Travel to Europe with a Toddler

With our 16-month in Greece

We recently returned from a trip to Europe with our 16-month-old, and overall, things went very well. He seemed to adjust easily to the time changes, and enjoyed eating the different foods from the countries we visited.

Some tips
Travel with a toddler can be difficult, but there are some things you can do to make things easier on your child, yourself, and other passengers.

Long flights can be hard on a child, just as it is hard on any of us. You can carry children (under 2 years old) on your lap overseas (usually for a nominal fee), but if you can, purchase a ticket for your child, at least for the long flights. This will make things easier for your child. It can help them sleep on the plane and have room to play or draw or read. Bringing a carseat for your child will also help them feel comfortable sleeping in a place they're used to. Prior to the trip, purchase some new toys and/or coloring/sticker books for your child. This worked really well as a distraction for our toddler - it was something new for him to play with and he really enjoyed it.

Go high-tech
Something else that really helped our son was an iPod Nano. The new ones have a video camera built in, and they also have speakers so headphones aren't needed to listen. (You will want to have headphones for your child for the plane ride, however, and KidZone makes great headphones that fit our son.) Our son could watch his favorite TV shows we had downloaded, such as Backyardigans and Barney.

Snacks are a must for toddlers. Raisins, Goldfish, dried fruit, crackers, cookies, granola bars, and fruit leather travel well and are easy to pack. I also brought some M&Ms to give just in case our little guy started to have a meltdown. It's amazing what a little bit of chocolate or a lollipop can do for a child. As for in-flight meals, before the flight, call the airline to request a child's meal. It's usually less messy and more child-friendly than the regular meals that are served.

Bring a stroller if you use one - we brought our Bugaboo chassis and Peg Perego carseat with adapters, which made travel quite easy. (We gate checked the bottom half of the stroller and brought the carseat onto the plane.) The Bugaboo, thanks to its shocks and oversized wheels, is also great for the cobblestones and uneven ground found throughout Europe.

Do a "dry run"
The best thing for travelling on any long trip with a child is to be prepared. If you plan to give your child Benadryl to help him or her sleep on the plane, try it out before you leave - it can have the opposite effect on some children, making them hyper rather than sleepy (which is what happens to our son).

Travel to Europe can be very enjoyable if you can be flexible, and remember that you may be limited in what you can do. If you can make sure your child doesn't get too hungry or tired, he or she should do well on the trip. Good luck, and remember, if your child is crying on the plane, other parents are probably very sympathetic and aren't angry. Just do what you can to help your child be happy, and you will enjoy the trip. Good luck!