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Traveling With Small Children
Travelling with children is a wonderful, fantastic,
yet tiring experience. It is great fun to watch them discover new
horizons and to have the opportunity to take advantage of their
pioneering spirit. Travelling with kids makes us parents more
responsible and careful. Hitch-hiking, sleeping in flea-infested beds
and hiking nine hours a day suddenly become out of reach, but you will
find yourself admiring things you didn’t even notice in the pre-kids
days. Making friends becomes easier and locals suddenly appear more
approachable (unless your brat has impossibly rude manners and drives
everyone nuts).
Resourcefulness, imagination, creativity, and most of all, patience are
the ingredients for a successful holiday. Prudence should be at the top
of the list as small humans have more important needs and concerns than
big humans.
Packing your luggage is the key to success as, having the
essentials within easy reach is often vital. When packing clothes, don’t
forget that little ones need to have enough pieces of clothing to
protect them in case it is cold, rainy, windy, sunny, etc. If you are
lucky enough to travel with a partner, split the clothes between the two
of you so that, if one piece of luggage gets lost, your baby or toddler
does not have to run around totally naked! The big dilemma - stroller
or backpack - depends on individual likings: yours and your baby’s.
Baby can be fed in his stroller and can take a nap whenever and wherever
sleepiness overtakes him. Needless to say, foldable strollers without
full rubber tyres work best as some airlines might want you to deflate
full tyres before boarding. Of course, sightseeing may prove difficult
when pushing a stroller - here a sling or backpack might be more useful.
The increased body heat from carrying your baby close to you can make it
quite uncomfortable for both your baby and yourself. Your back might
suffer, depending on your own degree of fitness and the weight of your
beloved baby.
Tips from experience:
Travelling with a breastfed baby is slightly easier than with a baby
who’s on formula milk. Take enough formula with you and don’t forget to
bring sterilising tablets to keep the baby bottles clean. You can buy a
bucket on location but I would advise you to take a receptable big
enough to sterilize two bottles simultaneously (Curver, Tupperware,
etc.). Bring bottle-brushes with you as well as dishwashing detergent, a
sponge and a kitchen towel. After sterilising the bottles, rinse them
with mineral water, dry them and use them within 24 hours.
To warm the bottle (carrying a bottle warmer might be fussy), ask
around. If the locals cannot help you — use the hot tap water. Let
it run until it becomes very hot, put the bottle in the washbasin
until it gets warm.
Nappies are usually easy to find although they can be quite expensive.
Cotton nappies are environmentally safe but are rather difficult to
clean as you have to boil them. If you run out of wipes, use a flannel
that you use only for the “lower body part” instead.
Flying with kids is always a moment dreaded by parents who feel terribly
sorry for their fellow-travellers. Children do have difficulties with
the notion of remaining seated for more than two minutes and making your
child behave while seated in a 57 metre long vehicle with 200 other
people is quite a challenge. Tell yourself that you will never, ever
have to face those people again and that the flight will come to an end.
Good advice is to pack snacks, toys and books in your hand baggage, but
don’t expect more than five minutes respite. Before boarding the plane,
tell yourself that you will not be able to eat, sleep or drink for the
duration of the flight and make your peace with that idea. Introducing
your kid to the passengers sitting next to you is generally a good idea
(this enables them to put a name to their worst nightmare! ).
Try to find the address of the nearby hospitals before you leave and, if
you can, check them out when you arrive. In case of emergency you might
not have the opportunity to find the most appropriate institution.
Remember: there is always a solution, no matter how desperate a
situation may look. Never forget that you do have a sense of humour …
apply when necessary … |