Holiday Travel Hitch

The holiday season is right around the corner and many parents are getting ready to spend time with family and friends. And with that sometimes means you may have to travel with your baby. Laura Kalehoff, Executive Editor at American Baby Magazine offers tips on tackling some baby holiday stressors in order to keep the holidays fun for everyone.

If your flying with your baby and she's not on her best behavior, to say the least, having the child's favorite items could make all the difference. Take a stash of hand toys to give your child to put an end to tears. Don't underestimate the kindness of strangers. One reader buys earplugs in bulk and hands them out to fellow passengers when her son starts to cry. Another tip, if it's financially possible, do everything you can do to get on a direct flight.

Your baby may refuse to nap when you're visiting relatives. Keeping the routine as consistent as possible helps. White noise machines can also be a huge help. If all else fails, try to give your baby (and yourself) a break from the action with a long walk or drive.

If none of the relatives you're staying with have baby proofed homes don't get frustrated. It's not realistic to expect your hosts to babyproof their home for you. You may protect a small area for baby, but not the whole house. See if grandma will let you scoot the coffee table against the wall in the living room and move breakables in heavy traffic areas.

All of the hanging around with adults has your toddler going stir crazy, but there's a simple solution - fresh air. Take a long walk and bring grandma and grandpa along to check out all the holiday lights. You can also plan ahead and have a list of local baby gyms on hand just in case you need it.

All in all let go of unnecessary expectations. Togetherness is all you need. For more information on traveling with your baby and other parenting tips, click here.
Laura Kalehoff & Erika Wortham