Oh the adventures of traveling with tots! As a family who takes every opportunity to travel, we have plenty of experience traveling with tots and I can tell you from experience that something is always forgotten! I typically type out a list (I know, I’m so fancy) and scratch off the items as I go, however it’s the smallest details that seem to be forgotten such as outlet covers when staying at hotels. I bet you didn’t think of that either, did you? Little hands can place their fingers in hotel outlets just as easily as they do at home, which is why Marriot has recently partnered with Amy Feldman & Allison Costa, of COVERPLAY (see Flickr photos of these two fabulous ladies HERE) to launch the “Tots Travel Too” Program!
Marriot Tots Travel Too Program
If your a parent traveling with small children, Marriot has you covered, quite literally. This new program is designed to make traveling with tots easier on parents by providing guests, upon request, with a travel crib and laundered COVERPLAY removable crib slipcover to ensure their “traveler-in-training” can rest comfortably! A complimentary gift also comes with the COVERPLAY, an animal squirtie toy, because bath time is just too fun to pass up! Additionally, if parents forget to pack their tiny tots essentials, guests can simply contact the front desk and receive complimentary items, including outlet covers, nightlights, baby shampoo, and baby lotion. Disposable bibs will also be available in the breakfast areas!
This exclusive slip cover developed by COVERPLAY will be featured at more than 2,500 hotels across the U.S. and Canada, including, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites hotels, as well as available for purchase on www.shopmarriott.com. To learn more about Coverplay and the two fun women behind the company, y9u can play out their real life drama by visiting their Tots Travel Too channel on Youtube.
I don’t know about you, but I cannot tell you the countless times I have forgotten an essential items such as baby shampoo, and had to send my husband out to find a local drugstore. It’s inconvenient and it takes away from the traveling experience…a parenting “time out” if you will. With Marriots new program, parents everywhere can relax and enjoy their family vacation time without those dreaded “time out’s”! To learn more about the Tots Travel Too program, simply visit www.marriott.com/totstravel2.
Twitter Party
Join the upcoming Twitter Party on July 1st from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. ET where tips from The Motherhood circle will be shared, the Tots Travel Too program will be discussed, and over $2,000 in prizes will be awarded to participants.
Win It!
One lucky “Deal”ectible Mommies reader will WIN a Tots Travel Too Gift Pack (ARV $78) that includes the following:
– Play Yard crib slipcover/liner AND matching fitted sheet by CoverPlay in a sophisticated, Marriott-exclusive polka dot pattern.
– Bibs to Go Book by Dwell, a waterproof pad of 20 full-color illustrations, each of which tears off to become a disposable bib.
– A set of 8 Animal Party Tub Squirties by ElegantBaby
Simply leave a comment with your best tip for traveling with tots/children and your entered to win! I will choose the winner based on what I believe to be the BEST tip, so get creative and give me all you got! If you are a blogger, please remember to leave your blog url, so that you can be acknowledged as a winner and your blog name can be included in the press release!
The Boring Stuff: Open to U.S. and Canadian residents only! Contest ends on Sunday, June 27 at midnight, so get those tips in now!
Disclaimer: I am working in partnership with Marriott and Global Influence – a Resourceful Mommy Media network – to cover the Marriott Tots Travel Too program and have received a stipend. My thoughts and opinions remain my own!
Tabathia B
I guess my best tip is always pack according to child’s age, for my 9 yo I would use a backpack and pack dolls & accessories, coloring books, books, crayons, markers, nintendo ds & old gameboy, mp3 player and for teens I would let them pack one of their bags with books, mp3 player and laptop to share among all three of them cellphone and a gaming system to share psp go and for baby I would pack her teething gel, baby toys snacks and juice (for all kids) and her lovely. I would probably bring the portable dvd player also
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Katie
taking my first trip with an infant in a few weeks. Communicating with the hotel has been extremely helpful. Also, taking a change of clothes for both of us, and extra plastic baggies (grocery sized and ziploc) for any possible incidents.
Sheryl
It’s like your wedding day… You gave to let go and let the little things slide…
I have a check list of essentials that I store on my computer. Every time we travel I print the list and we generally have all the needed essentials. I update the list as my kids get older and things evolve. It’s great!
Becky @ Our Peaceful Home
Take a car big enough to pack all your stuff!
