When I first traveled with my son, I saw a great need for quality travel resources. I was sick of reading the “how do I keep my kid from screaming” tips that focused on making life convenient for parents instead of understanding the viewpoint of a child flying for the first time. Taking the time to understand WHY kids are screaming is important. Many times kids are overstimulated and dragged along through the process instead of being an active participant. Fear, anxiety, overstimulation, sleep deprivation, etc. all play a role here!
I thought it would be really great to find a video FOR children. A video that showed what they could expect the day of travel and what flying in an airplane would feel like, sound like, as well as what the airport security process meant to someone their age.
Imagine how excited I was to discover a brilliant mom had understood that need and had done something about it. World traveler Scotty Kober wasn’t about to give up travel once she became a parent nor did she want her daughter to be overwhelmed by the journey.
Instead she created a tool for parents to use when traveling with toddlers.
The I’m A Good Little Traveler!™ DVD Toolkit™ Series, beginning with Shae by Air, offers toddlers and first-time child flyers a fun means of preparing themselves to be good little travelers. Each DVD Toolkit™ comes with the same tool that Shae uses in the movie. Three-year-old Shae shows children through her own experience how to feel involved with the whole journey, making the flight as much a part of the vacation as the destination.
What is a DVD Toolkit™? It’s more than just a movie! It’s everything your child needs to prepare to travel. The Shae by Air DVD Toolkit™ contains:
- Entertaining Live Action Movie introducing air travel to young children
- Fun Airplane Music Video
- Video Message to Parents for use of the video as a preparatory tool
- Shae by Air Picture Packing List for toddlers
- Two I’m a Good Little Traveler!™ Luggage Tags
Shae By Air is a DVD Toolkit FOR toddlers. And guess what? It’s fun to watch, involves them in packing, walking through security, and even not kicking the seat in front of them. Because Scotty understood- to a toddler or preschooler – the whole flight process can be quite fascinating and something quite rewarding once they knew what to expect!
As Scotty says, “How can anyone expect children to be well behaved-especially when traveling- if the children don’t know what to expect and what is expected of them.”
I have had the wonderful privilege of getting to know Scotty, creator of the Shae By Air DVD Toolkit, these past 3 years. She has devoted years of her life to making the flight process something toddlers can understand and participate in. From books on travel to toddler friendly activities the GoodLittleTraveler website walks parents through the flight process respecting the development and enthusiasm of children. Thank you Scotty for your dedication and effort to making the flight process a fascinating experience!
(photo on left- Scotty Kober, photo on right is Scotty’s world traveling daughter and my world-traveling son)
One of Scotty’s great tips for traveling with toddlers (but is good for any traveler) is about proper attire for the journey. Here is a small sample of the excellent tips you can find on Good Little Traveler (www.GoodLittleTraveler.com):
Tip 2: Dress For Success.
As small a consideration as it may seem, attire actually plays a big role in the whole flying adventure. Honor the journey, weight it with preparation, excitement and then dress for the occasion. That’s not to say be fancy, but is to say: Match. Layer. Wear clean clothes that aren’t ugly t-shirts. It’s unconventional common sense advice,not commonly found on family travel websites, (which often focus on the comfort of the clothing) but from personal experience I can tell you that dressing yourself and your children in matching, comfortable, nice clothes (and by nice, I just mean lacking stains or holes) results in at least two positive results:
- Your fellow passengers’ first impression of you, as with a job interview, is that you respect them, and the journey, and that you are not taking the experience lightly. People are far more apt to be patient and less likely to presume that your kiddos will be a detriment to their flight if the family looks respectable; and
- Your children will have visceral, tangible evidence that traveling by air is something special. When they are not dressed as if they it’s just another day at daycare or preschool, and you are not dressed like the family is making a quick run to the supermarket, it sets a positive, exciting tone. This is an airplane trip! Whether it’s the first or the 500th it is still thrilling. Shae has been on countless planes now, and every time it’s exciting – for both of us – and we dress for the journey.
(Copied with permission from Scotty Kober, Good Little Traveler)
Scotty’s website and the Shae By Air DVD Toolkit is an asset to all traveling families!
We have combined our resources into the Parent Toddler Flight Kit:
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Parent & Toddler Flight Kit Prepare now for a great flight! Our complete package has everything your family needs to make the journey as much fun as the destination, with items for both parents and children. Parents will learn what to avoid and what to prepare for with the expert guidebook Jet With Kids:Taking the Fear Out of Flying…WITH YOUR KIDS! Toddlers and child fliers will love the Shae By Air DVD Toolkit™, which demonstrates for kiddos what to expect and what is expected of them with a fun DVD movie about flying, plus a picture packing list and luggage tags. |
Thank you Scotty and Shae,
for helping young travelers
(and their parents!) enjoy the fascinating journey!
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