🍋 How to travel with toddlers 🌎 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

It’s Wednesday Mamas! We are halfway through the week and oh-so-close to Halloween! Make sure to buy your candy now (and mark your calendars for the candy sale on November 1st). If you need a mid-week pick-me-up, we’re delivering fantastic stories, advice, and news to your inbox!

In Today’s Lemon Mommy:

• Everything You Need to Know About Traveling with a Toddler ✈️ 🚗 🚌

• Get to Know: the Bucket List Family 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

• Everyone’s Talking About the Scandinavian Sleep Method, Here’s What You Need to Know 🛌

• Creative DIY Halloween Costumes You Still Have Time to Make 🧙 🧑‍🎤 🧑‍🚒

Pack Light 🧳

While overpacking might make you feel better prepared at the moment when you’re running through the airport with ten bags bursting at the seams, you’re going to be more stressed out than you would be without half the stuff. Pack the essentials -- the comfort stuffie, snacks, daily needs, but not too much else.

Make a plan 📌📝

The more prepared you are, the more likely you’re going to succeed. Make a plan for when you’re going to eat, where, who’s carrying what, and anything that might stress you out when things go wrong.

Take Advantage of Aid 🤝

Certain airports offer childcare, play areas, strollers to rent, and all kinds of different aids. Accept support and help where you can get it, it’s there for a reason!

Stick to Your Routine 🧸

Traveling can be extremely anxiety-inducing for a toddler because they’re not familiar with their surroundings. As best you can, stick to the same routine you had at home, to make their transition as painless as possible.

Roll with the punch 🧘🏾‍♀️

Unfortunately, things will go wrong when you’re traveling, that’s reality. Let little things roll off your back and don’t get tripped up on them. Similar to your bags, the less you carry, the better your trip will be.

Enjoy the Journey (and the Destination!) 🌎

While it might be a bit stressful at times, try your best to enjoy all the little moments. It’s unlikely you’re going to travel too often while your little one is still little, so enjoy the time you have!

🛌 Get rid of the top sheet

🛌 Get a linen bottom sheet

🛌 Use two smaller duvets instead of one big one, this way you can control your duvet’s temperature, position in the bed, etc.

Materials:

• Scissors

• White and Black faux fur (9 x 12 in.)

• Black hoodie

• Hot glue gun

• Veclo

• Saftey pin

Directions

1. Cut a strip of white fur as wide as your child’s head and the length of the entire hoodie, including the hood.

2. Cut a narrow triangle in the fur where the shoulders are that points down the bottom edge, forming two strips.

3. Hot glue the fur, starting under the edge of the hood and letting it trail down the back of your hoodie.

4. Cut out a circle of white fur and attach it to the front with velcro or hot glue.

5. Cut a rectangle of black fur as wide as the back of the hoodie to make the tail. Make sure it goes to the mid-claves. Cut two thin white strips of white fur and glue them to the black. Glue the top opening of the tail closed and pin it to the back of the hoodie.

Materials:

• 4-5 strands of string lights

• Wearable umbrella

• Clear packing tape

• Scissors

• Iridescent cellophane wrap

• Blue mesh ribbon

• Glue dots

• Teal 1 in. wide wired ribbon

• Purple 2 in. wide ribbon

• Neon-pink paracord

Directions

1. Unravel the two strands of lights on top of the umbrella. Tape the battery packs inside the umbrella hoop, then tape the light strands down in three places.

2. Cut eight to ten 2x2-inch pieces of cellophane. Crumple them gently, and tape over the lights. Continue until the lights are entirely covered.

3. Cut a few 16-in. pieces of blue mesh ribbon. Use the glue dots to attach one end around the neck and under the bottom edge of the umbrella, wrapping around the cellophane.

4. Cut 3 ft. pieces of teal and purple wired ribbon, Knot one end of the ribbon, and pull one of the wires to create a ruffled look. Trim the excess wire and attach the knot to the underside of the umbrella with an adhesive dot.

5. Cut five 3-ft. pieces of paracord, knotting one end each, and attach with an adhesive dot to the underside of the umbrella, spacing them out on the ribbons.

6. Tape two to three light strands and battery packs to the underside of the umbrella, taping the middle of the light strands to double them up.