Tree Hugger Tips for Traveling with Kids

So you are going on a trip with young kids. Good for you! The one thing I have learned over the past ten years and traveling with three small children is to be prepared for anything. After you fly once with little ones and forget something important like an extra set of clothes, you will never do that again. I’m not going to give you a list of what to pack. I’m sure you have that handled. What I am going to do is give you some Tree Hugger tips for traveling with kids and be “green” while doing it.

It is defiantly easier to keep your less toxic standards while on a road trip vs flying. Just pack your usual items and load it all into the car. Flying can be a little trickier, but really these ideas can be applied to any way you choose to travel.

Keep It Clean…

I know there is a lot of info and push-back out there on our overuse of hand sanitizers and disinfectants. For the most part, I agree with this. There is evidence that this overuse is breeding super-bugs and affecting our immune systems. It makes me crazy when my kids come home from school with red, irritated hands because they had to use hand sanitizer 10 times that day. However, when we are on a plane, this is one of those times it is important to de-germ, especially if you have a toddler who is not aware of boundaries or thinks nothing of eating crackers off the seat of the plane. Ick.

Cleaning Options…

There are a few options for safely cleaning your seating area on a plane. I like these Babyganics sanitizing hand wipes. They are free of all of the typical ingredients we try to avoid and they rate fairly well on the EWG site (3). I will use these to wipe down the tray table, windows, arm rest, seat belts. Also great for wiping down potty seats and other surfaces little ones are sure to touch in the bathroom on the plane.

Another safer option that I am liking lately is the Birdie by Olika hand sanitizer. This is not your typical sanitizer. It is free of parabens, triclosan, phthalates, artificial fragrance and has glycerin added to make it safer on hands. Bonus, it comes with dry wipes in the bottom of the bird shaped container to wipe hands or surfaces after spraying. The Birdie uses Ethyl Alcohol to kill germs, which is rated a 2 by EWG. While neither of these are something I would use daily, in this situation it is a much better option than gambling with what horrid bugs are probably lurking in your row. Keep in mind, for hands nothing beats a good soap and water washing for at least 30 seconds.

I am also a fan of Hydrogen Peroxide for cleaning and sanitizing. It is much gentler on skin and has no smell. Here is the caveat with using peroxide in this situation. First, it takes about 10 minutes of it sitting on a surface for it to thoroughly remove the bugs (vs about 30 seconds with an alcohol based product.) I don’t feel like I have that kind of time to sit and wait. Secondly, it can bleach or discolor fabrics. I would not feel great about leaving spots all over the upholstery on the seats. At home, peroxide is my go-to for this type of cleaning, but it isn’t as practical on the go.

I do recommend that you wipe down your hotel room or wherever you are staying. The phones, remotes, light switches, most likely have not be sanitized or disinfected. By the way, do you know the difference? There is actually a legal difference in the US. Sanitizing kills up to 99.999% of bacterial in 30 seconds, while Disinfecting kills all organisms (not reduces, eliminates) but can take up to 10 minutes to do so.

They’re always hungry…

It seems that kids are always hungry. They need snacks and water more often because their bodies are smaller and process faster. We will splurge and have some out of the norm items on a trip, so I try to pack our usual snack items, especially since immune systems can be taxed when traveling. We try to avoid bottled water (microplastics) and bring our stainless water bottles. Once through the checkpoint, there are now filtered water stations in airports. Fill your bottles and off you go. If it makes sense, sometimes we bring our Zero filter along in the luggage. I love the Zero because it is lightweight and not too cumbersome. We fill with tap water and refill our reusable bottles. Not only do you save a ton of money (bottled water when traveling with a family of 5 is pricey…think about it, $3-4 bottle and a few per person each day) but I know regardless of what else we are eating and drinking, everyone is hydrating with super clean water.

With snacks, I pack their backpacks with healthy options in reusable snack bags. They are so easy and avoid the waste of plastic bags. Just rinse or shake out crumbs, they usually zip shut and I have found snacks tend to crumble less in these. You know what I’m taking about. How many times have you found a bag of crumbs in the bottom of your purse when you tossed in a bag of crackers an hour ago? Also, you can easily split snacks when they each have their own reusable bags. Not to mention they come in fun colors and patterns and I have said it before, its often about presentation with kids. Snacks are more fun in colorful bags vs. boring clear plastic snack bags. If you do want a throw away option check out Lunchskins. In addition to reusable options, they have disposable bags which are 100% recyclable and compostable, as well as BPA free.

Additionally, something I always pack are organic lollipops for takeoff and landing. We like Yum Earth because they have extra Vitamin C to boost immunity. Older kids may like gum and tend to use PUR or Tree Hugger bubble gum.

Keep Them Busy…

Older kids are easier on planes. They will read, watch a movie, play games or just hang out.  Very little ones just like to be held. By far, I think the hardest age to fly with is the toddler. They want to move and don’t have the attention span to stay still very long. Not necessarily “green” but through much trial and error, I’ve found these more unusual activates to keep them busy. First, Post-its. Bring a few stacks and let them decorate the paper by coloring or for even more entertainment, stick stickers on the Post-its. Tip: when using stickers with toddlers, remove the large background sticker that is surrounding the little stickers. It usually comes off in one piece. Then they can easily pick off the individual stickers. Great for fine motor development. Once the Post-Its are decorated he/she can decorate the seats, windows and tray. Position and reposition them over and over. It should buy you about 20 minutes, which is an eternity in toddler time.

Next toddler favorite is a box or two of kid printed bandages. They can figure out how to open the box, peel the wrappers, and stick them everywhere. Easy to clean up and no mess. Again, great for fine motor skills and not something they usually play with so there is the novelty aspect. And finally, an oldie but a goodie, Play Doh. The tiny cans are easy to pack and are disposable. Play with one on each leg of the trip and toss it when you are done. No need to save that.

Adjust Your Expectations

Keep in mind it’s a trip, hopefully a fun vacation that is an escape from the day to day mayhem. Don’t stress. Enjoy the adventure. My intention here is to offer suggestions that keep everyone healthy and happy so you can truly enjoy your time as a family. We don’t live in a bubble and can’t pretend that we do. Control what you can (like trying to keep germs out of little one’s mouths) but remember it is all about balance. Take the 80/20 approach. For me, being prepared and having what I need on hand alleviates some of the inevitable stress of traveling as a young family. So make your travel lists, check them twice and have fun!

Next up, how to choose the best candles for your home. Read it here