Travelling with small children brings a whole new meaning to holidays.
(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - 8th February, 2010 - Gone are the days of wandering aimlessly around airport shops, relaxing on the aeroplane, in flight movies, snoozing on a sunlounger etc etc (the list is seemingly endless!). But, if like us, you love travelling and feel brave enough to give it a go with the kids in tow, here are some top tips we have learnt along the way while travelling with our little angels:
Research, research, research - where you are actually going in detail. Location is key - find out how close you will be to the airport (an hours journey max) the beach (check its family friendly and easily accessible), the pool, shops and restaurants.
Planning is everything - allow plenty of time for your journey to the airport and for actually getting on the plane. You don’t want to be entertaining toddlers at the airport for hours but on the other hand it always takes longer when you include emergency nappy changes, tantrums when your 3 year old doesn’t want to put her much loved bear through the security scanner etc etc. Also plan flights around sleep times so you get some time out.
Accommodation set up - self catering is always easiest with small children unless the hotel caters fully to the needs of little tummies. A bottle warmer is essential if you are not self catering and bottle feeding. Always have a separate room for the kids to sleep in to rather than all being crammed into one room - if you don’t get much sleep it definitely wont feel like a holiday!
Essential travel kit - pull up nappies (aeroplane toilets are to small to lay even a baby down), baby wipes, dry snack food plus emergency supplies of food/drink/ready made milk cartons in case of delays, a small first aid kit including calpol (take this on the plane just in case), a travel dvd player (brilliant), a baby carrier for the under 1’s (great for getting a sleepy baby off the plane when your waiting for your buggy and need your hands free), for hotter climes - a sunshade that covers the whole buggy (we recommend outlook shade a babe, see www.outlooktm.com), a sunsuit with high UPF, long sleeves and long legs, a sunhat again with high UPF (get a tie on one for those little rascals who keep on pulling them off).
And finally……Relax about routine - try as you might, when your travelling, your child’s general routine, (feed times, sleep times, particularly the latter) all tend to go out the window. Even small babies whose routine is everything when your at home, are more adaptable than you think and will be fine!
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