Top Tips for Traveling with Twins, Infants or Toddlers!
- Jackie
- Nov 22, 2024
- 9 min read
Updated: Jan 15
As scary as it seemed, I decided to not let having infant and toddler twins hold us back from traveling. My husband and I traveled a lot before having kids and although stressful, we knew we wanted to continue seeing family on the holidays and enjoying some fun in the sun a few times a year.
This meant A LOT of preparation, research and anxiety. This is why I decided to put together these solid tips for traveling with twins, infants or toddlers! You only live once!
The first time we traveled on an airplane was from Boston to North Carolina to visit my sister for the 4th of July. Our twins were 8 months old. We were sooo nervous about the flight and mostly afraid that our twins might cry the whole way through and upset the passengers surrounding us.
To prepare in advance (and set the tone for the flight), I purchased foam ear plugs in bulk and put them into little plastic zip loc bags to hand out to the passengers once we were seated. Even if they were not bothered by not one, but two crying babies…this thoughtful gesture would let others know that we cared and were apologizing in advance. Hopefully, they would go easy on us! You could easily get these items on Amazon for a small amount of money which is worth the smiles and compassion you’ll receive in return!
TWIN ROAD TRIP
If you are planning a road trip, here are some of my tips from personal experience.
Be sure to pack a soft blanket and pillow for each child. This will create a cozy environment that is familiar with home and encourage napping.
Make sure that your babies or toddlers are well fed before getting into the vehicle. I liked to plan on leaving for road trips around 30-60 minutes before nap time. This way, my twins would be fed and content for a little while before dozing off for a few hours. My goal was to have them asleep for as much of the trip as possible.
If you will be driving for several hours, plan to stop and stretch every two hours or so. Invest in a portable potty for toddlers and little kids! I may or may not have even used one myself in the back of my minivan during a pee emergency! SHH…
This portable potty is my favorite. It’s super compact and folds up to fit in your bag or under your stroller! There are disposable bags you can buy that make going to the bathroom an incredibly easy process. I even had my kids use it at Disney, the zoo and playground.
Even if your toddlers are potty trained, my advice is to put a Pull-Up (training underwear) on them for long car rides! This way, you won’t have to worry about any potty accidents if they are sound asleep in their car seat. Trust me on this.
Make sure you have hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes to take to any public rest stops with your kiddos. You never know what kind of grossness you will find! Wear a belt bag big enough to hold your bathroom necessities, for easy access. And don’t forget to bring the wipes for any diaper changing or bathroom visits. You’ll also want to have extra wipes in the car for those sticky fingers. Think greasy fast food, too!
SNACKS AND BOTTLE FEEDING
If you are bottle feeding your babies, you can prefill a few bottles with measured formula and then bring some room temp bottled water to easily make the bottles on demand.
If you are breastfeeding, pack a breastfeeding pillow so that you can easily nurse in the car or at a rest stop. I actually recommend something called TushBaby! It’s somewhat like a belt bag that an adult can wear and it’s ergonomically designed to support an infant or toddler up to 35 pounds! You can use it as a portable support product when breastfeeding your baby away from home. The main function of the TushBaby is to carry your child on your hip without straining yourself. It’s awesome! The “fanny pack” part can actually fit your essentials including wipes, a few diapers, pacifier, keys, phone, etc! We have partnered with TushBaby to offer you an exclusive discount! Save an EXTRA 15% with TushBaby discount code TWINSANITYLIFE on your purchase!
If you are flying with infant or toddler twins, make sure you change their diapers in the gate area. Another trick is to let them drink a bottle during takeoff and landing. This helps to avoid some potential pain due to their ears popping. For older children, a lollipop to suck on is also a good idea. We all love these organic YumEarth lollipops! For mommy and daddy, chew some gum!
Plan ahead and pack as many snacks as possible. I really like the Bentgo lunch boxes for toddlers and little kids who are able to feed themselves. You can put a few well-balanced choices in them for variety. Bring a soft cooler that you can set on the back floor of the vehicle, for easy access.
Worried about crying and complaining? Incentivize the kids by letting them know at the beginning of the trip that if they are well behaved and patient, they will get a treat such as a donut or fries halfway through!
SLEEPING AWAY FROM HOME
If you are traveling with infant or toddler twins for the holidays, vacation or any other reason…definitely invest in two SlumberPod portable sleep tents to fit perfectly over your Pack & Play or other portable crib! The SlumberPod is a GAME CHANGER for getting your twins to sleep for longer stretches when out of their element! It’s been rigorously tested for safety and creates a totally dark, breathable and relaxing environment for your children. Easy to set up and take down, the SlumberPod will give you that extra time in the evening and mornings without being disrupted by daylight. Be sure to bring a portable white noise machine to reduce anxiety and drown out any outside noises that might interfere with your babies’ sleep, especially when on vacation or during the holidays. I don’t know about you, but my family can certainly get pretty rowdy!
The SlumberPod is also a great option if you have guests staying with you for the holidays and need to change the sleeping arrangements in your house. Put your twins in their pack and plays and let them sleep in your room under the SlumberPod. Problem solved! Traveling to Grandma or the inlaws? Easily pack the SlumberPod and take it with you. There are even interior pockets for a portable fan, a baby monitor and sound machine to encourage the best sleep possible!
