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In this edition of Happy Hatchling, Heather – mom and CheapTweet blogger – shares some tips for safe and hassle-free air travel with small children. Be sure to follow Heather on Twitter and share your tips in the comments.

Flying with an infant or toddler can be stressful, but being prepared by understanding the airline rules and regulations can make your trip easier. This post was written to help elucidate some of the hard-to-find rules and make you feel like a travel pro. For other travel tips check out my holiday travels post and my favorite iPhone apps for on-board entertainment.

Flying with a lap child

If your child is under the age of two, then he/she can ride in your lap. However, you must inform the airline after making your reservation that you have an infant (this is easiest by phone). Certain airlines, including Southwest, require you to bring a copy of the infant’s birth certificate to prove that he/she is less than two years old. Even if the airline doesn’t specify this when booking the flight, I always carry a birth certificate just in case.

Some large airplanes and airline companies have other infant amenities, such as a bassinet option, which is especially common on long, international flights. Usually the bassinet can be attached to the bulkhead, so to get one you must schedule your flight early and request it in advance. Check Seat Guru for the pacifier key, which indicates an infant amenity may be possible.

Rules on where you cannot sit when traveling with infants/tots

Seating rules are important to know when booking a flight and are often not very easy to find. Here are some things to keep in mind when booking your seats.

• Children under the age of 16 may not sit in an exit row, and parents with lap children cannot sit in the seats behind the exit row.
• If you are traveling with an FAA approved car seat, your child must sit in the window seat.
• If you have multiples, talk to an agent about how to arrange the seating. For planes with three seats, you must have an adult with two young children. In other words, three young children cannot sit in a row by themselves. Also, two lap children cannot sit within the same seat section (this is due to the number of oxygen masks available per row of seats).
• Personal recommendation: Do not sit in the first row because you cannot have carry-on baggage on the floor. It is best to have diaper bag or entertainment stuff accessible and near your feet.

Note: These rules may vary slightly depending on the airline (for example, see Continental’s rules here).

Why you might want to buy your infant his/her own seat

Even if your child is under two, it is a good idea to get a seat for her if you can afford it (especially if she is older 12 months). Why, you ask?

• Regardless of the fact you have a baby, the people in front of you can still lean their seats back, making cramped space even more claustrophobic.
• If your child is used to car travel then having a car seat on the airplane will give her a sense of normalcy, hopefully allowing your baby to fall asleep. I found that my daughter was unaccustomed to sleeping or sitting in my lap for long stretches and would squirm the whole flight.
• You and your child will be more comfortable and you can both have your tray down for snacks, books, or drinks.
• It is safer for your child to have a FAA approved harness or travel seat.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) child safety regulations

According to the FAA, there are no safety regulations for lap children. However, if the child is under the age of two and has her own seat, she must have an approved harness or child restraint system (CRS). An approved CRS states that it is approved for motor vehicles and aircraft and must have a sticker attached. See the full FAA child standards here. If your child is over the age of two, then she is allowed to use the lap belt (however, it may not be the safest option available).

My picks for infant & tot airplane restraints

1) For infants sitting in your lap use a Baby Bjorn (8-22 lbs; $60)

Baby harnesses and slings can act as a seat belt if they are securely fastened to you on the plane, but only if you have on your seat belt as well. I love the harness because it gives you free hands when walking through the terminal.

2) The Lilly Gold FAA approved car seat/stroller (5-40lbs; pictured above)

This is my favorite option even though it is a bit pricey – around $250. My mother-in-law got this for us and we love it when we travel. We don’t use this as our everyday car seat, but if you plan on flying more than a couple of times with an infant or toddler, then this is a worthwhile purchase. Did I already mention that this chair is all-in-one car seat/stroller/FAA approved flight seat? It saves you money from renting car seats from rental car companies and also works as a stroller on vacation. When my daughter flew on my lap we would often gate-check this stroller, and it would serve as a stroller in the airport and a car seat in our rental or extended family’s vehicles. Now when my daughter flies in her own seat, we use it on the flight as a car seat. For it to be secure, you fasten the airplane seat belt to the Lilly Gold seat. It fits snuggly in most airplanes and comes with an FAA approved sticker on the side, which you may need to show to a flight attendant when boarding.

3) CARES: Child aviation restraint system (22-44lbs; pictured left)

This restraint harness keeps your little one secure on the plane. It’s quick to attach and is small enough to be tucked into your carry-on baggage. One of the cons of the Lilly Gold chair is that the distance between your kid’s seat and the seat in front of them is closer, meaning that your kiddo could drive the person ahead of you crazy by kicking their chair. The CARES harness prevents this by keeping your little one closer to the back of his/her seat. However, it is not as comfortable as the Lilly Gold for long flights. A friend who uses the CARES harness brings a pillow for her tot to sit on to make the flight more comfortable.

In this edition of Happy Hatchling, Heather – mom and CheapTweet blogger – shares some of her favorite kid-centered iPhone applications. Be sure to follow Heather on Twitter!

My family travels a lot, mostly because both sets of grandparents live far away. My parents are three hours by car, while the other set is four hours by plane. We also enjoy attending sporting events and eating out with friends. Co-workers, friends and family wonder how we are still able to do so much with a toddler who is not yet two (but already experiencing the terrible twos). My secret is our iPhone. Four hours forced to sit in my lap on an airplane? iPhone. Three-hour drive? iPhone. Two hours at non-baby-safe friend’s house? iPhone. One-hour dinner at resturant? iPhone. Now don’t get me wrong, my child doesn’t just play with my phone all day long. We use it almost exclusively for times when we’re out of the house and on the go. That makes it fun and exciting for her and keeps her occupied for short spurts of time.

I have spent a great deal of time searching and purchasing kid iPhone apps, and let’s be honest, there are a lot of apps that are duds and a waste of 99 cents. However, there are also some educational apps that I am proud to let my child play. Here are my picks for apps that are both mommy and baby approved. (Note: I am not sponsored for this post and these are my honest-to-goodness favorite apps.)

Baby’s First Apps (6 months and up)

1) Itsy Bitsy Spider

Love, love, love this app. This is a great first app for babies because it’s not complicated and everything on the screen is interactive. When you touch the spider it moves to a different scene, the flowerpot blooms, a window opens and shuts, or a banana slug eats a banana. Very entertaining and if your little one loves this app, they make others such as “Wheels on the Bus”, which is fun but not quite as easy or interactive.

2) Balloonimals

This game is fun to show off because it surprises people with its creative cuteness. Kiddo loves it, but there are not limitless options so she tires of it more quickly than other games. It may also require some parent help to play. My own mother sometimes fights my daughter for playing time on this game.

3) Elmo’s Monster Maker (pictured)

Who doesn’t love Elmo? This is app was made by IDEO, the same company responsible for Balloonimals.  The graphics are amazing… It’s like watching Sesame Street. In this app, you create your own monster muppet.

4) Peekaboo Wild

Another great first app for babies. It is a peekaboo game with wild animals (they also have a barnyard version). Your child taps the screen and the next animal is revealed. The animation and noises are cute and not annoying compared to other animal games.

5) Baby’s Animal Show

This is a basic flash card application with pictures of real animals and animated animals. It’s not very flashy, but my daughter likes to see the animals. This one is good for when your kid is learning animal noises.

Apps for Tots (1 ½ years and up)

1) Monkey Preschool Lunchbox (pictured)

Many different puzzles with many different concepts. Although, your child may not be ready for some of the games, they are designed to be solvable even if answers are chosen at random by your tot. This way your child can learn the concepts over time without getting frustrated.

2 ) Shape Builder

Simple puzzle game where your kid drags the puzzle pieces into the correct shape. Very simple, but there are lots of different puzzles and it helps with your little one’s hand-eye coordination.

3) AniMatch

This is a simple matching game. This game makes the list due to the cute animal noises and animal faces. This app is for an older tot (2 to 3 years old) because there are lots of puzzle pieces to match. There is also a free version of this app available.

4) Monkey Preschool: When I Grow Up

Similar concept as the Elmo game, except here you select an occupation for your monkey. It has unlimited play with many options.

5) Alphabets in the Zoo (pictured)

There are four parts to this app. The play mode is actually a video of the animal alphabet song. The graphics are sometimes blurry, but the creativeness and the song makeup for it. The other nice feature is flash cards of the animals that were in the song. The flash cards have four buttons, which tell your kiddo more about the animals featured in the song. There is also a karaoke option, which is totally pointless because it the same video without sound, and finally there is a poor quality matching game with annoying sounds. All in all, the alphabet video is adorable and the flashcards are informative.

In this edition of Happy Hatchling, Heather – mom and CheapTweet blogger – shares some of the lessons she learned from a recent family beach vacation with her toddler. Be sure to follow Heather on Twitter!

1. Diaper wipes do not effectively remove sand. The only thing that removes sand from your baby’s bum is a shower. Period.

2. One-piece suits are a pain if you need to change a diaper and you aren’t near a hotel room. I found that the two-piece UV bathing suits are great for a diaper change on the go.

3. Go get a shaved ice and save the cup. It makes for a great pool/beach play item.

4. If you bring your own toys to the kiddy pool, expect them to be communal items and don’t get upset if you lose them.

5. A bucket and shovel set is cheap and will provide many hours of entertainment.

6. Use the kiddie pool to find out the kid friendly restaurants and hang outs from other mom’s.

7. Look for a restaurant with a patio deck on the beach… preferably with your table on the sand, so your little one can play in the sand before and after mealtime, which means you can relax!

8. Also look for spots with live entertainment. This is great for happy hour or restaurants because it again gives your kiddo another source of entertainment, so you can eat and drink in peace.

9. If your tot uses utensils, bring your own kid friendly silverware. Restaurant forks are often larger than normal and too heavy for easy tot use.

10. Umbrellas that come with fruity cocktails or smoothie drinks look like fun to your kid, but are dangerous toys. Ask the waiter to leave them out of your drink to avoid a tantrum or poked-out eye.

11. Ask for a side item other than french fries. Suggest fruit, beans or rice even if it is not routinely offered on the kids’ menu. (Otherwise, fries may be all your tot consumes for the whole vacation.)

12. Enjoy spending time with your baby/tot. Use this time to introduce them to new things and experiences.

Ever taken your kids to the beach? What lessons did you learn? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite parts of summer is travel. It probably stems from childhood, when my family would take long road trips to all kinds of fun (and often educational) destinations. As an adult, I look forward to summer trips to the beach, long weekends driving around the state, and visits to see friends and family.

The only problem with summer travel is that it can be expensive! With transportation, accommodations, entertainment, food, and everything else, vacations can cost a lot of money. So here are a few ways to keep costs lower when traveling this summer.

1. Look for vacation rentals and home swaps.

Instead of going straight for a hotel, see if you can find a more creative and cheaper place to stay. Vacation and home rentals are wonderful deals – they’re usually less expensive than a hotel and give you a lot more space. If you’re traveling to a popular travel desination like a beach or mountain town, there will likely be hundreds of homes and condos for rent. You’ll get a full kitchen, lots more living space, and many rentals have amenities like board games, beach chairs, bikes and other fun stuff. Check out VacationRentals.com.

Or, you might consider participating in a home exchange (also known as home swap) program. Essentially you let someone stay in your home while you’re on vacation and stay in theirs (or someone else’s). You’re not the only one who wants to save money on their summer vacation, and it’s a great way to really experience how locals live. Start with HomeExchange.com or your destination’s Craigslist site.

2. Don’t rule out flying to your destination.

Gas prices tend to rise in the summer, and driving almost always ends up being more expensive than you plan for it to be, after you calculate the cost of repairs, wear and tear, an extra oil change and other pre-travel service. And lately, airlines have been running a lot of fare sales, so you might be able to fly to your destination for less than you could drive. Of course, once you factor in rental cars and transportation to and from the airport, flying is likely to be the more expensive option, but if you’re heading somewhere more than four hours from your house, just check around first for discounts on airfare. You never know what you might find.

Also, check out Yapta.com for tracking price drops in airfares. I personally used it to keep track of flights to Las Vegas this spring and saved almost $100 on my plane ticket (which I promptly lost in slot machines once I got to Vegas!).

3. Get a parks pass.

The United States has numerous national and state parks, and they are definitely worth checking out this summer. Summer is a great time to get outside, and there’s bound to be a park in or near your travel destination.

Most of these parks charge entrance fees, usually per vehicle. However, you can purchase a year-long pass that grants to entrance to all parks in the system for one price. If you’re going to visit more than a few parks in a year, this could be a great deal. The national parks pass is $80. State park passes are cheaper (for example, a Texas parks pass is $60). And most state and national parks also have deal days when entrance fees are reduced or waived (for example, park entrance fees are 75% off in Florida on Father’s Day).

4. Go camping.

Speaking of getting outside this summer, camping can be a lot of fun, especially if you’re vacationing with a group. It’s a great way to get away from your house without spending a fortune on a hotel. If you don’t consider yourself an outdoors person, many campgrounds have cabins for rent and actual indoor showers and toilets. KOA campgrounds in particular have a ton of amenities and some of them even have Airstream trailers and other unique accommodations to rent. Plus, there’s nothing better than s’mores made over a real campfire after a day hiking and swimming outside.

5. Explore locally.

No matter where you live, there’s bound to be fun things to do nearby. Instead of taking one long vacation to a far-flung destination, take day or weekend trips in your area to save on transportation and lodging costs. CheapTweet is headquartered in Austin, Texas and there is so much to do within a few hours of our office. For example, we could take a dip in a swimmin’ hole, go on a wildlife safari, hike through Hill Country, visit art museums, tour wineries, experience the Alamo, see dinosaur tracks, visit the Gulf coast, and so much more. All of this is within three or four hours of our office! If you haven’t spend much time exploring your town or state, summer is a great time to be a tourist in your own home. I bet you’ll find something you never expected.

6. Use coupons.

Before you go, check for coupons or discounts for the attractions you plan to visit. We often see coupons for theme parks like Busch Gardens and Six Flags on CheapTweet, but you should also check the attraction’s website. Or, a month before you leave, sign up for email newsletters from the places you plan to visit; most places send out discounts in their newsletters. Just check for a coupon or sale before you buy. Those savings can add up.

Bonus! Remember that you get what you pay for.

The New York Times has a great article about how to protect yourself from travel scams. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Just make sure you read the fine print, pay attention to deadlines and expiration dates, and get everything in writing. Because, no matter how much money you save, it’s not worth getting ripped off!

Do you have any advice or tips on how to save money on summer travel? We’d love to hear them – leave them in the comments!

The following is a guest post from Emily Starbuck Gerson. Emily is a journalist and copywriter who lives in beautiful Austin, Texas. She is obsessed with travel, so she runs a blog, Maiden Voyage, in her free time as a fun excuse to spend more time thinking and talking about travel (follow @themaidenvoyage on Twitter). Emily is also an avid photographer.

Yapta.com

It’s a sickening feeling when you purchase an expensive flight, only to see it have a major price drop just days or weeks later. Yapta.com helps you save money both before and after you purchase a flight. On the front end, Yapta can help you track prices of a flight before you book. You tell Yapta which flights to track (you can also have it track hotel prices based on dates). When the prices drop to rates that will give you the best value, the site sends you an email so you know it’s prime time to book. Conversely, if you book airfare and the price later drops, Yapta will send you an alert letting you know that you are eligible for a refund from the airline you’re flying with (and it gives you instructions for claiming the credit for each airline). According to Yapta.com, the average annual savings per user is $334.16.

HomeExchange.com

Have you ever seen the movie “The Holiday,” in which an American woman and a British woman swap homes for the winter holidays? The site they use in the movie, HomeExchange.com, is real. You have to pay for a subscription for listing your home, but the fee is low, and it doesn’t cost any extra to actually swap homes. You create a listing with basic information about your home in addition to information about where and when you would like to travel. You can then search through the 32,000+ homes around the world and contact the owners of the homes you are interested in directly.

I know of one American family who wanted to go to Paris but were concerned about the price. They found a Parisian family wanting to visit their city in Massachusetts, and it worked out perfectly and saved them tons of cash by swapping. Some people will do a simultaneous swap, while others do not swap at the same time (perhaps one party has a second home, or is traveling somewhere else at the time). Some people swap for a few days at a time, while others swap for several months. Swapping homes is completely free – the two parties don’t exchange money. Some homeowners include their car for the guest. Some may ask that you take care of their pets, but that is not the norm.

CouchSurfing.org

It’s become a bit of a cliché, but CouchSurfing really is a great way to travel on the cheap if you are open to meeting new people. Anyone can join and create a profile for free. The site is primarily for people who are open to having out-of-town guests stay with them, or travelers who want a free, no-frill place to stay. The hosts don’t necessarily have to offer a couch – they may have a guest bedroom or an extra inflatable mattress. Some hosts like to hang out with their guests and show them all around town, while others simply want to give you a free place to crash and be left alone.

If the thought of sharing a home with a stranger freaks you out, you can also just use CouchSurfing to meet people during your travels. Many people have accounts and have indicated that they are not interested in hosting, but are happy to meet up for coffee or show a visitor around town. A free tour from a local is hard to beat. While it may sound a little sketchy, CouchCurfing has safety measures and vouching systems in place.

Email newsletters

Sign up for email newsletters for discount travel websites. Nearby every website sends out email newsletters these days, but only some are really worth receiving.

• ShermansTravel.com sends out a weekly email called “This Week’s Top 25,” which contains hard-to-beat, last-minute deals on hotel stays, cruises, and travel packages.
• TravelZoo.com sends out their Travelzoo Top 20® every week, which is similar to Sherman’s and covers some of the week’s best deals.
• AirFareWatchdog.com sends out weekly newsletters about dirt-cheap flights that leave from your chosen destination. These email newsletters are all very popular, so the deals sometimes sell out if you don’t act fast.

What are some of your favorite money-saving travel websites?

(Bed photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theredproject)

This week, Heather – our Happy Hatchling guest blogger and mom – shares her second set of recommendations for traveling with your baby during the holidays (see her first set here).  This week she’s focusing on how to make air travel less stressful.

Flying on an airplane with a baby is stressful, period. Everyone wants their children on their best behavior, and the best way to ensure a great, relaxing trip is to be prepared. Here, I have laid out some rules that may help make your holiday travels successful!

Rule #1: Kids get bored when you board early.

Don’t board the plane right way, so avoid sitting in confined spaces as long as possible. If you are flying with someone else, let your flying buddy get your overhead bags on the plane while you and your tot explore near the gate.

Rule #2: Avoid the dreaded screaming baby scene on take off and landing.

Make sure your baby suckles during these times and it will keep the changing air pressure from causing ear pain. If your baby is nursing, this is great because it can also lull your baby to sleep while keeping their ears comfortable. If your toddler is no longer nursing or drinking bottles, do what my friend Becky, mother to three, suggests: treat your child to lollipops. It will make them more cooperative and, if done regularly, will make them excited to go on a trip.

Rule #3: Bring lots of entertainment.

