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Christmas travel

By MrsADS Dec 22, 2016

Anyone else traveling for Christmas with LOs? Let's commiserate and share tips.

We're leaving tomorrow with our almost 16 month old. Our travel agenda for tomorrow:
- Leave our house at 7am eastern
- drive to airport (45 minutes)
- 2 flights (2 hour flight, then a 3 hour flight) with a 2 hour layover in between
- After landing at 5pm central (6pm eastern), a 3 HOUR DRIVE to the in-laws (they live in the sticks!)

AND on the way to their house, we have to stop at Walmart to pick up Christmas gifts and baby stuff like diapers for the week. I anticipate we won't get to their house until 9 or 10pm, so probably a 15 hour travel day. I am dreading tomorrow SO MUCH... and now that I've written it out, I'm thinking I am crazy for agreeing to this travel. LO has flown before but nothing like this.

Would love to hear your tips and tricks!

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14 comments

Foodnerd81
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts

Dec 22, 2016

I have no tips- that is rough!! Can you have any of the Walmart stuff shipped? We aren't traveling, but hosting dhs family here in our new house. Bil is already here and MIL arrives tonight and we are still painting the bathroom they need to use.
MrsADS
nectarine / 2262 posts

Dec 22, 2016

@foodnerd81 we got some stuff shipped to their house, so it's not a huge amount of stuff we have to get. I learned that apparently if you live far enough in the middle of nowhere, Amazon Prime doesn't work!
T.H.O.U.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts

Dec 22, 2016

@MrsADS: Wow, is there a way someone could go back out for some of the stuff the next day and you just travel with tough to make it through that night?
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eggplant / 11716 posts

Dec 22, 2016

We are leaving tomorrow after I get out of work at 2 pm....and trying to drive 8 hours (that's 8 hours with minimal stops--longer with more stops which we will likely have with 2 kids). And 1 of our kids gets major car sickness. So it's going to be interesting.

As if that's not enough, the next day (Christmas Eve) is FIL's 70th anniversary so they are having a huge combined birthday/holiday party in a rented hall, so the next morning we have to go and help decorate, pick up food, set up acitivities and dessert table, etc. While wrangling our two kids. I have a to-do list a mile long of things I am responsible for the party, on top of my regular packing list for traveling with 2 kids, on top of Christmas gifts for everyone.

I'm just trying to check things off my list and not panic.
SweetiePie
honeydew / 7463 posts

Dec 22, 2016

@MrsADS: Wow that sounds horrible. Sorry! Is that rude of me to say? Haha. Seriously you are a really nice wife/DIL. I would never do that for my ILs!

I agree that maybe someone else could pick up what you need before you arrive? Or travel with what you absolutely need for the first night then someone go to Walmart the next day without kids (you should do it! Shopping without kids is like a vacation, especially after that day of travel!)
What about diapers.com? They have really fast delivery and might deliver to them?

As far as travel tips - snacks. Lots of snacks. That's how we survive. I stop worrying about junk and sugar for a day with travel.
Also don't stress about screentime, ESPECIALLLY with a travel day like that. You just need to survive.
Something else we do is take a few favorite toys (small ones like cars) from home and also some new ones that he can open on the plane or in a fussy moment. So it's new and exciting at that time and entertains him for (hopefully) longer. You can even wrap them so it's like presents and the unwrapping uses even more time.
Same with books. A couple faves and a couple new.
We also try to check as much as we can. Obviously keep important things with you. But when I travel with my son (usually alone without DH) I don't take any carry on besides what I need for son and necessities for me.

If I think of anything else I'll add!
youboots
honeydew / 7622 posts

Dec 22, 2016

Do you have a carrier? I like them for that age in the airport.

