How I survived traveling with both my kids alone....

Hello! I am writing this at 10:30pm at night so sometimes spell check doesn’t work well for me. So please ignore any grammar errors.. I majored in Business Management not English..I am trying to push this article out in the little free time I have so hopefully you find it helpful! I am writing today to chat about tips for traveling by yourself with your kids and the products that saved me.

Threenager is a thing, and of course the 18 month stage is just plain hard, add them together and you have pure chaos.  I recently traveled to Washington State for my cousin's high school graduation. So this meant flying with two kids by myself. I was completely terrified to say the least. Of course there are no direct flights from OKC so I had one layover each time. I did however buy two carseats and have them shipped to my moms house that now lives in Washington so I did not have to worry about that aspect of this trip. However, in many tourist locations you can rent car seats, and sometimes I know that's not ideal but I frankly don’t know how I would have handled carrying car seats through the airport, with babies, and luggage so I decided to spend the extra cash and buy them for my mom to have anyway. Below is my list of products that have saved my booty and some tips! This was my first time flying with their age, I have flown with both my kids when they were much smaller, like 6 months and I found it much easier because I was also breastfeeding. Flying with a 3 year old and almost 18 month old was HARD and a whole new challenge. Ava had her own seat and Luke was a lap baby! 

Top Products/Tips I recommend taking when traveling 

1. Tush Baby: I use this in my day-to-day life. Many of you have seen me wear it on social media. I LOVE it. The most used baby product I use right now. Luke is at the stage of wanting up and down. He walks now. They say when they start walking they lose some baby fat but honestly I think Luke has gained so much weight recently , it's hard to carry him for long periods of time. I used the Tush Baby in the airport ALOT. It was always on. I love it because it has the perfect compartment for phones, and tickets that are super accessible but it also has a bigger component for diapers and wipes, all right there. If you have ever boarded a plane you know it can take a while so it was so nice having that and also walking with it too to each gate. During the trip I used it SOOO much! I used it during the High School graduation that lasted 3 hours, the graduation party, anytime we went out to eat somewhere. I always had it on. When you're traveling by yourself, the little tasks are really hard, so having something that makes it easier to handle both kids, sign me up. Luke loves it too. He loves to be held so it's a win win.Yes, I sell it and here is the link!  https://thefarmhousekidsco.com/search?q=tushbaby&options%5Bprefix%5D=last 
2. Veer Wagon- This is my second trip with my Veer Wagon on a plane. There was nooooo way I could have done it without the wagon or some sort of double stroller. I personally love the wagon because it is so versatile. For instance, we had two heavy suit cases to check-in. I always over pack.  So you have to walk a good distance to check those bags in, so I threw both bags into the veer and I have the extra storage compartment that Ava uses as a seat, and then I carried Luke with the Tush Baby. The Veer wagon is easy to maneuver with one hand as well. After I checked in the bags, both kids went into the Veer Wagon along with some of my carry-ons. All the looks in the airport are priceless with this thing. People kept commenting how much they love it and wish they had it!  We also went through security with it and had no issues. Then we gate checked it before getting on the plane and you can do that right before the terminal. It was so easy for me and it kept the kids safe and in one place. Trapped is another word I like to use. Luke can wander and so having him strapped into one place was helpful! This was also crucial during our layover because we barely made it to catch our other flight because the previous flight was delayed... which was beyond scary for me. We had to HUSTLE to the next gate, like a slight jog. I did not have time for Ava to walk and sure and heck didn’t have enough strength to carry both kids and carry-ons. Another nice aspect about the Veer is that it folds up so nicely, so it can fit in most rental cars but also when loading it at the gate its easy for them to put under the plane. https://thefarmhousekidsco.com/products/veer-xl?_pos=1&_sid=3f698c294&_ss=r 
3. These amazon window suction spinner toys-  A few of my friends have recommended them when traveling and they were a hit with Luke! The key is to get a window seat, but even when Ava selfishly wanted the window seat Luke played with these for at least 30 min at a time. I also used them in the airport and stuck them to the windows.  https://www.amazon.com/Suction-Spinner-Spinning-Toddlers-Birthday/dp/B0963QQ5PQ 

TIP: Bring lots of snacks. Kids love snacks and when I got very desperate snacks came in handy. But with that, for Luke anyway, came poopy diapers. There's no worse thing than a poopy diaper on the plane and you have to change it in the little small bathroom and you have a toddler with you.. You can't really just leave the toddler in the seat with a stranger can you? I mean they can’t kidnap your kid, cause they are on a plane.. What's the worst that can happen? But to be honest , I did get desperate and leave Ava with the lady next to us.. She was nice. I got very lucky most of my flights and had some awesome people that sat next to me. Except for the flight from Vegas,,, the girl next to be was beyond drunk. You could smell it off her breath... and she was all about Luke. Luke knows no strangers so of course he wanted to play with her and sit with her.... that was an awkward thing to manage. But it is Vegas? Slightly expected. 

TIP: Pack extra clothes in your carry on for BOTH kids. Luke drools like crazy anyway so that's normal for me but we almost got delayed to where we might have had to either stay the night or catch a really late flight. I was packed for both. Luke ended up pooping through a diaper and luckily I had extra.

TIP: Throw out all your parenting mechanisms now. For me, the whole trip was about de-escalation and distraction. Threenager is NO JOKE. We had a few meltdowns in the airport, one in which was through security and I had another stranger hold Luke while I wrangled Ava through security while she was kicking and screaming. Ava and Luke can have some pretty MAJOR meltdowns sometimes and if you can de-escalate you might be able to survive but if not, buckle up for a long ride. Luke threw a huge tantrum at one point, mostly cause he was tired. He needed a nap. He cried and screamed for about 30 minutes straight on the plane and honestly there wasn’t much I could do until he fell asleep.. I promise I have good kids.. :')

TIP: Just don’t travel alone. It was one of the HARDEST things I have done. I could just be a wimp though. Maybe some of you LOVE it. It just wasn't for me. It is great to create those memories with your kids but when you are outnumbered and it's all on you. It is beyond hard!  They need your attention 24/7. It was hard to enjoy myself with my family because I was constantly ON alert the whole time. I am blessed to have Luke that took lots of naps and he usually goes to bed around 6-7pm so then it was just Ava. There was a two-hour time difference so that was an adjustment for the kiddos. A lot of their naps were in the car as we drove from place to place. 

Now I need a vacation from all these “vacations”. But we are taking a family vacation soon, and I plan to add some more tips such as black-out curtains! I wish I would have packed those and a sound machine! Secret Code: tushie  for 15% Off a TushBaby Carrier because I am obsessed with them. You can thank me later :) I plan to get more Tush Baby carriers this week or next so this coupon will be valid for the new ones as well. We ordered gray, silver, black, and leather brown. If you would like to PRE-Order a certain color one with coupon, let me know.

Share some of your favorite traveling tips below in the comments to help some mammas out!