By Kristen Dias
As the mom of a 1 year old son and a 4 year old daughter, I have quite a bit of experience flying, driving, and traveling with toddlers. I met my husband while living and teaching in India and we have since returned to my home of Australia, but we regularly travel to India to visit his parents as well as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc. Here are some tips we’ve gained from our experiences.
1) Reduce your expectations
Try to put yourself in your children’s position. A new place can be overwhelming, exciting, and intimidating. Your child’s behavior may not be the best when you arrive at a new destination due to the climate being different, having to sleep in a different bed, differences in food, smells, mode of transport, etc. They may be jet lagged. They may also not be used to having both parents with them all day, every day. All of these things are different and may be difficult to understand for a small person. Try to be understanding of their feelings and not get too frustrated with them if they feel overwhelmed and get upset. If possible, make adjustments if they are not enjoying themselves at a particular time or place. For example, if they seem overwhelmed, stop for a snack or drink, or even go back to your accommodation for a rest if they need it.
2) Bring lots of snacks
Have multiple snacks available at all times, e.g. banana, apple, raisins, corn thins, rice crackers, etc. I always bring these when I leave the house with the kids. I find they enjoy having multiple options, and they also enjoy being able to go to the diaper bag themselves to choose what they’d like to eat.
3) Bring travel activities for the plane, restaurants and the hotel
Buy a travel activity pack such as this Jumbo Activity Pack which has lots of hands-on crafts, games, and activities to keep your kids entertained. Since it’s portable, so you can use it while you’re out and about waiting for food, or on a train or plane. It also comes with a travel journal so you and your child can sit down and record each day together, including the weather, their favorite part of the day, and how you travelled. It even has a place for them to draw a picture!
4) Bring their regular drink bottle from home
Anything that is similar to home will help your child feel more comfortable. Bring their normal drink bottle that they would usually drink from at home so they feel a little bit of the regular routine and see something familiar when they want a drink.
5) Stay in kid-friendly accommodations
Ensure the place you stay is close to food, activities, convenience stores, etc. so you don’t need to walk or travel too far when you need to get anywhere, as a lot of walking — especially in hot climate — can be very tiring for kids and lead to whinging and whining. Also, try to get a room close to the breakfast restaurant, without too many stairs, and close enough to the pool so you don’t have to lug the kids and all their stuff too far when you leave the room.
6) Plan your day carefully
This doesn’t mean have a tightly scheduled itinerary, it just means manage your kids and their needs as well as possible so they (and YOU) enjoy yourselves! Be up and ready to have breakfast when they are up. Then you should have a couple of hours at least (depending on their age) where you can go straight to an activity where they will be fairly happy, not hungry or tired. When they start to show signs that they are grumpy, tired, or hungry, go back to the room for a rest, and then go out again later in the day.
7) If your travel destination is very hot, plan around the heat
Go out in the morning and late afternoon if you are staying somewhere very hot. If your kids are not used to a hot climate, they may find it very difficult to manage with the heat. If your kids don’t need to have a sleep during the day, you may like to spend time in the pool.
8) Don’t get sunburnt!
Sunburn can lead to skin cancer later in life. So of course we should all avoid it, but it can also lead to a miserable holiday! Ensure you stay out of the sun at the hottest times of the day, or remain in the shade. If you would like to swim, ensure your kids have swimsuits that cover them well, like a rash vest over their bathers. Ensure they have sunscreen on at all times, and a hat when out in the sun.
9) Maintain bedtime routines
To help your kids get to sleep as easily as possible, try to replicate bedtime in your home. If they have a bath before bed, give them a bath. If they read a book, bring a couple of their favorite books. Bring their favorite teddy bears and toys for them to cuddle. Put them in the same pajamas they would normally wear, as well as sleeping sacks if they use them at home to sleep in.
10) Lots of late nights will lead to grumpy kids
As much as it’s nice to enjoy your holiday with lingering dinners out, kids need a lot of sleep. A couple of late nights is no big deal. But if you keep the kids up late every night and they are still waking at the usual time, they will end up tired and grumpy the next day, which will lead to frustrated parents. Try to get your kids to bed at a similar time to home.
11) Bring more diapers than you think you need
Speaking from experience! In case your child gets an upset tummy and you go through a lot of diapers, you do NOT want to find yourself with none available while out and about! Always bring at least 5 more than you think you may need.
12) Bring changes of clothes for your child AND yourself
This is one I learned the hard way. When my daughter was 14 months old, she vomited on the plane — all over both of us. I had a change of clothes for her, but not for me. So I had to sit in a top which smelled of vomit for the rest of the flight. Not at all an enjoyable experience! Always carrying an extra change of clothes for yourself will pay off.
13) Do something for yourself!
Have a cocktail by the pool while the kids are playing. Tag team with your partner and go and have a massage to relax and get some alone time. Ensure your don’t forget you are also traveling to have a good time and relax, too!
About the author
Kristen is a mum, teacher, former expat (she taught in India for six years), corporate education professional and entrepreneur. Kristen recently started her own business, Travel Karma travel activity kits for kids. My family are all about adventures, new experiences and creating unforgettable memories. We took our daughter to Thailand when she was 7 weeks old. She has since been abroad every year, to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India and Vietnam as well as lots of trips in Australia. Our son traveled to Perth and then Vietnam when he was 14 weeks old and also travelled to India before he turned 1. If you can relate to this then you may like to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
