A couple months ago the three of us went back to Indonesia (where my husband and I were from).  This was the first plane ride for my son, and it was a 30 hour trip including the layover.  The route is from Columbus - New York - Frankfurt - Singapore - and finally Jakarta…. a long long way to go.  I must say though, that my son was the best traveller I could ever ask for.  There are a few tips that I would like to share:

1. Bring plenty toys and books that could keep him busy.  My son loves books, so I brought at least 5 books with me.  On top of that, I brought doodle magnetic board and some little cars that I bought from Dollar Store.  That was enough to keep him busy.
2. Bring a couple extra shirts and pants, including a pair for you and your hubby.  Most toddler throw up in the plane, probably because of the air pressure or simply just because it’s a new experience.  Mine threw up just before we landed.  We were lucky enough because he was sitting by himself at the time, or our clothes could get puked on.
3. Bring his favorite snacks.  Be prepared that your toddler would not want to eat the entire trip he’s on the plane.  Toddler is old enough to understand that the plane ride is a different experience, but not old enough to be able to handle it.  My son loves raisin bread.  I don’t care if he doesn’t touch his dinner, as long as he has something in his stomach, that’s all matters.
4. Take sleeping turns with your hubby.  Prepare with sleepless night on the plane.  Some toddlers get so excited about the plane ride that they wouldn’t sleep at all.  On the way from NY to Frankfurt, my son slept just for a couple hours and he was wide awake the whole time.  And this gets better, he fell asleep just a few minutes before we landed in Frankfurt, which made the whole two hour layover very interesting.  Trust me, that’s usually the case.  So it is very important to take turns with your husband who’s going to watch him and who’s going to sleep.
5. The rest are pretty obvious.  Bring plenty diapers and wipes, and of course umbrella stroller.  I’ve seen some people use backpack frame carrier.  I found it too heavy and too much hassle.  My son actually loves the umbrella stroller. 

Now I would like to give a few tips about the trip itself:

1. If you’re travelling to a tropical country, use formula instead of fresh milk.  Indonesia is very hot and humid.  The average temperature is around 86 degrees all day long, all year long.  I remember growing up we were not used to drink milk on every meal.  My brothers and I drank a glass of milk in the morning during breakfast and another one at night before we go to bed.  There is a reason why Indonesian toddlers don’t carry fresh milk in their diaper bag.  It’s because of the heat!!  The milk gets spoiled easily.  So I would suggest to switch to formula whenever you go out.  You don’t expect your toddler to juggle up a bottle of milk in one meal, do you?  They’re not used to that.  Pediasure can be mixed with cold water and it comes with various flavors.  So they will be drinking delicious cold milk without knowing it’s not fresh cow’s milk.  Consult your pediatric to be safe.
2. You can bring a portable booster seat, but leave the pack and play home.  Let your toddler sleep with you at night.  I know it will take some times to adjust when you come back from your trip, but trust me… you’ll have enough stuffs to carry around that pack and play is the last thing in your mind.  The portable booster seat that you can carry like a bag is pretty handy, especially when travelling to a developing country where not every places are child friendly.
3. Be prepare that your child will lose weight.  For the first few days we were there, my son barely ate.  On top of that, he was sick on the last week of our trip.  Don’t worry, it’s very common.  You can bring oatmeal, or in my case I gave him raisin bread I brought from home and banana.  Anything that are a part of balance diet that you can put in his little tummy will do.  Once he got used to the whole environment, he finally ate. 

Those are the only tips I could think of.  When I have more to add, I will update this post.

Tags: travel abroad, travelling with toddler

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