Often when I travel to conduct trainings for lipstick empire I take my 4-year-old with me. If I’m traveling for 1 to 2 nights I usually leave her behind but several times a year I extend my trips to 4 to 5 days and make a mini vacation out of it. I also travel alone, with a tiny person, no help.

You may think I’m crazy (I am) but the biggest reasons I take my daughter on work trips are to teach her work ethic and balance. I work hard and I play hard . . . and I include her in both! You will often see my daughter coloring in the corner of the room while I train dozens, even hundreds, of women. She has to practice patience, she sees me do hard things, she sees me treat people with kindness and respect, and she models those behaviors as well as any 4-year-old I’ve seen. And then we play hard! We sleep in, we swim, we go to zoos and museums and whatever the local area has to offer.

I’ve amassed a few tips during the experiences we’ve had and want to share them with you in case you decide to bring your kids along with you!

The tablet
I know this seems obvious and like a cop out but I did not harness the power of a great tablet for a long time. I also didn’t think to download movies and was relying on a Wi-Fi signal to have her movies work. Don’t be like me . . . lol. And get those little comfy kiddie earphones!

Snacks
I’ve seen so many cute Pinterest ideas with snack boxes and such but for my kid, the novelty is in her picking her own snacks. I let her pick one snack, one candy and one drink at the airport (or you can save money doing this on the way beforehand).

Flights
At this point, I don’t take her on flights more than about 3 hours or on connections. If it’s 4 hours+ or requires connections, I find a sitter at home.

Talk
Before the trip, I set a lot of expectations . . . “We are going to be on the plane a long time, we have to stay in our seats, we want to be quiet and respectful, we will watch movies and eat snacks and color but we will not run, holler or explore.” On the plane, we talk excitedly through every step . . . “I’m so excited! We are taking off soon, it’s going to be loud and wiggly while the plane goes up in the air. Sometimes when the plane is up in the air it also bumps and wiggles. It’s like running over bumpy rocks on the road, totally safe, just kind of loud.” Then we do the same thing at landing. After we had done it a couple times I started having her tell her stuffed animals what to expect and it was awesome.

Downtime
I don’t do much scheduling. I may pick out a thing we are going to do each day, but with the exception of the days/times I am working, I don’t set an alarm. We get up when we get up and we get there when we get there. We eat dinner in bed and take naps and swim in the hotel pool. You don’t have to fill every minute and for us, we do best being flexible and having lots of downtime.

YOUR PHONE
When you are doing things specifically for your little one, put that sucker down. They sacrifice a lot of attention to your phone on a daily basis. Pick some activities and times where you are 100% present. Another helpful tool is a smart watch. Being able to glance down at my wrist without having to dig my phone out to see who is calling/texting is a huge help, especially when my hands are full.

Must Have Accessory: Go Go Babyz Travelmate Car Seat Stroller
This bad boy straps right on to your car seat so you can roll your car seat, and your kid, from your car right onto the plane. They will have to get out at security, of course, but carrying a car seat is torture and I don’t have enough hands. I’ve been using the same one for 3 years all over this country and it’s some of the best money I have ever spent. Make sure your car seat is FAA approved prior to trying to take it on board and be aware that you can’t sit in an exit row and it must go in the window seat. I’ve always bought my daughter a seat, even when she could fly free, and put her in her car seat. She’s used to her car seat and when she was tiny it would totally help her sleep on the plane. Here’s a link: Go-Go Babyz Mini Travelmate Product Bundle

Desperate Times

Ok, you can go ahead and leave your hate mail in the comments if you think I am a terrible person, but in my opinion, if you have a long flight and your little one is not doing well, an age/weight appropriate dose of Benadryl can be very helpful. Allow me to point out that this is fine a few times a year under extenuating circumstances, but no, doing this every Friday night so you can go party (Casey Anthony, ahem) is not ok. I’m assuming everyone here has enough common sense to know that . . . lol.