Traveling with Toddlers
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We’ve officially entered a travel-heavy season over here. Our next trip — a last-minute decision to fly up to Michigan for a week with my family — felt like the right move, even though we just got back from two weeks in Brazil.
Brazil was full of amazing memories, but I won't sugarcoat it: traveling with two very busy, curious toddlers in someone else’s home is challenging. My husband’s family has a spacious house, but it’s not exactly toddler-proof — and our boys are at the age where they want to touch every single thing. It’s beautiful… and exhausting. I kept reminding them (and myself) that keeping them safe is my job — even if they are barely two and definitely don’t see it that way yet.
Anyway, onto what you’re here for — the travel survival strategies.
We’re lucky that there’s a direct 8-hour flight from Orlando to Fortaleza, Brazil… but the flight home left at 4:30am. With twins. I’ll just let that sink in.
All that said, these strategies actually made it (somewhat) manageable for two toddlers:
What Helped Our Toddlers BEFORE and DURING the Flight
1. Movement before boarding.
We let the boys walk rather than ride in the stroller through the airport. Slower? Yes. But it gave their bodies and brains the sensory input they needed.
2. Pushing heavy things.
They helped push our stroller and rolling suitcase (with supervision!). This gives great proprioceptive input and tires them out in the best way.
3. Use ramps and stairs for movement.
We found ramps and little steps for them to walk up and down. It’s free movement — and energy well spent.
4. ALL the snacks.
Crunchy snacks became our lifeline — crackers, veggie sticks, freeze-dried fruit. We used these spill-proof snack containers and reusable silicone snack bags and honestly I’ll never travel without them again.
5. Screens (when needed).
We leaned on screen time here and there. They’re not fully zoned out by screens yet, so it wasn’t magic — but it helped.
6. Walk the aisle.
When safe, we let them walk the aisle to reset. One of my boys said “hi” to every single passenger — bless him.
7. Foot massage.
I did deep pressure massage on the bottoms of their feet mid-flight. They kept saying “again!” — which really means 15 more times.
8. New/special toys.
We packed a few small toys they hadn’t seen before — like this Fun to Find book, these spinners (great to put on the window), and this really fun busy board (we actually shared it with another toddler seated behind us on the plane). The novelty goes a long way.
How It Actually Went
Not perfect. Still hard. Our flight to Brazil was actually tougher because we didn’t get much movement in before boarding. On the way back (4:30am flight), they actually slept for a bit which felt like a miracle.
Final Thoughts
Traveling with toddlers is never going to be relaxing or predictable. But having a few strategies — and tools — makes it so much more doable. Even the messy crumbs under the seats felt worth it.
We’re headed to Michigan next — to escape the Florida heat, see family, and try to enjoy this season while the boys are little. I’m trying not to stress about the disrupted routines and instead focus on the opportunity.
For the Parents:
I’ll also add — if you’re traveling as parents, don’t forget about you. We wore compression socks on both flights and my legs felt so much better — 10/10 would recommend.
I'd love to hear from you:
What are your go-to travel hacks with kids? Favorite travel gear?