,600)

Budget Friendly Resort: 
Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf &Spa Resort 
(price per room $ 309.00)

This is a great family resort. The reason we booked, is due to miles rewards and also the variety of pools and restaurants available at the resort. The hotel is clean and had beautiful views from the restaurants, pool, beach area, and a lookout tower in the hotel. The beach was not a safe area for children due to the high and strong 12ft waves. Cabo in general has a few beaches that you need to exercise caution around the waves. 

·      Sheraton Adventure Kids Club

·      Kids Pool Play area

·      6 restaurants (poolside, casual, and upscale)

·       

2.  Sardinia, Italy

Celebrity Resort: 
Forte Village Resort (price per room $437.00 euros)

Budget Friendly Resort:
Grand Hotel Smeraldo Beach (price per room $200.00 euros)

This hotel was perfect due to location, easy parking, and the amazing beach access. The hotel itself had the seaside charm and great buffet breakfast every morning. The rooms were a bit small and  the gym..well there was a few machines that did'nt work. However again location, location. When you are on a 'beach' vacation you are not indoors. There is a small town plaza in walking distance and its not overcrowded. This is an Italian hotel chain, so leave American expectations at the door:) 

• Walking distance to a small town plaza; restaurants, gelato shop, beach store, etc.
• Large buffet breakfast
• Beautiful beach area

3.  Dubai (closer destination Bahamas)

Celebrity Resort: 
Atlantis in Dubai (price per room $600)

Budget Friendly Resort:
Atlantis in Bahamas (price per room $350)

Atlantis resort has two locations in Dubai and Bahamas. The Bahamas is a bit closer and more budget friendly to travel too. This is a very family friendly resort and similar to a Disney experience. The great thing is its perfect for families with children from toddlers to teenagers. We had a great time at the water park, exploring the aquarium, and walking around the grounds. 

Tip: here is a great link on the website for activities for toddlers, kids, teenagers, and parents

• Waterpark
• Dolphin Cay
• Mini Aquarium 
• Stingray Lagoon
• Babysitting services
• Kids Club

Planning Christmas Vacation in July for Steamboat Springs, CO

We are planning a 6 day vacation in Steamboat Springs, CO end of December/New Years. There were a few family friendly ski resorts we were looking at; Jackson Hole, Sun Valley, and renting a cabin close to home in Stevens Pass. However Steam Boat Springs, CO was chosen for a few reasons; a direct flight, kids always ski free, an inexpensive experience out of all three, and my brother lives in Denver. This will be the first time DMC will experience a ski resort since last winter we literally had no snow in the mountains and DMC wasn't quite old enough to get on skis.

We booked a great town home close to the ski resort via www.vrbo.com 

Tip: Free bus shuttle that runs in the neighborhoods by the ski resort
Tip: Book in June/July, we received a free night and our cleaning fee waived

Services to make travel easier: 

Shuttle Service from Airport (book online and receive 10% discount)

Luggage Service to ship your Ski/Snowboarding gear (book early save 15%)

Grocery delivery service

Kids Programs:
There is a childcare center 'Kids Vacation Club'. That has a drop off care program for babies at 6 months of age-6 years old. Lessons start at 3 years of age, however most places will allow 2.5 year olds to ski.

Other activities: 
Sleigh Ride
Toddler Storytime @ Steamboat Library 

Kids Ski Free and Lift Tickets (Adults) Steamboat's Kids Ski Free and Grandkids Ski Free programs enable children 12 years of age and under to ski free the same number of days as their parents/grandparents when parents/grandparents purchase a 5-or-more day Adult lift ticket. Seniors (ages 70+) must purchase an Adult ticket to be eligible for this program. Purchasing a Senior ticket does not qualify for Kids Ski Free. Each qualifying purchase allows one free child per paid parent/grandparent.
(purchase online 7 days in advance 15% off)

Child's Meal on a Plane

Our second international trip, DMC had his own seat which meant his own meal. We flew on British Airways, so about two weeks before our trip I had the option of selecting a child's meal (free) for DMC. There are also 'upgrades' for the meals provided to adults for $23.00, which I highly recommend if you are flying coach.  

For our flight from Seattle to London we each received a meal (lunch or dinner) and a snack. There is alot of food on the childs meal tray.

This was was what on the child's meal from Seattle to London:

• Broccoli, Chicken, Pasta
• White Bread Roll
• Jello
• Kit Kat bar
• Ruffles Potato Chips
• Cups of Grapes
• Cup of carrot and celery sticks
• Mini bottle of water

Snack:

• Blueberry Muffin
• Granola Bar
• Apple juice box

This is what was on the child's meal London to Seattle:

• Chicken nuggets, peas, mash potatoes
• Wheat bread roll
• Fruit cup
• Raisins
• Strawberry yogurt
• Ellas organic food pouch
• Milky bar buttons (white chocolate chips)

Snack:

• Finger sandwiches (cheese, chicken salad)
• potato chips
• chocolate bar

NYC with a Toddler

New York City, NY

Flight Time: 5 hours (delay 4 hours)

Trip Length: 4 days

Age: 14 months (lap child)

Our second time to NYC with DMC is my earliest memory, somehow I cannot remember the first which he was not walking. This flight we decided to fly in the evening on a red eye so that DMC would sleep. Even with a 4 hour delay, DMC slept almost the entire flight in my lap. This was also the trip that I realized DMC needs his own seat, its not 'mandatory' till toddler is two years old. But I have had flight staff ask what his age is and if he is a lap child.

