Fall is almost here.. can you believe it?! With the season changing and the holidays quickly approaching, we can't help but think about air travel. It's almost inevitable for families to travel around the holidays (no matter how difficult it may be!), so we decided to dedicate a post to tips and tricks for your flight. Luckily, I have a lot of experience traveling with small children and am eager to share the details for making your trip a little less chaotic.
Our latest trip included 1 year old twins + a 3 year old on a 5 hour flight. We were able to save some money by adding the twins as lap infants (yay!) but unfortunately there's a very strict policy on airlines that two lap infants cannot be in the same row. We actually ran into this issue about 6 months earlier and booked accordingly for this flight.
In case you're wondering, the reasoning behind the policy is the amount of oxygen masks above each row. There are two extra per row, but only one is allowed to be allocated to a lap infant. If you're able to buy an extra seat, the problem goes away altogether.
Due to our seat arrangement (one parent in the row behind with one twin), we needed to strategically pack our ToteSavvy to be divided between two seats. This meant no sharing snacks or water to avoid tossing things back and fourth all flight long.
So! Our packing list was pretty lengthy...
What's Inside Our ToteSavvy:
- 8 disposable diapers (size 4)
- wet wipes (large package)
- diaper cream
- sunscreen
- lip balm
- 2 sippy cups – Greet Sprouts
- 5 puree pouches
- 2 clean outfits
- breakfast bar (2-pack)
- crackers, grapes, apples inside snack tower that can be divided between parents
- wallet
- keys
- cell phone
Now, all of these items were mainly for the twins. Some of the snacks were packed for our 3 year old, but because she's older and very capable, she carried her own backpack filled with toys, snacks and water. She actually prefers it this way because everything in the backpack is hers.
All of the above fit nicely inside our soft grey ToteSavvy, keeping our essentials organized throughout the flight.
Two sippy cups fit nicely inside our x-large pocket. We also recommend placing your stack tower inside the insulated pocket!
Spare clothing can be stored inside the large Velcro pocket. It's large enough for two full outfits!
Generally when I travel I opt for my LV Neverfull GM tote or Longchamp Le Pliage large. Both are great sizes and pair with ToteSavvy splendidly. For this trip I decided to test out my Everlane backpack. It's one of the only backpacks I've found large enough to fit ToteSavvy, and seemed to be the more convenient option for this trip. Being hands-free throughout the airport is super appealing when you have two speed crawlers!
As you can see in the image below, ToteSavvy is a pretty snug fit inside this backpack. The pockets are still accessible, though they feel tighter than usual.
I loved carrying my bag (and ToteSavvy) on my back, but if we're being completely honest, the fit was too tight for my preference. This led me to swap the backpack for my Longchamp Le Pliage large for the flight home.
In addition, this trip happened to inspire a new product we're launching in a few months. I've been searching for that perfect backpack to pair with ToteSavvy for years. Still haven't found one... so we decided to develop it. Ssshhhh! Formal announcement still to come! :)
Anyways! Getting back to our flight... The ToteSavvy full of snacks and drinks was perfect for our 5-hour adventure. We managed to keep the babies well fed and decently happy. The spare change of clothing came in very handy at the end of our flight. After the outfit change the empty Velcro pocket became the perfect spot to store the soiled clothing. Love the versatility!
Happy and safe travels mamas!
