How to travel in America with a small child
'23.05.2018'
Source: Lesya Rekunova, text and photo
On the first trip with the half-year-old son Vitey, I went in defiance of those who convinced that after the birth of the children a sedentary life awaits us with my husband. We visited the Northwest United States, went hiking in the Ergaki Nature Park, explored the gorges of Abkhazia. I hope these tips, based on my experience, will help you prepare for the trip by car, train and plane with a child under three years old.
How to travel with a small child by car
Going on a trip with the baby by car, think over the following nuances:
- Security. It is better to use the car seat even in those countries whose road rules do not oblige to carry children in it. If you can not carry a car seat with you, buy it on the spot: it is often cheaper than renting it at the box office. In the US, you can purchase a seat in the network of Walmart and pass at the end of the trip. We transported the son from the cradle to the child seat when he was eight months old. I used to go with him in the back seat, and then returned to the front.
- Route. It’s boring and uncomfortable for a long time to sit in an armchair. Provide a long stopover for walking. Podgadvayte travel to sleep crumbs.
- Entertainment. Take toys and books with you. We were saved by a magnetic designer, tactile books, bells, musical toys. In Montenegro, my friend and I took a car, put the children in the back seat and sang children's songs and mantras. Often they looked at us as if they were crazy, but it helped. Now the son is having a great time in the backseat alone, occasionally demanding a new book or toy.
- Nutrition. If the baby is already on the lure, vegetable and fruit purees in soft packages with spouts are suitable for a quick snack. When Vita was closer to the year, we began to let him "bite" the drying. Often he fell asleep, sucking her a little.
When traveling hitchhiking with a child there is a difficulty with a car seat that you cannot carry with you all the time. We did not take out our son from ergoryukzaka, so that he was fastened to one of us. But the cars stop much faster.
Train travel with a child under 2 years
At first, the trains seemed to me much more comfortable with the planes: my son has where to walk, crawl, play, meet other children. But Victor is growing, it is already impossible to sleep with him on the same shelf. Yes, and a lot of energy accumulated in an enclosed space. Now I appreciate the planes more.
Tips:
- Take the bottom shelf. Once when buying a ticket through the Russian Railways website, an error occurred and we got the top spot. So always check the ticket.
- Provide fall protection. Children's stores have special playpens for trains. Such an arena, however, with a wild surcharge, can be ordered seven days before the trip on the Russian Railways site. The fence will help to quietly leave the bathroom while the crumb is asleep, but it’s not worth hoping that the children will play there for a long time. I am doing the same thing as a mountain of pillows in the old way if I am traveling alone.
- Provide darkness. Children need peace and quiet for a restful sleep. In the train, you can recreate at least the second, tucking the blanket under the mattress on the top shelf. The way makes life much easier, especially if you are traveling in a car with shift workers and breastfeeding your baby.
- At long stops, no matter how lazy, go for a walk and breathe fresh air.
If you choose between a coupe and a reserved seat, remember that the first one has its advantages in the form of fewer people and carpet tracks, and a minus in a high probability that a snoring uncle will be your neighbor. Then hopes for a peaceful sleep will not come true - in an enclosed space, snoring sounds louder.
Traveling with a small child on a plane
For the first time, Vitya and I flew on an airplane when he was only six months old. I climbed up the ladder with horror, imagining how I would burn with shame in front of other passengers, while Vitya would shout for an unknown reason to me. But surprisingly, everything went fine - flew in the early morning and the son slept all two hours. Today, Vitya and I made more than fifteen flights, including transatlantic ones.
Tips:
- Choose night flights if the flight is long and day flights if short.
- Let's chest when taking off and landing. This will distract the baby and reduce the likelihood of laying ears. Those who do not breastfeed, help the nipple or a bottle of water.
- Diapers - in hand luggage. I heard a story about parents, who handed over all the diapers in the luggage, and then searched the cabin for passengers with a baby of the right size and extra diapers.
- Collect the box with entertainment. There are many special kits for sale for little travelers, which contain coloring, stickers, puzzles, puzzles in accordance with the age and interests of the child.
- Purchase Priorit Pass. This is a map that gives access to airports' business waiting rooms. It makes life easier for parents with babies during long transplants. Once, Vitya and I had an 12-hour transplant in Madrid. Most of the time my son and I slept in a special dark room for sleeping in the business hall.
- Remember that most airlines allow you to take a stroller or carrier for free, a bag with diapers and meals for one child.
You can order a cradle from the airline. Suitable for children up to 12 kilograms. There are only 2 – 3 on the plane, so you need to order in advance and check that you were put on the first row. When we flew to Serbia and Montenegro with a friend and two small children, we did everything in advance, but the places were not checked. At one in the morning, when landing at Sheremetyevo, it turned out that we were sitting in the very tail. The airline refused to transfer passengers from the first row, explaining that it did not want a scandal. I had to hide my “yajmat” deeper and hold sleeping children in my arms. Cradles can only be used during horizontal flight. When we flew on a night flight from the USA, the turbulence icon continually turned on and the flight attendant asked me to pick Vitya from her cradle. As a result, it was easier for me to sleep with him in my arms.
It is also important to remember: kids do not cry just like that. If the little man is full, he is dry, warm, near his mother, nothing bothers him, he will be calm. According to our son, we see that when we are often traveling and constantly changing places, Vitya sleeps equally well everywhere, easily converges with new people and less often is capricious. When we stay at home for a long time, the son becomes accustomed to the monotony and regime, and even a trip to the neighboring town is difficult for him.
The best we can give to our children in early childhood is the opportunity to be together and enjoy the beauty of the world. Boldness and determination are necessary for traveling with kids. With a child, most likely, everything will not go according to plan. But if at this time to subtract the settings of the ideal mom and keep calm, you quickly begin to enjoy what is happening. It costs a lot more than calm predictable weekdays.
