Holiday Toddler Travel: The PolAIR Express
Traveling with kids is no joke. Traveling solo with kids is an Olympic sport. Traveling solo with kids around the holidays…wake me when it’s over. But, when you move 800 miles from family, you quickly become pretty dang good at traveling.
I’ve traveled solo with the kids several times and flown solo with the babies two or three times before. I got a little cocky this time around and wanted to make the experience a little more memorable. Because we live so far from family, my husband and I promised to always do our best to make our kid’s travel experiences as positive as possible. We want it to be something they look forward to (us too).
With that promise in mind…I went against everything I stand for.
The simplified approach to traveling with toddlers is to be as minimal and calculated as possible. As much as I wanted to stay on the simple path for this trip — I also wanted to ignite those little Christmas spirits of theirs. It doesn’t take much, guys. Kids are a cheap date.
The idea of creating the PolAIR Express started with a set of matching holiday jammies.
Mom Hack: I always let my kids travel in PJs — regardless of the time of day. They get excited about getting dressed, they are comfortable in the air or on the road, they are easy to spot in a crowd (especially if they are matching) — plus people are just more forgiving of small humans in pajamas. I think thats just a life fact.
I set out in search of matching pajamas and some very inexpensive stocking stuffer type toys / treats to create some unexpected distractions on the plane. Target Dollar Spot for the win. Burt’s Bees holiday line was perfect as well. Their pajamas are super soft, tight fitting and had sizes ranging from newborn to adult (I did not participate in public pajamaing).
I built up the concept of The PolAIR Express to the kids days leading up to the trip. Looking forward to something is half the fun. I picked my son up from school and had his holiday pajamas waiting for him in the car before heading to the airport.
I stocked the diaper bag full of everything from candy canes to snowman poop (Pirate’s Booty). I brought along two tiny (very inexpensive) stockings and every hour I tucked in a new toy or a treat and let them check their stocking. I started this before we even got on the plane and it helped keep them entertained while waiting to board the flight.
Side note: the hardest part of flying with kids is NOT the plane ride…it’s waiting to board and deplane. The flight itself is cake.
Once on the plane I decorated the back of the tray tables with a string of battery powered christmas lights and some jelly window decals. I had holiday sticker kits and mess free coloring books. The holiday sweets were honestly the biggest hit. The candy canes alone kept them entertained for a solid 20 minutes (which in parent time…felt like a solid 4 hours).
This time of year most airlines will have holiday movies in their movie selection. I packed kid friendly headphones and set them up with Elf and The Grinch, but they were much more interested in the PolAIR Express surprises.
We had a short 2 hour flight so it was the perfect amount of time for some solid entertainment. I don’t think I could have survived a longer flight with two kids on that much sugar, but I will still consider it a mom win. Thinking this will become a new tradition — for as long as they will let me dress them in matching pajamas in public.
Things I will do differently next year:
I’m packing a golden ticket! The boarding pass was fine, but I’m going all out next year.
Ditching anything that melts. At one point I looked down and both kids were sitting on red and green mnms and it looked like they pooped their pantaloons mid flight.
Ordering hot chocolate. We had a super turbulent flight so it would have been a true hot mess polar express had I ordered some, but next year — it’s happening!
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