Tips on travelling with a toddler

If you have been one of those spontaneous couples who would prefer unplanned road trips or long drives, parenthood would demand you to plan it to the tee to avoid turning the trip into a nightmare.

I have seen most of the couples refrain from travelling with the baby, as taking care of the baby feels like more effort while on the go. Trust me; this is the phase that you need vacations the most. Otherwise, you get so lost in parenting so much so that you start feeling sorry for yourself as a parent, instead of enjoying it.Few months into the motherhood and that is when I realized it and that is when we started travelling and going for vacations with our now, 1 year 3-month-old daughter. Lot of people ask me how do I manage travelling with a baby/toddler, for its simply taking care of your baby in a different city and not actually a break.

If you do it right, you might feel a bit better about vacationing even with a toddler.

Below are the few tips that I have learnt from my experiences and I find these extremely useful when travelling with my daughter-

1.    Book a comfortable hotel with hygiene as the most important factor, check out reviews. If possible go for some place that any of your friends had stayed in past so that you get the first hand reviews.

2.    It is important to carry baby gear like a stroller or a baby-carrier; it makes it so easy to move around. It depends on what your kid is most comfortable in, whether it is a stroller or a baby carrier. I prefer baby carrier, as it is easy to carry, does not take too much extra luggage space and my daughter is now used to it.  If you are planning to buy a stroller, prefer a lightweight fold-able one, which you can easily use while travelling.

3.    If you are planning a long trip, then instead of carrying the entire stock of diapers, buy some of these online and get these delivered at the hotel where you are staying or if you are travelling to a place where you can easily buy these then go for that option. There is no point wasting that much luggage space for diapers.

4.    Carry some easy dry snacks that the baby loves to eat, you can carry some home-made namkeen, laddoo, biscuits or other Indian snack items. Do carry some milk powder or baby food (like cerelac) as well if the baby loves to eat. Therefore, you do not have to worry about the availability of food for the baby. My daughter loves to eat mathari and roasted chana, so you will always find some mathari, laddoo, roasted chana and some biscuits in my bag. Being a vegetarian, it becomes all the more difficult to find veg options when travelling abroad, and then comes these items to your rescue. Always carry boiled water for the baby.

5.    Breastfeeding is the best while travelling so do carry your nursing cover or nursing pillow whichever you and the baby are comfortable using.

6.    Always carry extra disposable bags, tissues, wet wipes, zip lock bags and hand sanitizers. You do not want the kid to catch any sort of infection and then regret it for the rest of the trip, plus kids will always be dirtying their hands and you cannot be always looking for washrooms and dustbins, so you want to be prepared.

7.    Plan for a comfortable itinerary never try to squeeze in too many places in a short trip, as the kid needs proper rest. A rested baby means a happy and relaxed trip for the parents. Plan it as close as possible to the baby’s routine, if the routine goes completely off then the baby is bound to get cranky. Consider the nap times and feed times while designing your itinerary and see how far you can stretch so that the baby can take it. Keep sufficient time for breakfast, lunch and dinner so that you have ample time to feed your kid and then to feed yourself.

8.    Carrying a compact electric kettle is necessary as not all the hotels have electric kettles in the room. Or do check it beforehand and then you can decide to carry it, for it will be useful to heat water or milk or do some light boiling/cooking(boil egg, khichdi etc) if required for the baby.

9.    Pack as per the weather, do check out the weather situation and pack some extra things, you might have to carry some extra luggage but it is better to be safe than sorry.

10.  Don’t forget to carry basic first aid kit and some basic medical supplies for fever, diarrhea after consulting your pediatrician. Also carry insect/mosquito repellents.

11. In lot of good restaurants they have high-chairs which are provided based on the customer request, always check for these. It makes dinning so much easier.

12. If you are going on a long trip, then be prepared to do laundry during your trip otherwise you would be unnecessarily carrying extra volumes of clothes and even then those might not suffice.

13. Instead of carrying too many toys, make use of trash(wrappers, empty boxes etc.) to engage the kid. But if you baby does not sleep without her favorite blanket or toy, do carry that.