One main reason I knew DMC needed his own seat when he slept it was hard length wise to hold him without his legs resting on the person next to us. Even in the window seat with a few extra inches.

We arrived at our hotel around 3am and were able to transfer DMC, for our entire trip he stayed on west coast time. 

TIP: When we travel in the US I attempt to keep DMC on our timezone (Pacific).

We had a great time in NYC, lots of walking. We brought the umbrella stroller which is perfect. We try not to take cabs. So we stay around Timesquare. We eat breakfast at the hotel or go to a local cafe for a quick pastry and coffee, lunch we typically will eat outside of the hotel, and dinner almost always at the hotel or take out.

Hotel: Hyatt Timesquare New York

We stayed here since we were joining the hubs at the end of a work conference for him. The room was small, but fit a crib and gave us enough space.

Kid Friendly Activities:

Central Park Zoo, this was a great family activity. DMC was the perfect age to enjoy the zoo and he was learning animal names as well.

Kid Friendly Restaurant: there are many restaurants to choose from, remember most neighborhood restaurants are small so its tough to bring a sleeping baby/toddler in. Also make a resveration ahead of time so you are not waiting with a fussy baby/toddler.

Babysitting Service: Babysitters Guild, we used this service recommended by hotel and yelp. I would suggest booking a babysitter 1-2 days ahead, especially on a weekend. The sitter was great and very easy to book.

First Flight to Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV
Flight Time: 2.5 hours
Trip Length: 6 days
Age: 8 months

Our first trip DMC was 8 months old, we traveled to Las Vegas with hubs on a business trip. The milestone DMC learned to crawl in a hotel room and it was my first time to Las Vegas with a baby...I never visited in my 20's, go figure.

We spent five days in Las Vegas and accomplished all the kid friendly activities in two days, spent time at the pool, and walked everywhere.  Onto the first flight and I'll cover our activities..including family friendly dinner complete with a shot girl with booty shorts in the restaurant. 

For our first flight, I brought everything boppy, medula pump, boob milk, car seat, snap n go stroller, etc. The flight went really well, DMC nursed and slept on the boppy..so glad I brought it. I heard that I should just wear baby, but for us the boppy was his routine and comfortable for him plus he slept. 

So next question was how does all that baby stuff get through security? Slow and steady everything went through the scanner. Side note I've never had my boob milk or formula throw out. I brought 4oz bottles and TSA tested it along with my food pouch I only opened one pouch. I carried baby through and then had a pat down and my hands swiped with paper to do a quick scan. It's completely doable just leave extra time for security. 

Onto the flight, we checked our car seat and snap n go stroller base at the plane door. The flight attendant gave us a tag and it was waiting for us after the flight at the plane door.

Once we landed we picked everything up at luggage claim and grabbed a cab. I used DMC's car seat in the cab, I always use a carseat in every cab still and we make sure we can walk to lunch, dinner or other activities. We also rent cars while we travel too.

Items on the Plane:

Smart Noggin Stik (very cool baby toy, every baby I know loves this toy)

Teething toys (Sofie the Giraffe)

Cloth books

Blanket
Boppy

Kid Friendly Activities:
Las Vegas Children's Musuem, there was a crawl zone area in the toddler exhibit
Siegfried & Roys Magic Garden , this was fun for me, but DMC was too young to enjoy seeing the animals
Lots of pool time 

Baby Friendly Hotel:
We stayed at two different hotels since we were joining hubs during a work conference. The second hotel 'The Venetian'. This was more baby friendly since all the rooms are junior suites. So the crib is not next to the hotel bed. The crib also came with some small baby products. There were many small pools, fountains, boat ride, and a large piazza. 

Babysitting Service: We had a sitter for one night, while we went to dinner and a show. I would highly recommend the service 'Nannies and Housekeepers USA'.

First International Trip with DMC (French Riveria and Spain)

French Riveria and Spain (Barcelona, Granada, Marbella)

Flight Time: 36 hours of flying
Length of Trip: 2 weeks

Age: 15 months

For DMC's first trip to visit Nonni (grandparents), we traveled to four cities in two countries over a 16 day period. We flew on over 7 flights and rented two cars. Overall our toddler did really well with all the traveling and readjusting to an completely opposite time zone. After researching tips for flying with a toddler and completing our trip here are some tips and advice we learned.

Getting to the airport: We left two hours early and took an afternoon flight, we booked a car service. 

Airport checked luggage: Since DMC was a lapbaby for this flight (you still pay for a lapbaby on international flights) we checked his carseat, one suitcase for hubs, one suitcase for me, and one child suitcase for DMC. We then checked his umbrella stroller at the gate before boarding the plane.

Packing list of activities for plane ride:

Play Dough

Stickers (picture books with 100)

Magnet Book

Two new books (hidden flap book)

iMovie via Ipad, I made a short movie of photos of our son. He loves watching himself

Favorite blanket or stuff animal to encourage sleep

Tips during plane ride:

• Diaper for every three hours, plus two extra for the inevitable number 2:)
• Bring an insulated kid lunchbox and extra food container
• If your toddler or baby is a lap child, no meal will be provided
• I packed three horizon milk boxes for our 12 hour flight and one bottle
• Bring 3-5 bags of a special treat your toddler loves for breakdowns (our toddler loves plum organic teensy fruit)

DMC at a playground in front of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain