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Parents traveling with kids are probably all too familiar with the grimacing faces of fellow passengers when you board a flight with a baby or toddler… It’s enough to make any new parent feel apprehensive about traveling.

My daughter Violet was born three years go, right around the time my husband’s work was due to take him around the globe. Not wanting to be apart for so long we decided to travel together, so at 3 weeks old Violet had her passport and we were packing our bags… and we haven’t looked back since!

Saying that, traveling with a baby isn’t what I’d call ‘easy’, but there are things you can do that make it a lot easier. Here are my top ten tips to making journeys with little ones bearable, even enjoyable!

1. Routines are key! While everything around them is changing keeping to a routine helps to make your baby feel secure in their new environment and adjust faster to time zones. It also helps avoid those tired/hungry melt-downs! If it’s bedtime or naptime at home then it’s sleep time on the plane too. Bring diapers, pajamas and their favorite cuddly toy and make it clear it’s time to sleep. When you land, adjust this routine to the new time zone. Sticking to it can be hard but persevere as over time it really does pay off.

2. Consider travel plans when investing in key baby equipment, particularly your stroller. Go for a compact, light-weight, fully collapsible one. I recommend a sling for very young ones, which allows you to carry your baby but be hands-free at the same time. BabyBjorn does a brilliant one.

3. Travel with your own car seat. It’s a pain but better than arriving somewhere and finding there isn’t one or it’s the wrong size. When you check-in ask them to bag it in plastic or pay to have it wrapped by machine. Otherwise they get battered, dirty and often wet when stowed.

4. Organize your hand luggage ready for security checks. Sounds silly but you’ll have your hands full with baby, removing coats & shoes, folding down the stroller etc, so make life easier by putting lap-tops and liquids within easy reach. Plus wear easy to remove footwear!

5. Bring a change of clothes in your hand luggage – for you as well as your baby. Spillages, leaky diapers, sicky-babies… there’s nothing worse than a long haul flight wearing soiled or wet clothes!

6. Don’t fall into the sugar trap! Tempting as it may be to give sweet treats to toddlers to keep the peace, avoid at all cost! Sugary snacks, juices & sodas make them more over-excited and less likely to behave. Bring a good stock of healthy snacks and keep them hydrated with regular drinks of water. Bringing your own beaker cup helps avoid spillages.

7. Don’t reply on airlines to provide healthy food. It doesn’t matter which airline or class you fly, kids food always seems to be junk and usually full of high-sugar snacks. Try to cook up one meal to bring with you – something simple like veggie pasta. There are great lunch boxes designed for kids-on-the-go – invest in a fun one.

8. Bring a good selection of toys and activities. Pack a ‘bag of tricks’ full of little things for them to play with on the plane, plus some good books. Coloring pens and children’s magazines are excellent too. Anything they can play sitting down! Bring one DVD for long flights – but save it for emergencies!

9. If you are staying in a hotel phone in advance and put in a list of requests. Hotels are usually happy to provide basic baby equipment. If you know people where you are going, beg & borrow whatever you can to make life easier. The less you have to carry the better!

10.  Make it exciting! If you are relaxed and enthusiastic your child will most likely follow your lead. Things will go wrong sometimes but try your hardest to stay calm in front of your baby. Chat to your toddler about your travel plans. Get excited together about the trip to the airport, the plane, the hotel and the prospect of a new bed/crib to sleep in. Do some research into fun things to you can do when you get there. There are lots of websites and baby-blogs with good city guides and chat to hotel staff for suggestions.

Happy Travels! – Chloe Buckland

Where To Stay:

If you are planning on traveling to Maui, then Wailea is the place to retreat and relax. Waielea is a glamorous resort community in South Maui with the best hotels, private homes, golf courses and stunning ocean views. It is famously known for it’s 5 beautiful beaches and Wailea Bay is a favorite for snorkeling, paddle boarding and providing safe waters for small children. This beach side town also gets the best weather on the island, protected between the 2 mountains it receives the least amount of rain fall.

The Four Seasons Maui: Presiding over the scenic crescent of Wailea Beach, The Four Seasons Resort Maui epitomizes a classical Hawaiian palace. Find your oasis in one of 380 of the largest luxury guest rooms and suites on the island. Enjoy airy sophistication and artisanal Hawaiian touches in harmony with the breathtaking views of lush tropical gardens and tranquil ocean waters. Open your doors to your private lanai, and let tropical breezes, plumeria-scented air and the rustling of palm trees tickle your senses.