We just did a over 2000 mile road trip with 20 mo DD and it went great! Can you have diapers/gifts shipped to the house via Amazon prime?
MrsADS
nectarine / 2262 posts

Dec 22, 2016

@sweetiepie not rude. It's going to be horrible, I agree. LOL. If it was just my in laws I would NOT have come and just said they can come to us sometime, but all my DH's extended family is there - brothers, sister, nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles, etc. and they can't come to us, so it's sort of our only opportunity to see the extended family. Our LO gets to see my family all the time and never gets to see his so I feel a little guilty. Although now that this trip is looming I feel less guilty and more WHAT DID I AGREE TO DO?!

I have tons of snacks and toys packed and some apps/videos, although he is not really interested in screentime at all so far.

Good point about checking everything. I think I will pay extra to check our 2nd bag instead of trying to drag more carry ons.

@youboots yes, we are all about the Ergo! Unfortunately, Prime can't provide 2 day shipping to their house (I guess because it is so remote?!?!) It said everything would arrive like December 30 (and this is when I tried to order it online around the 10th). I did ship as much as I could.

The Walmart is 1.5 hours from their house, so going out the next day to pick the stuff up is not really feasible since it would be a 3 hour round trip drive and I don't feel comfortable leaving LO alone with the in laws. Ugghh.

I did set up most of our stuff as "ship to store" which means I should be able to pick it up at customer service instead of running around looking for everything in the store (except for like, 3 things). I am hoping by the time we get there, LO will be asleep in the car, and I will leave DH in the car with him and just run in and get the stuff fast.

I am just trying to mentally prepare myself for the suckage and exhaustion of tomorrow...
psw27
pomelo / 5220 posts

Dec 22, 2016

@MrsADS: Wishing you peace and serenity on your long travel day, you are a champ for doing all of that. I've got a bit of a doozy head of me too. 3 am wake up, leave for airport at 4 for 5:30 flight (we only live 12 mins from the airport, thankfully). 3 hour flight to Chicago, 2 hour connection and then another 4 hour flight to California. Once we are there, we are only about 30 minutes to their house. But I'm 22 weeks pregnant and LO is in a clingy mommy stage so....it'll be a long day. Snacks, Ipad, new toys and lots of laps up the plane aisles I guess! Hopefully LO loves being on the airplane and watches a lot of TV!
MrsADS
nectarine / 2262 posts

Dec 22, 2016

@psw27 ooof. That sounds pretty rough too. Hope it goes smoothly for you!
ShootingStar
coconut / 8472 posts

Dec 22, 2016

@MrsADS: With that amount of travel time I think you could make it half way around the world, lol.

In comparison our travel is not such a big deal. On Monday we're driving about 3 hours to my parents' with a 3 year old, a 4 month old and a dog.
MrsADS
nectarine / 2262 posts

Dec 22, 2016

@shootingstar and our tickets to go halfway around the world would probably have been the same price! I am paying a small fortune for this experience!!! LOL
psw27
pomelo / 5220 posts

Dec 22, 2016

@MrsADS: It is what it is right?! I'm hoping people are kind since it's the holidays. And if they aren't I'll just cry!
MrsADS
nectarine / 2262 posts

Dec 22, 2016

@psw27 yep. I don't feel bad (for other passengers) if he's crying or loud... I mean, I feel bad for him but like what are you going to do with a young child? You can't do anything when you're trapped on a plane. It's different than a 9 year old who won't stop kicking your seat. I just hope he will sleep a little on the plane and in the car.
hellobeeboston
honeydew / 7235 posts

Dec 22, 2016

you all are heros for the lengthy and air travel!

i'm stressed about my 3 hour car ride with my 4 year old and 14 month old!!! I should have had the kids Xmas gifts shipped to my parents house, and I even said i would, but then I didn't.

So my biggest worry is packing ALL OF THE GIFTS plus all of our luggage, pack n play, extra snacks, cups & bottles, a few toys, etc etc into our car. Its barely going to fit.

We're going to do the drive on Friday night after dinner, around 8/8:30 and hopefully miss the bulk of the traffic and the kids can sleep in the car.

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