Experienced parents, what was the hardest age for traveling? When did it permanently improve?
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Anonymous
| I think it just depends on the kid, so hard to say. My kids have always liked traveling, so they are good on planes and even long drives. Other things cause them problems, though, so if it's not one thing, it's another. |
Anonymous
It was easier to bribe my 3 year old with a couple m&ms than my tween |
Anonymous
| We travel frequently. The ages when we had to help them with potty were the worst. Now, they are great. Kids are 8, 12, and 14. They are very helpful and we don't have any teen/pre-teen issues. They are actually fun and I really love the vacations with them. |
Anonymous
No offense but if you’re convinced you’re in the worst stage of of parenting and don’t want to hear otherwise , why did you ask for others’ perspectives? Sounds like you really just needed a vent |
Anonymous
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After age 4 it gets better and better. My 8 year old is a dream to travel with as long as she has regular food she likes.
But, like all humans, kids still need some grace. I need downtime and rest when I'm traveling! |
Anonymous
I was looking for some hope and optimism |
Anonymous
Lol...some kids you can be 'really big on sleep' but turns out, they aren't, especially out oft their own beds! 
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Anonymous
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Short answer: 2-4 is the worst age because they still need you so much, still get easily overtired, and are usually pretty inflexible and respond poorly to changes in routine. Older kids can also have these issues but almost all 2-4 years olds have them, making this kind of a universally challenging age for travel.
Long answer: Depends on the kid and also on your ability to be flexible and adjust your travel to meet their needs. My kid is older now and many aspects of travel are so much easier than when she was in that 2-4 range. She can carry her own bag, she can hustle through an airport, we don't have to travel with all the little kid stuff (boosters are easier than car seats, for instance), no diapers and she is no longer weird about public toilets, she can read which magically makes it easier for her to entertain herself, she can express her needs more clearly and also knows how to suck it up for short periods of time if she needs to. But she's still pretty young (now 8) and travel with her is still pretty different than travel before her. She's a picky eater which is something we've really had to learn to accommodate while traveling and does throw a wrench in our plans -- it's especially hard during foreign travel because we can't just go sit down at a random restaurant in some tiny town that only serves fish or schnitzel or whatever the local delicacy is. We accommodate this by continuing to pack snacks for her (more than I expected to need to at her age, and more than she gets on a normal day) and sticking to destinations, for now, where it's easier to find family-friendly restaurants. We also plan trips so that we do plenty of meals that are picnics or eating dinner back at our AirBnB or hotel after a long day of sightseeing. This is actually surprisingly wonderful because it means we grocery shop everywhere we go, and grocery stores in other countries can be a fun way to get to know the culture and eat local delcacies, while still ensuring we can grab fruit and bread and cheese for our kid. The thing I remind myself even when it's hard is that we are bonding as a family in sorting through these issues, and making valuable memories for all of us. She won't remember everything we do, but she will remember bits and pieces. Plus in watching us roll with the punches and figure out how to make it work even when travel doesn't go as plan, she's learning that stuff too and that will serve her well in the future. These aren't the things I loved most about travel when I was 25, but they are very worthwhile aspects of travel now with an elementary school kid. |
Anonymous
It gets better, then for most of us it gets worse again. |
Anonymous
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6 weeks was the worst. I just remember my 1st child doing her nightly screaming routine from 5pm-11pm and all my inlaws freaking out. I just wanted to cry. They kept saying she was hungry and not getting enough milk and I wasn't good at breastfeeding (none of which was true- she was chubby!, just had colic).
I didn't like 9m-20 months. It's hard because they're mobile, but can't talk or understand everything. |
Anonymous
OP I'm a NP and a teen parent. Hands down, the worst flight I ever took was when my kid was 13. And no, I haven't conveniently forgotten the preschool years. For some, the teen experience goes beyond "drama queen" and it does eclipse the toddler years. To answer your question, look ahead to age 4-5, when your kids melt down less because they can carry more, walk longer, don't get as tired, and can think more rationally about the destination so they get less dysregulated. Best of luck. |
Anonymous
Ok fair enough. I guess I just remember sulking in my room and slamming doors when traveling as an angsty teen, not doing anything that really detracted from the experience for others the way a toddler tantrum does! 
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Anonymous
Well that was why my youngest was a nightmare to travel with from birth-2 or 3yrs old. Once also realized he hated the pack-n-play so started to just let him sleep in bed with us when we traveled. We also tend to have very active vacation so our kid sleep hard at night. But yes, everything depend on the kid. Some kids are more adaptable than others. We're lucky in that bot of our kids, even our teen is pretty easy going. |
Anonymous
+1 The PP giving you advice about teens actually did so in a polite way. Then you came back and tried to compare your experience as a teenager to someone who is parenting a teenager. Vastly different experiences! You had the condescending response. That being said, all stages have their frustrations. Just when you think it’s gotten easier, something comes out of left field, just like life in general. Just got to ride the wave OP. |
Anonymous
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I agree with the PPs that traveling with kids from infancy to age 4ish can be the most challenging. For me the key challenges with kids are:
-Sleep/nap schedules - not fun to have to sit in the dark hotel room starting at 7 pm because baby needs bedtime and will be a grouch if he doesn't get a good night's rest. Or having to drop everything and run back to the hotel for naps. On the upside: babies and young kids sometimes sleep more easily in the car/plane, which does help. -Diaper/potty issues - Getting past diapers and the need for a lot of help in the bathroom is a gamechanger! -Willingness to eat different foods - My kids are a little older but they are picky eaters so this is still an issue. They actually do a lot better with eating a good variety of home-cooked foods, but trying new foods at restaurants has not always gone well for us. - Gear - this is probably one of the major reasons that we have not done many flying trips recently. Having to bring three car seats, a pack n'play, stroller, etc. can be a pain. Yes, you can sometimes rent or borrow those things, but it's not guaranteed. We're finally approaching the end of this stage, so hoping to branch out from road trips soon. -General stamina/flexibility - this varies by kid, but just being old enough to understand why plans change and not have a melt down if something doesn't work out exactly as expected. This is probably as much related to personality as age. |