READY SET

The founders of Big Little Feelings hand out their tried and true tips for one of the most daunting tasks traveling with toddlers.

BEFORE YOU head off on your late summer vacation or even a trip to visit the grandparents, you’ll likely feel those familiar nervous waves about forgetting something, but more importantly, how your little one may process a chaotic Travel Day. But does stress-free travel with your tiny team even exist? We asked Kristin Gallant and Deena Margolin, LMFT, the brilliant co-founders behind Big Little Feelings, how parents can ease family travel this summer and here’s what they had to say.

DITCH THE ROUTINE. Let boundaries and structure go out the window. Seriously. Be gentle with yourself. On travel days with kids, we are all just trying to survive. This means lollipops, infinite screentime, truly whatever we need to do to make it to the destination.

BRemember, if you’re doing an iPad on the airplane for the first time, practice using the headphones at home ahead of time so your kid can understand how it works.

TAKE SNACK BREAKS. To prevent and soothe ear pressure or pain on the plane, we recommend giving babies a pacifier, bottle, breast, whatever you feed them with to suck on. For toddlers, give them a snack to chew on, as chewing and swallowing helps to relieve the pain.

CREATE A CALM SPACE. Make sure their sleep environment is as similar to their home sleep environment as possible. Bring their favorite nightlight, sound machine, sleep sack, whatever items cue sleep and make your little one feel most comfy at nighttime.

BE RESOURCEFUL. If you are worried about your older toddler rolling off a hotel bed, use a pool noodle underneath the fitted sheet to create a barrier at the edge of the bed! Bring childproof safety locks to put up high (and out of reach) on any balcony doors (especially if your kid already knows how to unlock doors).

PLAN AHEAD. If we are travelling somewhere where we will be swimming, we like to ask the hotel ahead of time if they have kids’ toys— buckets, water toys, pool floaties. If they don’t have them ahead of time, another option is to rent them (you can usually do this through a crib renting service) or have them shipped to the hotel ahead of time.

JUST DO IT. Get in the bathing suit. Make memories with your kids!