I am so excited, we are taking our first family vacation since the birth of our daughter. She is 2. I have always been terrified to be “that mom” that had the kid on the airplane that was screaming and making everyone crazy. What do you do when you are thousands of feet in the air with no escape and a toddler tantrum ensues? I took it to our facebook page and asked our fans and followers for tips on air travel with a toddler. I received some great advice and wanted to pass it on to our readers. With the arrival of spring, I know many of you will also be traveling. Here are the top five responses. Many of the tips can be used for road trips as well.

1. Snacks – Keeping your child well fed will help to curb crankiness. It also keeps their hands and mouths busy for at least a few minutes.
2. Media – technology is your friend. Put a pair of headphones into your ipad, Kindle, laptop, or portable DVD player and keep them quietly entertained with movies and apps.
3. New toys, books, stickers, and coloring supplies – Bring new and fresh items that they haven’t ever played with before. It will keep them entertained longer. Do you have a child that loves stickers. Keep their hands busy with bandaids or a sticker book. Bring supplies for them to color.
4. Sippy cup, pacifier, or sucker for take off and landing – Children’s ears will pop and it will hurt. They most likely won’t know what is going on and it may cause upset. Try to curb this with having them drink from a sippy cup, suck on a pacifier or a sucker during take off and landing.
5. Take the red eye or travel during nap time – If it is at all possible to have them sleeping through the travel, that would be the best option. Bring along a lovey or their favorite blanket to encourage sleep. They will wake up at the destination and be fresh and ready for fun. While some people suggest this, others suggest starting in the morning and traveling while your child is in their freshest hours and will be in the best mood. The choice is up to you.

Extra tip: When the best laid plans go awry, offer to buy those around you food and drinks. Apologize and make nice.