Kid-friendly recommendations for where to eat, what to do and what to pack for a family trip to Washington, D.C. with children!
Distractions for Children While Traveling
Our son Liam, was almost 3 years old and Hayden was 2 months old during our trip. We decided to bring the single BOB stroller and Ergo for the boys. We alternated who got to use the stroller (Liam or Hayden). Before we left, we invested in a snack tray and an infant insert for the stroller. The tray came in handy with both boys, as a protecting device and shield for Hayden and a fun play tray for Liam. Liam did surprisingly a lot of walking during our trip, but when he was tired, he rode in the stroller while we carried Hayden in the Ergo (who slept fine in both the Ergo and the stroller).
When we weren’t walking around, we bought a couple of car souvenirs for Liam and frequently gave him wipes to give his cars a car wash. This worked beautifully during sit down dinners. We also caved and would give him our phones with preloaded movies for extra distractions.
Tips for the Plane Ride
We ended up flying JetBlue direct from Charleston to Washington, D.C. It was lovely with children to have a direct and quick flight. It was our first time flying with them, as they are new-ish to Charleston. They were wonderful! Reasonable prices and the staff was amazing. In particular, on our flight coming home, one of the flight attendants were amazing with Liam. She would blow up blue gloves and throw them to Liam to play with. She really went the extra mile!
As for the remainder of the flight, we made up games, play with cars, ate the in-flight cookies and just tried our best to keep our kids quiet. When flying with children, we always try to book the rear of the plane to keep the noise away from everyone.
- For Hayden (the 2 month old), I made sure to time his milk with the departure and arrivals. I even had warm water in a thermos ready for quick warm bottles without having to bother the flight attendant.
- Luckily for us, he also took a pacifier at the time and that helps with the air pressure during lift off and landing.
I highly recommend taking a family trip to Washington, D.C. It was an amazing experience and we will definitely be taking another trip with our family!
