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• Woman Sits in Pee Seat on Plane: Whose Kid Is Responsible?

  Ahhh, holiday travel. When the peanuts are banned and the in-flight movie's been hacked up and G-rate-ified just when a bit of Brad Pitt booty would do you do you so much good, when your small child and all the crap they require during a simple cross-country trip could very easily outweigh you and the four people you feel sorry for sitting around you. Oh, and then there's all the pee. In the name of jet-fueled in-law exasperation and the Baby Jesus, don't forget all the pee. Read More... Posted Dec 26 2007, 06:27 PM by Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) with | with no comments Filed under: airline travel, travel advice, travel with kids, gadling

• So You're Traveling By Plane for Thanksgiving. Good Luck, Suckahhhhhs.

  This week, as the reality and panic that Thanksgiving is officially measurable in hours away, all the well-meaning and authoratatively-written "insider" articles and posts start popping up in an attempt to quell the fears and franticness of flying on the busiest travel day of the year. I'm a sucker for these tips -- as a parent who has hauled my kid, a carseat, a diaper bag, a breast pump, a purse and tickets clutched in a fisthold down the unbearably narrow aisles of many airplanes on many cross-country trips during the holiday season -- and I will search them for a bit of new information like millions of other travelers in search of ways to informatively beat the effed up airline system. Mostly, though, I just laugh. Why? Read More... Posted Nov 19 2007, 02:33 PM by Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: traveling with kids, holidays, travel advice, thanksgiving, holiday travel, sanity

• Kiss It, Southwest. We’re Flying on Delta

  We won’t be making our annual coast-to-coast flight with Southwest this year. We compared all the prices and with so little difference among many of the airlines, we decided to treat ourselves to the luxury of reserved seats on Delta. Who cares about pre-boarding with kids, when Aisle 22, seats A through D, will display our names etched in gold. But it's not either-or. You can still pre-board with your little ones.       Read More... Posted Sep 27 2007, 01:39 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Southwest Airlines, airlines, flying, airline travel, travel advice, travel with kids

• Babble Talk: Toddler Turbulence

  This week Hana Schank took on a Breeder vs. Non hot topic. When childless people see a baby coming down the aisle, there is zero effort made to hide their fear/disappointment/rage about being seated next to that child. Parents, meanwhile, are struggling to pack the perfect diaper bag, ideally one that will keep them from being strip searched by the TSA while possessing everything you will need to keep your child happy, healthy and (relatively) quiet for the two-hour delay before the cross-country flight and 45 minutes of circling your destination due to heavy air traffic. Read More... Posted Sep 07 2007, 10:09 AM by aprilpeveteaux with | with no comments Filed under: flying, travel advice, Hana Schank, benadryl, Babies on a Plane

• On the Road Again: Surviving While One Parent Is Traveling

  I've got a little secret: sometimes I find it a little easier to parent when my better half is out of town. Sure, it's hard flying solo, but somehow being the lone wolf gives me the space to just do whatever the hell gets us through the day without feeling like Bad Mom. That means more movies, less laundry, and more strange dinners that can be prepared in two minutes (as opposed to the five minutes I lovingly put into meal preparation when the old ball and chain is home.) Mitch McDad has some nice workarounds and shortcuts for surviving while his mate is away on bizness. He calls it cutting corners. I call it sweet freedom. Mitch's survival strategies include: Read More... Posted Aug 27 2007, 08:30 AM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: parenting tips, Dad blogs, travel advice, hygiene

• A VERY Comprehensive List of Travel Tips

  My recent plane experience seemed to scare some folks, and I hate to leave things like that. I want you to go on your next trip saying, "Hey, that Strollerderby blogger what's-her-name has got my back." So here's a list of tips for traveling with kids that is about the most comprehensive thing I have ever, ever seen. And did you know some airlines are now charging for pillows? Ugh. Soon we'll be paying a premium for those crappy little tray tables too. Read More... Posted Aug 04 2007, 10:02 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: travel advice, vacations, flying with babies, family trips

• Travels With Kids: Abroad Is Better Older

  Not that I'm bitter that the extent of my summer traveling was a seven-hour van ride to Disneyland: here's a nice piece on the pros and cons of traveling with kids. Most of the folks agreed that for any kind of big-deal, sightseeing vacation, you are better off waiting until the children are old enough to appreciate the adventure. I like these tips from Lonely Planet co-founder Maureen Wheeler. She advises "waiting until kids are 3, 'when they're out of diapers, when they can eat food, when they can talk.' If you're planning once-in-a-lifetime trips, 'then maybe you don't start traveling with your children until the age of 7 to 10.'" Because do you really wanna deal with changing a poopy diaper at the Sistine Chapel? On the pro side of venturing forth with kids, travel author Pauline Frommer says, "'So what are parents with wanderlust to do? Just stick with the tried and true theme park and cruise vacations, squelching their own desires to see the world? For many, leaving the kids at home over vacation just isn't doable, financially or emotionally.'" I know a few families that have traveled extensively with tiny babies and toddlers, and I will tell you they posses an easy-going, adventurous attitude I will never have. They also do things like eat food from stands on the side of the road and meet locals who invite them to stay in their homes. If you are one of those people, you could probably roam the streets of Nepal with two children under the age of three and be fine. Me, I'm just glad I survived the van ride. Posted Jul 09 2007, 06:33 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Europe, Disneyland, kid activities, travel advice, vacations

• Airline Travel Tips for Flying With Kids

  I just got done reading an article called 7 Must-Know Airplane Travel Tips for Parents. Written by Debra Holtzman, it focuses on traveling with babies or toddlers. Let me quickly tell you the tips that I agree with; Tip 1 - Fly Non-Stop and Tip 2 - Plan Ahead for the Appropriate Car Seat. Clearly, flying non-stop is easier even without small children, but switching planes with little ones can be a huge challenge, especially if you end up running through an airport to catch your connection. The car seat thing is important. I almost found out the hard way that some of the rental car companies at the Little Rock airport don't even have car seats to rent. (You probably don't have to worry about that flying into a large family destination like Orlando). I also don't have much of a problem with Holtzman's advice to keep your seatbelt on (tip 5). And although I think that her tip to play attention to the safety announcements (4) is a touch alarmist, it probably isn't a bad idea. If you are looking for even more alarming tips - I mean she only numbers seven of them, tip six is about remembering to put on your oxygen mask first. I've flown hundreds of times and I have never needed my oxygen mask (knocking wood like crazy). Tip seven is not to panic. That applies to everything in parenting. I guess that these are safety tips, but still the whole article makes me kind of paranoid. I really don't think I'd be giving this lady a hard time if it weren't for the first paragraph. In the introductory paragraph Holtzman quotes someone that suggest packing plenty of things to keep your children busy in your carry-on. I couldn't agree more with that, but this same paragraph leads me to the most upsetting thing is the article. The quote suggests that besides diapers and medicine your carry-on necessities include formula and breast milk. La leche would go ballistic. I don't mean to get all of the breast feedinfg moms all riled up again, but what the hell is wrong with just carrying the milk in your body? This whole thing is making me crazy. I'm flying to Florida in two weeks. I think I'll just leave my kids at home.  Posted May 31 2007, 06:06 PM by Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: travel tips for parents, travel advice, flying with kids