Jennifer H
Do NOT leave home w/o snacks and drinks. Weather it be a road trip, Disney park or plane ride…always pack snacks for the kids to keep them happy. It doesn’t hurt to have good activities as well like age appropriate games and coloring books.
Joe Caplinger
Buy new toys that the child has not played with previously and save them for the trip. This way if his current toys don’t keep his attention you have something new and exciting for him to be interested in!
Prasanna B
I’ve travelled several times with my now 8 month old (by myself too!), our list of must-haves are:
ergo carrier, lovey, favorite blankies, snacks, toys, tie-chair (so any chair can become hers), and paci.
The one thing we try to do is make the journey interesting too, by showing her things she doesn’t see at home – so essentially making everything into a “i-spy” type of game. She’s more engaged and excited that way.
Rhonda Runtz
We just made the long drive from Ontario, Canada to Daytona Beach, Florida with an almost 1 year old and an almost 3 year old! I have a few essentials for a long drive with toddlers. Food is the most important. Keep snacks handy within arms reach. A potty – it was quicker to have her go in the van than get out. A rolling suitcase for the hotel with essentials like favorite toy, book, pj’s and bedtime rituals(blankie/pillow etc.) She enjoyed the fact that we had our suitcase, and she had hers. Kids medicines, you never know when a fever will strike with teething babies or a bee will sting and there isn’t always a store handy. Advil, benadryl and gravol top my list. I also agree with the portable dvd both for in the car and at the hotel. Happy travels!
Karen
We’ve only traveled by car with our kids and the one thing that has saved us is a portable DVD player. We can use it in the car then hook it up to the hotel’s TV.
Mandy Mushrush
I keep a list, as well. Along with clothes, I always bring our own snacks, cups, dish soap to wash them out with, and a back pack of small toys and books. In the van – I always keep a change of clothes, diapers/wipes, and plastic bags for stinky diapers!!
Vanessa
We are getting ready to travel right now with our two. My best tip at the moment is to have lists already and then if possible, to ship stuff down ahead of time! Saves lots of time and worries in the airport!
Melissa
My best advice would be to pack plenty of activities to do in the car…. they seem to get bored faster in the car!!!
Melisa
I am a subscriber!
Lonni
If driving – bring plenty to do… new toys are great since they don’t get bored as quickly with them. Also, portable DVD players with some videos are a great distraction when the toys just aren’t cutting it.
nan lara
when my son was almost 2 he went on his first plane ride..he got to bring his own suitcase on wheels filled with toys diapers etc for the plane..but what turned out best was during all of our waits he enjoyed pulling and pushing the thing all over the airport..and wore himself out and slept on the flight
nannypanpan at sbcglobal.net
Jill
Always bring two of your child’s comfort items (pacifier, lovey, ect…) just in case one gets dropped on the airplane floor or gets left behind in the hotel!
jennifer
A DVD player is a must for traveling!
Kiri
We took our first roadtrip with our son when he was 3 mos. old. My best advice for traveling with infants is to plan ahead for your stops to re-diaper, let the baby out of their car seat for a few minutes, and refill all your feeding supplies. We avoided a lot of crying by taking care of his needs before he got a chance to feel uncomfortable. Sure, we lost a little bit of time but we didn’t go insane and he had a good travel experience.
Shannon
This is wonderful to read! I travel with two tots and that kind of service sounds fantastic. My tip is to try and get a hotel with a full kitchen so you can prepare meals in the room. I know Marriott’s Residence Inn properties have these. With tots, you need to be able to prepare snacks and warm food and it can get pricey to eat out a lot. Thanks!
Heather
if you’re going on a plane make sure to bring something for them to suck or chew on as the plane takes off and lands. Bottles or boobs for babies 🙂 Or gum for older kids. It will save fear and uncomfort if their ears plug up!
Dana
My 2 favorite tips for traveling with tots are …
Every time we travel spills and stains always happen, but I don’t always have a way to clean then right away. So, I like to purchase a couple of inexpensive traveling outfits(or at least t shirts) that can be disposable.
I also like to go to the dollar store and get a few toys, crayons, etc. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Then when the
“I’ve been in the car for too long!!!” tantrums start you can bring it out as a pleasant suprise. They kids really like anything new and it being a surprise just makes it even better.
