15 Essential Holiday Travel Tips
Sanity-saving tips for every family.
by Shelly Rivoli
November 21, 2007
1. Bring garden training wire for temporary childproofing. Also known as Bonsai training wire, it's light, just a few dollars a roll at your hardware store or on Amazon, and infinitely helpful in blocking access to Grandma's china cabinet.
2. Stash travel packs of antibacterial hand wipes in purses, diaper bags and carry-on bags, and use them often to fend off microbes that may thwart your travel plans. They're also great on sticky airplane trays and arm rests.
3. Dress traveling babies and toddlers in overalls. The straps provide the perfect place to link a travel toy to help keep your child busy as he passes from car seat to stroller to baby carrier to lap to restroom changing table.
4. 311 your diaper bag. Remember to follow the TSA guidelines (3 oz. or less each in one zip-top bag) for any diapering or medicinal products — diaper cream, ointments, pain relievers, gas relief drops, teething gel, etc.— you would like to have in the aircraft.
5. Hold the mail. No worries if your neighbor had too much eggnog and forgot. Go to USPS.com and arrange your mail hold online in minutes.
6. Bring an extra bottle. Even if you're exclusively breastfeeding, it may be very helpful to have an extra bottle of breast milk ready to go in case a feeding time does not coincide with a safe place to pull the car over, or finds you standing in a very long line at security.
7. Ship baby essentials to meet you there. Save yourself valuable visiting time and make sure you'll have the items you'll need: diapers, formula, baby food, teething biscuits, etc. You can use a service like Babies Travel Lite or Jet Set Babies, or try Amazon.
8. Reconfirm your reservations and seats 24 to 72 hours in advance — for both outbound and return flights, especially if you are flying with a lap child, using a car seat in the cabin, or using an airline bassinet.
©2007 Shelly Rivoli and Nerve Media
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