Those who are looking for a little more can snorkel, scuba, reside in poolside cabanas or take yoga classes for free, in a place where most resorts charge extra. With it’s ever attentive staff The Four Seasons is an extremely family friendly hotel. Let them know ahead of time how many children in addition to their ages and they will provide you with: Child size bathrobes, baby and child toiletries, children’s menus, pool and beach toys and in room baby proofing. They also have “Kids for all Seasons” club which provides dozens of activities from sports to lei making to movies and games. www.Fourseasons.com/maui

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 Below average temperatures and above average precipitation have hampered most of the country this winter, leaving THE WIFE™ more ready than ever for a warm weather vacation destination. While having kids of all ages can mean added stress while traveling, there is no reason why a family vacation can’t be enjoyable. While it’s a big job, there are steps you can take to help make this the best vacation for your family. Click “continue reading” for THE WIFE’s travel tips for a stress free spring break holiday. – THE WIFE™

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 Below average temperatures and above average precipitation have hampered most of the country this winter, leaving THE WIFE more ready than ever for a warm weather vacation destination. While having kids of all ages can mean added stress while traveling, there is no reason why a family vacation can’t be enjoyable. While it’s a big job, there are steps you can take to help make this the best vacation for your family. Click “continue reading” for travel tips for a stress free spring break holiday. -Taryn Cox and Emma Banks for THE WIFE

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For years, we’ve known about the epidemic of childhood obesity in America. We’ve heard the statistics—how one third of all kids in this country are either overweight or obese. We’ve seen the effects on how our kids feel, and how they feel about themselves. And we know the risks to their health and to our economy—the billions of dollars we spend each year treating obesity-related conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

But we also know that it wasn’t always like this. Back when many of us were growing up, we led lives that kept most of us at a pretty healthy weight. We walked to school every day, ran around at recess and gym and for hours before dinner, and ate home-cooked meals that always seemed to have a vegetable on the plate.

For many kids today, those walks to school have been replaced by car and bus rides. Afternoons playing outside have been replaced with afternoons inside with TV, videogames, and the Internet. And with many parents working longer hours, or multiple jobs, they don’t have time for family meals around the table anymore.

It’s now clear that between the pressures of today’s economy and the breakneck pace of modern life, the well-being of our kids has too often gotten lost in the shuffle.

And let’s be honest with ourselves: our kids didn’t do this to themselves. Our kids don’t decide what’s served in the school cafeteria or whether there’s time for gym class or recess. Our kids don’t choose to make food products with tons of sugar and sodium in supersize portions, and then have those products marketed to them everywhere they turn. And no matter how much they beg for fast food and candy, our kids shouldn’t be the ones calling the shots at dinnertime. We’re in charge. We make these decisions.

That’s actually the good news—that we can decide to solve this problem. That’s why we started Let’s Move, a nationwide campaign with a single goal: to solve the problem of childhood obesity in a generation, so that children born today can reach adulthood at a healthy weight.

Let’s Move is not about trying to turn back the clock to when we were kids, or cooking five-course meals from scratch every night. No one has time for that. And it’s not about saying no to everything either. There’s a place for cookies and ice cream, burgers and fries—that’s part of the fun of childhood.

Instead, Let’s Move is about families making manageable changes that fit with their schedules, their budgets, and their needs and tastes. It’s about giving parents the tools they need to keep their families healthy and fit, and getting more nutritious food—more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and less sugar, fat, and salt—into our nation’s schools. It’s about helping grocery stores serve communities that don’t have access to fresh foods, and finding new ways to help our kids stay physically active in school and at home.

Achieving all this won’t be easy. This isn’t something we can fix with a bill in Congress or an executive order from the president. I’ve spoken with many experts about this issue, and not a single one has said that the solution to childhood obesity is to have the government tell people what to do.

Instead, it’s about what all of us can do to help our kids lead active, healthy lives: parents making healthier choices for their families; mayors and governors doing their part to build healthier cities and states; and the private sector doing its part as well—from food manufacturers offering healthier options to retailers understanding that what’s good for kids and families can be good for businesses too.

That’s why I’ve been traveling the country, speaking to groups ranging from PTAs to food manufacturers, to elected officials, to school food-service employees, asking all of them to be a part of Let’s Move. And since this campaign began, several major school suppliers have already agreed to improve the quality of their food, doubling the amount of fresh produce they serve to our children. The nation’s largest beverage companies have agreed to provide clearly visible information about calories on the front of their products, as well as on vending machines and soda fountains. The American Academy of Pediatrics has begun urging its members to screen children for obesity and to actually write out prescriptions for parents detailing how to address it. And we’ve started a Web site—LetsMove.gov—with tips on eating well and staying fit.

Changes like these are only the beginning—and we’ve got a long way to go to reach our goals. But I’m confident that if we each do our part, and all work together, we can ensure that our kids have not just the opportunities they need to succeed, but the strength and endurance to seize those opportunities: to excel in school, pursue the careers of their dreams, keep up with their own kids, and live to see their grandkids grow up—maybe even their great-grandkids too. That is the goal of Let’s Move, and that is my mission as first lady. – Newsweek