Dread. It is the first expression I see when passengers board an airplane and realize that they have to sit in the vicinity of small children. Insert a silent “oh shit” and eye rolls here.

I get it…I’ve been there. FLASHBACK to my early 20’s on a flight from NY to CA where I was literally abused by a screaming toddler that was sitting in the middle seat (mom conveniently took the the window) and allowed my personal beat down to continue for the duration of the ENTIRE flight. You know its bad when random people apologize to you for having to endure said child while waiting at the baggage claim. I was seriously scarred for life – and long after the bruises from said toddler faded, I realized that I never wanted to be “that mom“.

Fast forward 10 years – I now have not one, but 2 crazy little gremlins that I have to keep content while traveling on an airplane. I am fully aware that toddlers are volatile and you can’t always control their emotions or actions, but I personally try my damndest to never let my kids be the one to ruin someone’s flight. I think I’m still overcompensating for “that mom” on my flight to California. When I travel with the tots, I feel like Mary f-ing Poppins pulling magical tricks out of my bottomless bag to make sure that everyone on the entire plane is content. So what exactly does Mary Poppins have stashed in her 50 pound bag of pure toddler pleasure???

I’ve decided to narrow it down to our top 5 for toddlers on a plane:

1. Snacks: I pack an entire gallon ziplock bag full of snacks when we fly. For some crazy reason, my kids somehow become ravenous monsters when we travel. I try to pack relatively healthy snacks that aren’t overly messy or potent smelling to keep them satisfied. We also *attempt* to keep the sugar intake to a minimum because the last thing we need is a toddler amped up on candy! But alas – sometimes we have to bribe our monsters with a bag a fruit snacks to get them to just sit still in their damn seats!

• Favorite travel snacks: Goldfish, applesauce pouches, pretzels with hummus, fruit and/or granola bars, dried fruit, crackers and a secret stash of fruit snacks in case of emergencies.

2. Gel Window Clings: Before we travel, I hit up the $1 section at the entrance of Target or the Dollar Store and purchase an assortment of gel window clings. What makes the gel clings so great? They stick to practically anything and don’t leave any sticky residue behind. When we’re finished, we just throw them out at the end of the flight!

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(Here you see my girls making designs on the back of the head rest, on the tray table and on the window.)

3. Arts and Crafts: We travel with what feels like an entire craft aisle stuffed into my bag – with crayons, stickers, coloring books, play dough, an assortment of coloring “Play Packs”, colorful pipe cleaners, mini magna-doodles and blank cards with envelopes. Its hard to say how long this will entertain the kids – it could be a matter of mere seconds to the duration of the full flight. Its a crap shoot!

• Fun Activity: We make hand-made cards for the flight crew. I always pack some blank cards that we write personal messages in – just as a thank you for their service on the flight. The girls color them and decorate them with stickers, etc. We give them to the crew once we are in our seats. It not only makes for a nice gesture, but also gives you some “bonus points” with the flight crew! It can’t hurt to have someone on your side if traveling with tots ever goes awry!

4. Finger Puppets: What silly little toddler wouldn’t love finger puppets? They’re super inexpensive, light weight and easy to pack in a carry on!

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5. Tablets: As much as I like to refrain from giving my kids their own personal electronic devices on a daily basis, I don’t think I would survive long haul trips without them!! I can honestly say, “I don’t know how generations before us did it”. Each of our girls have their own kindle fire tucked safely into a Moko kids case loaded with lots of e-books, apps, games and movies. Neither of my kids will wear headphones at this point, so we have to keep the volume at a minimum to not disturb other passengers.

• Tip: Make sure you complete all updates to your mobile devices before you leave home. Wifi can be spotty at best when traveling – so make sure you don’t have to rely on it! Your toddler will never ever forgive you if their favorite app won’t work when they want to use it!

The list could go on and on…and to all you mamas (and dads!) out there – don’t forget to order yourself a stiff cocktail and enjoy your trip! It will all be fine in the end!

Happy Travels!

How to get the most of out your Museum Membership

Do you belong to a local Science Museum? Did you know that with your membership you are often eligible to travel to other Science Museums for FREE or discounted admission in many locations?

When traveling, we are pretty much on the go every minute. But with small children, we have found that we need to have “break” days for them to burn off some energy and to play freely. We have found that Children’s Museums and Science Centers are a perfect place for them to do so. They are interactive, educational, safe and our kids love going to them! The best part: it is a FREE or super low cost activity that we can do when we travel!!! How often can you say that?!? In the past 2 years alone, we have personally visited centers in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Florida, Montana, Ohio, and Tennessee.

We belong to our local children’s science museum here in State College, PA – DISCOVERY SPACE. While we enjoy what it has to offer for us here, we like having the membership even more for the purpose of using it when we travel. Discovery Space is part of a larger organization called the Association of Science – Technology Centers (ASTC). The ASTC offers a Travel Passport Program, which is a reciprocal admission program that offers a travel benefit to members at participating science centers or museums. The Passport Program is a travel benefit that is included in membership at your local participating science center or museum.

Our annual Family Membership at Discovery Space is $125 and includes 2 parents/guardians, household children and an additional caregiver card. We are also given 4 free one-time use passes to take guests to our local center. The Basic Membership starts at $90/year. For our family of 4 with 2 adults/2 children, paying out-of-pocket for one trip to Pittsburgh to visit the Carnegie Science Museum ($19.95/adult; $11.95/child), and The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh ($16/adult; $14/child) would be equivalent to our annual membership.

Visiting ASTC Science Centers and Museums:

The fine print: In order to use your ASTC Travel Passports at other participating museums, you must be at least 90 miles (as the crow flies) from the science center or museum where you are a member and from your residence.

Before you Travel to an ASTC location:

• Make sure the science center or museum you are visiting is part of the Travel Passport Program
• Review that science center or museum’s family admittance policy
• Pack your ID (or other proof of residence)
• Pack your membership card

In addition to the ASTC, there are other organizations that offer similar programs as well. If you have a local membership I any museum, zoo, etc. it is definitely worth checking out to see if they have a Travel Program to use when you are traveling.  Here are a few others for your reference:

ACM – Association of Children’s Museums

• 200 museums participate in the network and reciprocate 50% off general admission for up to six (6) people. The card holder must be present for discounted admission

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AZA – Association of Zoos & Aquariums

• Members will be required to show proof of zoo or aquarium membership.
• Reciprocity applies to admission to the main facility during normal operating days and hours. Reciprocity may exclude special exhibits or events requiring an additional fee.
• Reciprocity does not limit the number of visits to any particular zoo or aquarium.
• The number of visitors admitted with a family membership may vary depending on the zoo or aquarium visited.
• Zoos and aquariums designated both 100% and 50% depending on location – check the AZA Reciprocal Admissions Chart to confirm discount

 NARM – North American Reciprocal Museum Association     NARM has over 1,000 arts, cultural, and historical institutions along with botanical gardens, children’s museums, science and technology centers and more that offer their individual NARM qualified members reciprocal benefits.

• Free/member admission during regular museum hours
• Member discounts at museum shops
• Discounts on concert/lecture tickets
• Check the list of participating locations before you leave as there are some restrictions on benefits

If you are anything like me – you love finding a bargain! And being able to take my family to new places that we can enjoy for free or little cost is a win/win in my book!