Leah - Diaries of a Domestic Goddess
When traveling on an airplane with an infant or a toddler, be sure to pack the following:
-ear plugs (you can get cheap pkgs of ear plugs). While boarding the plane, pass them out to people around you while apologizing ahead of time for any loud screaming your child may do…
-Color wonder markers and paper in their favorite characters…especially the one you may have told them no to the other day at Target.
-Suckers to help with ear popping (make it one of those old fashion fat round ones and it will take them a LONG time to suck on…thus plugging their mouths)
And if all else fails, Benedryl will help put them asleep…totally kidding!!!! (well a bit)
http://www.goddessinthehouse.com
domestic _ goddess AT mail DOT com
Tammy
This may not be too creative, but we used to travel in the middle of the night. That way, the kids were asleep most of the time.
Julia
When I travel with kids I pack a carry on with new toys and books, snacks, drinks and a comfort item or 2. For car travel I bring a bunch of DVD’s for the video player and make sure to plan on the road games like eye spy.
Bobbie (OneScrappyMom)
I think it involves packing alot of snacks (little to NO drinks though or you stop frequently). But I like to do a little game on paper… I will draw a little symbol (okay I use picture fonts on the computer) and put together a little grid with items they can “spot” and then check off. Its a great little COST-FREE game and the kids totally love it. I get them the bingo dot pens to check them off with and make several sheets with different ones. The bingo dot pens last forever, but they are $1 at the dollar stores!! SCORE!
Lee
My tip is pretty simple. Travel with new snacks and new toys which don’t get touched until you are on the trip. The toys and snacks can be a surprise or you can tell them in advance and even let them pick something fun out.
When Jason and I traveled to Los Angeles alone on a blog trip I allowed him to buy a play laptop. It was really cool and had tons of games and learning activities. He was so excited about it that he behaved the entire way there. The way back was however, a different story.
Lee 🙂
Rachel D.
I have a 2 year old son who we are starting to travel with and I was a nanny for 3 years for a couple who always traveled, and the one thing I found that works the best is…the Magic Bag! Before the trip you go buy lots of fun and new snacks, treats, books, activities, and toys. You can even just go to the dollar store to get these. You don’t tell the kids at all. Then once you are traveling and whenever the kids get cranky, you pull something out of the “magic bag”! It has helped stop so many melt downs and makes traveling exciting and fun!
Also, be flexible! Plan a tentative plan but be wiling to rearrange or skip things if your infant/toddler is acting up or needs some quiet time/naptime!
chantal
I have taken many trips with kids and it never fails, something always happens. for me, the night before get all the rest you can. Plan ahead, you need to have a list of the things you know you need, things that will occupy the kids, drinks, snakcs, sandwiches, etc. You want to have an extra outfit for each person. bag for trash, make sure each kid has a place to put their drinks. you want to have bottled drinks so that they arent easily spilt, otheriwse you possibly will have a huge mess! For the kids coloring books, books to read, any toys( i dont reccomend small toys but toys like dolls, pony, cars, etc). Most of all i think the best thing i have done was buy a portable dvd player for the car. I usually buy a new dvd for the kids before the trip and surprise them in the car with the new one. i also take a few of their favorites along as well. I also put the clear sunshades over the windows so the sun isnt beaming right down on them and there is an organizer on the back of each seat where the kids can easily access anything they need. pouch for toys, drinks, books etc. Being prepared is the best thing that you can do overall.
chantal cooper
chantalgiardina (at) yahoo (dot) com
chantal
also, dont forget some tylenol!
Trisha Lynn
Pack an easy to carry tote that has all the entertainment needs like toy and coloring books add in some snacks and drinks and you have everything you need to stop a crying or antsy kid!
Trina C
I buy my diapers when I get to my travel location so i don;t take up previous room in the suitcase. I also make sure to have a new little toy for my older son to play with on the plane. And I can;t live without the portable DVD player.
Nedra Lytle
I’m not going to candy coat the best traveling tip, I’ll give it to you straight forward:
BRING DVDS FOR YOUR CHILDREN TO WATCH! No DVD player in your vehicle? No problem, GET A PORTABLE DVD PLAYER!
🙂
Meghan
Wow! Great suggestions! Thanks mommies!