At Cradle and Kin we absolutely love to travel. Whether it be a road trip to the coast, an adventure interstate or a full blown month long, European escapade, we live for a holiday!
When we had our babies many people assumed our days of travel were behind us. However with 5 countries, 3 different states and countless road trips ticked off the lists (before our babies had even turned one) we are showing no signs of slowing down on the travel front.
While it’s definitely necessary to adjust your expectations when traveling with kiddos (you should probably say goodbye to those spontaneous all-nighters and tequila fueled evenings) you can still have an incredible time traveling with kids, creating lifelong memories you will treasure forever.
With summer holiday planning now in full swing, we have put together our top 10 tips for stress free trips.
Happy travels!
1). Vaccinations
To keep kiddos safe, make sure they are up to date with their vaccinations. It’s also worth a quick phone call to your local travel immunisation clinic to see if there are any extra vaccines recommended for the area you are visiting.
2). Hire baby / child equipment at your destination
Rather than dragging half of your house along for the trip, consider hiring items at your destination. Not only does this make navigating the airport easier, it makes sticking to weight limits a breeze. Worldwide there are baby and child hire companies that will deliver cots, prams, sterilisers, kettles, white noise machines etc straight to your hotel/airbnb. A quick google search should point you in the right direction.
3). Locate paediatric health care options
Locate paediatric hospitals, GPs and locum services in the areas. Write down details in your notes app on your phone, that way in an emergency you know exactly how to get the care your little ones need.
4). Phones
When travelling overseas or remotely make sure you have a local sim, check that you can use roaming or carry a satellite / EPIRB phone in case of emergency.
5). Learn first aid
This one doesn’t really need an explanation. Make sure your skills are fresh and up to date as you never know when you will need to administer first aid. Does anyone know a good first aid training company?
6). Pack light and consider luggage options
If you plan on catching lots of planes or trains on your journey you do not want to be dragging around multiple items of luggage whilst also wrangling kids.
Try your best to pack light! We also recommend traveling with one large suitcase that fits everyone’s luggage. Use packing cubes to keep items separate and organised.
If traveling with two adults, one can deal with the luggage while the other deals with kids (shotgun the luggage).
7). Pack a good travel first aid kit
Non negotiables in our kits include any prescription medication, paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamines, thermometer, oral rehydration solution (e.g. hydralight), age appropriate antiseptic and bandaids.
Make sure you tailor your kit to the location you are visiting, if you are out camping you will definitely need more than just the basics.
8). Travel insurance
This goes without saying, but if you are leaving the country make sure you have travel insurance. Pick one that has unlimited medical cover and make sure you read terms and conditions to ensure certain holiday activities are covered (e.g. skiing or riding a scooter).
9). In transit packing
Parents make sure you pack a spare pair of clothes in case you get covered in milk/food/vomit or other questionable body fluids.
For kids, pack every snack you can possibly fit, download all of their favourite shows on your phone or a tablet and don’t forget headphones. Also make up a small kit of kids toys/activities such as stickers and colouring books, window spinners, tabletop games, cards etc.
10). Take off and landing
To help with sore ears at take off and landing try to breast or bottle feed, use a dummy or a lollypop for older kids (hard lollies are a choking hazard for toddlers so save these for big kids only).
Traveling with kids can be an amazing (albeit sometimes testing experience). While it may require a little extra planning and patience, the experiences and memories you will create will make it so very worth it.
So book the trip, pack your bags, buckle up and enjoy that adventure. The world is just waiting to be explored with your little besties by your side. And to make sure you are prepared for any holiday illness or injury, make sure book in a course with us before you leave!