Go for small and soft items (to reduce the desire and minimize the noise that comes with banging your toys). Also avoid toys that make lots of annoying noises. Bring out a new item and remove the previous toy every 20-30 minutes to renew interest and decrease boredom. Here are some ideas to keep your baby entertained.

• Sticker books
• Soft books
• iPhone games like AnimalPuz, Peekaboo Wild and Drum Kit, and Blackberry games like Baby Go
• Simple items like plastic spoons, plastic baby keys, and colorful and cheap bracelets (this is a bonus item because it serves as a fun toy and can be a great accessory for you)

Rule #4: Be prepared for a delay.

Bring lots of dry snacks and drinks. Use a snack catcher to make eating snacks cleaner and take longer.

TSA allows babies to have more than the allotted 3 oz. containers of fluid. You should bring all the fluids you’ll need like milk, juice, and water (do not trust airplane tap water!). During security screening, fluids should be pulled out of the diaper bag and will undergo a vapor test by airport security. I once flew without milk because I thought there would be some on the plane, but evidently, the beverage cart does not carry whole milk. That was a mistake I will not make again.

Rule #5: Get up and stretch with your baby.

Your baby may like to smile at other passengers, and if your tot is learning to walk or crawl, the aisle can allow for a little bit of freedom. I bought my first pacifier clip specifically for traveling.  Previously, on a flight my daughter spit out her pacifier and it landed between a snoring passenger’s legs and I had to reach in and get it. I now use a pacifier clip to avoid those embarrassing moments; here’s one from the Etsy store 3Hands2Hold.

Got other tips for making air travel with a baby easier or less stressful? We’d love to hear them – leave them in the comments!

This week, Heather – our Happy Hatchling guest blogger and mom – shares her first set of recommendations for traveling with your baby during the holidays.  This week she’s focusing on spending the night away from home.

Currently, my family is scheduled to be four different states in the next two months. We might take traveling to the extreme, but almost everyone will spend at least one night away from home this holiday season. When traveling, we dearly miss our Diaper Genie, the bathtub full of bath toys, the highchair, and other comforts of home. Here is my list of traveling aids that have helped keep me sane when spending the night away from home.

1) Baby proofing essentials

Hotel rooms and grandma’s house can be a treacherous place for infants and tots. You don’t want to spend your whole holiday constantly watching out for dangers that your little one can get into. I try to baby proof one or two rooms completely so that my baby can safely play relatively unsupervised so I can relax and enjoy myself. Since this is not a permanent place of residence you don’t need fancy or expensive baby proofing items. Here are cheap solutions to that are small enough to fit in your diaper bag or luggage.

• Sharp corner protectors
• Socket protectors
• Slide lock for cabinets
• Travel gate – This gate is perfect because it fits different sized openings and folds up easily for travel.

2) Graco Pack n Play – pictured

Grandparents everywhere should invest in pack and plays. They are easy to put up and down and move from room to room. Most pack and plays also have a changing station attachment, which is great for younger babies.

3) White noise maker

Sleeping in a strange place can be difficult for children. Our family gatherings are usually pretty noisy, so it’s hard to find a quiet spot for our baby to sleep. A white noise maker can be the perfect solution to drown out loud chatting, snoring, and other unfamiliar noises. Newborns especially are comforted by white noise. You can purchase an actual noise maker device (like this one from Amazon) if you like them and decide to make one a permanent fixture in your own house, but if it’s for vacation then you could just download an app for your phone; there are white noise applications for both the Blackberry and the iPhone. Furthermore, white noise doesn’t have to be annoying. There are many sounds to choose from such as ocean surf, washing machine, shower, rain forest and more.

4) Baby monitor

The baby monitor I recommend for traveling is the Babyphone app for the iPhone. It turns your iPhone into a baby monitor and calls you on another pre-entered phone when it hears the baby cry. When my family travels we often share neighboring hotel rooms. This app is perfect for letting your baby sleep in peace in the room next door or down the hall while you stay up guilt-free past his or her bedtime with your friends and family.

Happy Holidays!