When you have a toddler, you are inevitably going to have messes. But, you need to keep messes to a minimum when you are traveling, and this is not always easy when there are toddlers involved. If you plan on traveling with your toddler, you need to keep hygiene in mind, and find ways to keep both yourself and your toddler clean, especially on airplane flights. Today we are going to take a look at some of the best travel hygiene tips for parents of toddlers.

• Bring Lots of Baby Wipes – You should always have a supply of baby wipes on hand, especially when you are traveling. These can be used for so many things, from sanitizing door handles, trays, armrests, etc. to keeping your toddler from coming in contact with a lot of harmful bacteria during the trip. Of course, they can also be used to keep your toddler (and yourself) clean after eating, and they are ideal for quick hand washing when you can’t get to a sink.
• Use Change Tables – Most airlines have installed change tables in their toilet facilities, and passengers with babies and toddlers are encouraged to take advantage of these amenities. “Many parents clean and change their toddlers right in their seats, which is not only not hygienic, but also can be disturbing to other passengers. Using the change tables is much more considerate, not to mention a whole lot easier. Bring disposable pads if you are worried about table hygiene,” suggests an expert from Pediatric Dental Clinic.
• Bring Plenty of Snacks – You should always be prepared with snacks for your toddler when you are traveling. They may not like the food served on the plane, or be old enough to eat it, and on shorter flights, there may not be any snacks or meals at all. Bring finger foods that don’t spoil easily, and that can be stored at room temperature, such as carrot sticks, apples, crackers, etc. If your toddler becomes cranky because they are hungry, you will have something for them.
• Bring Lots of Bibs – It is a fact that toddlers tend to get quite messy when they eat, especially when they are 12 to 24 months old and still eating pureed food. Make sure that you bring plenty of disposable bibs with you in order to keep their clothing clean while traveling. Once they are dirty, you can throw them out and replace them with fresh bibs, and you won’t be stuck with a lot of cloth bibs to wash later. If you bring regular bibs, store soiled bibs in zip lock bags.
• Bring Zip Lock Bags – You can never have too many zip lock bags of various sizes when you are traveling, especially when you are traveling with toddlers. Not only are they great for carrying smaller items such as snacks, wet cloths, etc., they are also good to have when you are cleaning up messes. You can use these bags for storing soiled clothing, wash cloths, etc. They are also great for transporting jars of baby food. If they leak during travel, the mess will stay inside the bag and not get all over your stuff.
• Keep Your Area Clean – Even on a short flight, it can be really easy to end up with a messy seating area. Don’t let any garbage build up around your seat. If you or your toddler have a snack, clean up any messes, throw away food wrappers, etc. When you let messes build up, you can end up feeling even more cramped in a space that is already cramped enough to begin with, and there will be little room for you or your toddler to move around.