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MUST HAVE FOR TRAVELING WITH INFANTS AND TODDLERS!
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STROLLER ADVICE
Get yourself a compact lightweight double stroller such as the Zoe Twin V2 for all of your travel needs including airplane, theme parks, walks and more. The Zoe Twin sooo light at just 23 pounds. We’ve been using ours for over five years! It has a 45 lb weight limit per seat and it comes with standard premium wheels, an adjustable handlebar, ample storage underneath, and can even snap in one car seat! The seats fully recline for babies as young as 3 months old. The large, expandable sunshades are awesome and protective and the Zoe Twin Stroller fits through standard doorways. It easily and quickly folds in half to fit in most trunks with room to spare!
We purchased a Zoe Travel Bag that can be worn as a backpack. This made gate check a breeze and we would always check our stroller at the gate after placing in in that bag for added protection under the plane. Having a double stroller at the airport with young twins is crucial in the event that you encounter any delays. The stroller doubles as a place for the kids to nap, snack or watch their tablets.
Do you have three or four kiddos under five? You can add on a third and fourth seat to accommodate your crew or check out their Trio and Tribe! The Zoe Twin folds up compact, is Disney and airline approved, has lots of cute accessories, comes in beautiful colors and is well-made and easy to use.
If you get the ZOE, feel free to use THIS LINK to automatically save a little bit at checkout.
ENTERTAINMENT
I highly recommend investing in two tablets such as the Amazon Fire for kids, when traveling by car or plane! It’s IMPORTANT to turn on the tablets at home and make sure they’re connected to Wi-Fi shortly before your trip. This gives the tablets an opportunity to download the necessary updates so that you don’t encounter any issues in the airport or car.
My next tip is to make sure you DOWNLOAD any movies, games or content at home, that you want to have access to during your flight or on the road! Download everything at home when you have a strong Wi-Fi signal, so you have peace of mind your content has been saved to your device. Make sure you also have a set of kids’ headphones for each tablet. The airlines require the tablets to be silent unless headphones are worn. These are the ones we have and like!
I also recommend some busy boards for your twins to enjoy in the car or in flight. They are typically compact and can fit inside a backpack or carryon bag.
When traveling by plane and if there will be two adults, you should pack a backpack for EACH TWIN. Think of this bag as your lifeline. In each bag should have a full change of clothes for your infant or toddler, diaper wipes, extra diapers, sanitizer, burp cloths, bibs, extra dry formula, a small soft blanket and lovie, teethers if necessary, two bottles prefilled with dry formula (if necessary), a portable water & milk warmer, age-appropriate snacks, an empty water bottle, crayons and a coloring book, infant/children’s Tylenol or Motrin, small toys such as rattles or other sensory items. Plus, a bottle of water for yourself and any snacks you might want. All of these things depend on the age of your twins. It is my advice to place each backpack underneath the seat in front of you on the airplane versus in the overhead bin. For changing diapers in public places like airports and planes, buy yourself some disposable changing pads. Game changer and much more sanitary!
NO HARDWARE REQUIRED! INSTALL IN LESS THAN A MINUTE.
ANOTHER MUST HAVE FOR INFANT AND TODDLER SLEEP!!
HOME OR TRAVEL
FLYING WITH TWINS
It’s important to keep in mind that each 3-seater row on an airplane can legally only accommodate three people over the age of two plus ONE lap baby. There are only 4 oxygen masks per row, so a second lap baby is not allowed to be in the same row.
If you are traveling solo with your infant or toddler twins, You will need to purchase at lease two seats so that one can go on your lap and the other can go in a car seat next to you…. or if they are old enough, they can sit in the seat next to you. Be sure to call the airline to find out the specific rules for their flights.
If you are traveling with a second adult and lap babies two and under, it is my advice to purchase an aisle and middle seat on one side and then an aisle and middle seat across the aisle. This way, you are still close to your partner/helper and can pass things back and forth, or watch the second child when one adult needs to use the restroom. Again, this is because you cannot have two adults with two lap babies in the same row.
Now that my twins are older, we still purchase seats on each side of the aisle but in the same row, so that each child has a designated adult to take care of them. 3 on 1 is not fun for mom or dad on an airplane until the kids are more civilized!
As I mentioned earlier, prefill bottles with dry formula and then buy bottled water after you get through security. Remember, you cannot bring liquids with you through security. You CAN bring breast milk and liquid formula in clear bottles through security, but you will need to inform TSA and they will test it.
Here is a helpful link for the rules regarding traveling with formula, breast milk and baby food!
If you have a few hours to spare at before your flight, I recommend purchasing two “toddler leashes” (no judging!) to let your twins walk around a bit without having to worry. Remember, the airport is one of the top places for child trafficking, so PLEASE do not let your children wander more than a few feet away.
Another safety tip when traveling with twins is to put Apple Air Tags in all of your luggage and bags, as well as on your kids! There are plenty of places to hide it and this will give you peace of mind.
If your children are a bit older like 3 or 4 years old, you can make up a fun and simple song to teach them “mommy’s phone number”. You can even put it to the tune of ABCs. It works (I did it with my twins)! Practice every day.
AMAZON TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
Still not sure what you need to pack to make your life easier? Check out this Amazon list I made for some great travel must-haves in one place!
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