Business travel and little kids generally don’t mix, but when you win an all expenses paid trip to New York City, business travel and little kids is a MUST! Here are my top tips on how to maximize business travel with kids in tow.
Initially, I was in denial that I won this trip! Such a huge opportunity! The thought of attending a TJMaxx workshop with Barbara Corcoran (yes, Shark Tank!) and Laila Ali (yes, Muhammed Ali’s daughter!) had me in total disbelief. But beyond the initial shock that I won, I think I was more nervous at the thought of leaving my five month old baby behind.ย I have never left any of my children while nursing. Questions started flooding my mind. Would I be able to pump enough to leave the baby with my husband for the weekend? Can I pump while attending the workshops? Would I have to turn down this opportunity?
My husband has never been to New York, so he decided that this was the perfect time to go. He could take care of the little boys while I was in my workshop. Problem solved! So, flights were booked and travel planning was underway.
My mom friendly “travel with little kid” tips:
First, packing:
- Plan to check a large bag and know the weight limit
- Do not over pack, you will regret it
- Bring lots of hand sanitizing wipes, baby wipes and a mini Lysol spray (eww, hotel remote & phone)
- Bring one blanket per day for baby (to be used for nap time and as a nursing cover- I love the Aden & Anais blankets because they are super light weight)
- Pack a diaper bag for the baby and a back pack for your toddler to have on the plane (the small back pack will come in handy for daytime walking around)
- Plan out where you are going (and know the weather) so you can plan outfits accordingly
- Bring 2 extra outfits for the kids (just in case!)
- Pack a sweater or light jacket for YOU (we were so glad we had a jacket!)
- Pack about 10 diapers per day for the baby
- Bring a Serenity Organizerย for the plane trip. It gives the kids a CLEAN tray table AND stores all the things (snacks, toys, drink, device etc.) It makes traveling on a plane with kids a BREEZE!
The ACTUAL traveling part:
- Extra hands. In all reality, the only way this trip with kids was possible was because my hubby made the trip with me. If your hubby can’t go, ask a bestie, a sister, or your mom.
- Expect the unexpected.ย I am a planner, but I had to tell my self to expect the unexpected and NOT to get upset about it! So I took the “just roll with it” approach and it helped me, a lot.
- The airplane.
– My 4 & 1/2 year old was super excited to chew gum for the first time, so we practiced for a few days leading up to the trip.
– I spoke to my pediatrician about the baby’s ears and she suggested holding him off for a feeding until we were taking off…just in case the pressure hurt his ears.
– Remember how I mentioned packing a diaper bag for the baby and a back pack for your toddler to have on the plane? In the baby bag I had snacks, iPads, headphones, baby toys (a MUST), a blanket, all of the baby necessities, in addition to hand wipes and tissues. In my big boy’s back pack, we packed a sweater and entertainment. (Plus, we could reuse the smaller back pack later on in place of the diaper bag!)ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย – You can stuff all of the kids items for the plane ride into their tray table organizer and be hands off!
- Transportation from the airport to the hotel. We did not want to bring the baby car seat unless we ABSOLUTELY had to. We figured that if we took the Metro, we would not have to deal with it. It worked out really well! But if you are going somewhere that would require you to have it, then you can check the car seat and a stroller for the baby (and they do not count as bags! YAY!) **note this is for Jet Blue**
- Keeping track of 2 little kids. So I’ll admit, I’m a crazy person when it comes to my kids. I need to know where they are at all times. In New York City, baby wearing is a MUST! I had the baby on me when he was not sleeping and in the stroller when he was. My older one appreciated the stroller time because of all the walking that we did. {It was nice to have the stroller for the baby bag too.} And while on the subway, it was easy to maneuver.
- Food & Snacks. I packed a lot of snacks to hold everyone off while in the hotel. Upon arriving, we also went to Walgreens to get water and a few drinks. Trust me, this is a HUGE help!
So, all in all, I’d say this “business meets pleasure” trip with the littles was a success!ย What do you do when you have little kids and a business trip comes up?
