The number one thing I don’t like for my two-year-old to do is to throw a temper tantrum in public. I know one day it will inevitably happen, but I won't go down without a fight. So here are some things you should know before going on a long flight with a toddler

1. Bring some lollipops (Doctor recommended, Mommy approved)

I did not buy him the dumdum brand because I was afraid he'd bite the lollipop off and choke on the tiny ball of a lollipop. I was going to puy a ring pop because it, in my opinion, would be the safest option, but Walmart and Target ultimately failed me, and I ended up with a push pop. Which I was worried about him sucking that into a tiny lollipop shank, but it actually turned out alright. We gave this to him on our first flight and he was amused by it for the full hour. The second flight we gave it to him on our descent and it helped with the ear popping that normally makes kids scream.

2. Buy some new toys

I didn’t buy most of the new toys his GiGi did but we made a “goodie bag” type thing. Anytime he would get antsy on our 8-hour flight wed pull out a new toy and it would provide at least another hour or so of entertainment.

3. Applesauce

Again, ear popping is the devil when flying with a child, so come prepared. This also helps with a few minutes of quiet or at least it does with my child.

4. The Tablet

I am not a fan of giving my child a tablet and having him be engrossed in it and looking like a tablet baby zombie. BUT... we did end up buying an iPad. We loaded it with his favorite TV shows and his current favorite movie. Then we didn’t let him watch his favorite movie the entire week before we left for vacation. When we finally resorted to turning on the tables... the movie was just like new. Time bought... an hour and thirty minutes.

5. The Sippy

Lord help you….do NOT forget the sippy cup. We bought a larger version just for vacation. That way we had more liquids for longer.

6. It takes a village

Flying and traveling with a toddler is no different than your every day it's just your every day packed in like a sardine to an airplane or car. So I hope you have someone with you. Momma needs a break because the more stressed you are the more stressed they are.

7. Run, Run, Run as fast as they can.

If you have a layover to your flight let them RUN and I do mean RUN. The more they run in the airport the more tired they will be when they get on the plane. We let my son run like crazy in the airport on our layover for over an hour (judge me if you must. Better he runs than screams... you're welcome) and as soon as we sat down on the plane he wiped out for about an hour. Which means no screaming at take-off.

8. Relax

There's a slight chance that all the things that worked with my munchkin will not work on another munchkin. They might be having a bad day so, try and relax and just overly apologize at all the judgy eyes and do the best you can. Eventually, you'll be in your hotel room or at your destination and the likelihood you'll ever see them is again. You are doing your very best and any other traveling parent knows that.

I do hope this helps all the mommas out there like myself that are traveling this spring break because it sure helped me. My munchkin was actually on his utmost best behavior for our flights and we got lots of compliments on how good he was when we got off our long flight.

Happy Travels!