We survived! Deets on our kiddy bag of tricks

We're home! Dylan is still sick, but he toughed it out during the flight. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and since our gate was right next to a kids' play area, he got to climb through tunnels before being couped up on the plane.

Thankfully, our flight came in 40 minutes early. Phil and I juggled D between our laps since he just wanted to cuddle as he slept all three hours or so. My stomach was in knots before that flight because we weren't sure how he would do. In hindsight, planning a cross-country trip with an 18-month-year-old was a bit ambitious, no? I do think, though, that we were pretty prepared for travel. Here's some intel on my strategy for smooth-as-possible travel:

1. Booked Dylan his own seat on our flights -- we got our own row and that was great
2. Premade four bottles before each flight so he had as much milk as he wanted
3. Bought a bunch of new mini toys and books plus some of his faves to introduce at various times during the flight to keep him occupied. I was really excited about this Fisher-Price iPhone case, but he still wanted the phone outside of the case
4. Brought a lot of little snacks
5. Used a lightweight car seat (we borrowed it from a friend) on the flight -- we debated between a seat and CARES but I felt that he would sleep better in a car seat
6. Made him his own playlist for the flight -- it's no coincidence that the kid's initials are DJK: this kid loves music. His fave songs definitely comforted him when he got upset or restless on the plane

Our next fam trip is slated for April to Florida. Thankfully, a shorter flight. :)