3 Small Things That Made a Big Difference

One thing I've learned after countless flights with our kids is that it’s usually not one big thing that makes or breaks the experience. It’s a handful of small details that add up. Here are three that have consistently made a difference for us.

Organization galore

This used to be me: I'd carefully pack the baby bag, everything was neatly stacked, but by the time I made it on the plane I'd have already shuffled everything around trying to reach quickly for what I needed. Snacks and toys are at the bottom, under the blanket, the change of clothes and where is the diaper bags anyway?! 

Trust me: strict organization is your friend!

Clear pouches/compartments help you keep things contained, while also being able to see at a glance what you're grabbing. Prep one for snacks, one for toys/books, one for a change of clothes + emergency diaper + socks, one for extra diapers + diaper bags – you get the idea. Chaos tamed, sanity restored.

The snack plan

If you have multiple children, I recommend separating the snacks so that each child has their own ziplock, and they know exactly what is available for them. This also works if one of your kids has different dietary needs, or if they are younger and can't eat certain textures yet.

I like to bring a variety of options to balance out their needs throughout the travel day: some fun snacks to bring up morale, some more “poppable” that take a while to finish (think little crackers, cheerios, yogurt melts etc), and some heartier in case they skip a meal or need an energy boost. Then, I add a couple more for good measure because you truly cannot ever have too many!

We love to try out new snack options when we're traveling internationally, but since our kids are still very young I make sure to toss into our checked bag a ziplock of familiar snacks that will come in handy when we're on-the-go, or for the flight back home. Trust me, they won't go to waste! 

Mental parent math

Until just 1 year ago I had a formula-fed baby to plan for, and figuring out how much to bring with us was critical. Bringing an entire container of formula in your backpack seems like the most obvious solution, but it takes up a lot of room and it's not very efficient. 

So here's my suggestion: count how many feeds your baby will most likely have during your travel journey (think airports + flights), then prep the pre-measured amounts of formula that will go in your backpack. We loved using the Munchkin containers, but there's tons of other options on the market. You can bring a reusable water bottle from home (yes, TSA will allow it for the baby) if it's a short flight, or ask flight attendants for bottled water as needed.

Plan to also bring an extra can of formula with you in the carry-on bag, in case you get delayed or your plane gets diverted to a different airport for any reason. 

If your little one is a cows' milk drinker, I recommend looking into getting shelf-stable packs of milk, which usually come in small quantities and can be split between backpack and carry-on.

None of these are complicated.

But together, they made flying feel a lot more manageable.