Hi, I am Enas, a mum to two wonderful kids that love to travel and visit new places. Today we want to share our experiences and tips about how to get organised for a holiday with your kids.
It is always good to be mentally prepared and organized as much as possible in advance. The earlier you start the better it is for the whole family.
From the time our first born was 6 months old, we have been traveling with our kids and never had any problems that wouldn’t have happened the same if we had been at home.
Traveling with kids is always fun and exciting, since we never know what will happen. As parents, we can try to be as organized as possible but always be ready for an adventure.
We have been in Canada, in the USA, Tenerife, Italy, Malta, Bulgaria, Germany, Belgium, United Kingdom, and Spain with our kids and more countries are waiting for us.
Our family loves to travel and one of my biggest dreams is a world trip with kids. Maybe this dream will come true. You never know.
How to make traveling fun with kids.
Don’t worry so much. Traveling with kids is totally worth it and completely doable. The most important thing is not to get stressed out. Kids can feel that. It is better to have a relaxed, ‘whatever happens, happens’ attitude. Kids will appreciate it and you enjoy the time with your kids. Traveling with kids can be so fun and educational. Involve your kids as much as you can. Take your time to explain new things to them. Ask them what they observe. Since it is very interesting to see the world through their eyes. Let them try new food and be the example for them.
When can your baby safely travel?
Not all airlines are the same. Different airlines have different policies. To be sure that everything was fine and we didn’t stress our baby too much, we waited until our baby was 6 months old. Doctors recommend you wait until the age of 3 – 6 month. It is recommended that your baby’s immune system is more developed before you go on a flight with them. By 7 months old, our first baby went on an international flight to Canada. Believe me, everything went fine.
Car trips are different. We had already done it at 2 months old. We had a 7 hours drive to visit the grand- and great parents in Belgium. We avoided driving in the day. If you don’t mind driving at night, then go for it. Your Baby is in their routine and can sleep as usual. We avoid driving during the day with our kids if we have to drive more than 3 hours. If you do want to drive during the day, prepare a lot of toys, a lot of food and entertainment. Most importantly, plan stops for the kids to get the wiggles out.
What to take for gear for your holiday?
After all our traveling, one thing we learned, traveling as a minimalist makes our life on the road much easier, especially with little kids. You need your hands not only to carry your suitcase but also for your little ones. The lighter you travel the easier your life. Carrying all the things that you might need, but actually don’t really need can slow you down, makes you more exhausted and guarantees you stress in your vacation.
Everything you pack, you need to unpack and then pack again. Think about how it would be for you if you need to catch a train, and you have to change the gate and suddenly you have to run with your kids and all your gear. It is always recommended to pack light. The less the better. Make sure you have a washing machine where you will be staying or you have a chance to wash somewhere. If you want to make sure your kids always look good on your holiday, then the key is making sure that every single clothing item pairs with every other one. Travel with only what you really need and avoid thinking “what if”.
If you want to be sure, you can check the weather ahead and if you really need something at your destination, you can buy it there. Maybe it’s even cheaper then at home.
If you have a car and are driving from one destination to another, door to door, then it shouldn’t be a big deal for you to have all your belongings with you. The important thing to think about is if you can you see yourself and your family hopping around with all your suitcases and still be stress free to go anywhere you want? Keep in mind locations such as bus, taxi, train, on the plane, in the airport etc. Sometimes it is better to keep it simple and try to buy the things that you think you might need at your destination.
What is best to travel with: baby wear or a stroller?
I have done both. When our kids were babies, I definitely took the Manduca. It helped me a lot. I could run quickly if I had to, without worrying much. No need to navigate stairs. It is always good to have as much flexibility and mobility as possible.
Whenever my baby was hungry, I was able to breastfeeding, without wondering where I could do it, if I could do it and how I could do it. To avoid any attention from other people, I always put a burb cloth over my Manduca and that’s it. Like that, our baby was on his schedule and things went smoothly. It’s even good to use for sleeping. I really loved my Manduca.
Having a stroller is also nice, but can cause problems. You have one more thing to carry with you. It needs to fit every where you go.
Taking a buggy can be handy, but it should be easy to fold and fit wherever you need to go. Buggies can be taken for free on the airplane.
Traveling with diapers and potty trained kids.
Big tip, don’t travel with a lifetime supply of diapers. Take twice the amount of diapers you would normally need for your traveling time. And to be safe, take some for the next two days. As soon as you have arrived at your destination you should be able to buy them there. Another good thing is that you can take a diaper bag on the airplane without it counting towards your luggage.
For small kids that are potty trained, it is always good to put on a pull up. One time our child got sick suddenly and we had to change him many times. That was not a fun moment to be honest. From then on, we always had a pull up in our bag, just incase of any accidents. Make sure that your kids go to the toilet before getting on the airplane. This is now a habit for us. They know they have to do it. It avoids suddenly needing to go to the toilet. Sure your kid can go to the toilet on the airplane but they are small, there can be waiting lines and there are times it’s not available due to take off, landing or turbulence. It’s better to be safe. Take a change of clothes for your kids to be safe as well.
Feeding the kids during your holiday.
Breastfeeding is the easiest option for feeding the baby. You don’t need to heat up the bottle, to make sure you have enough milk or anything else. You can just feed your kid whenever you want to and it is always ready. I did it for a few years and was really happy since it was much easier for me. On the airplane you can even get extra water. Some airlines offer you water automatically when they notice you are breastfeeding. I really enjoyed breastfeeding and just thinking about it now makes me miss it. Don’t be ashamed to breastfeed your kid. I have done it everywhere and did not have any problems. Please don’t breastfeed your baby on the toilet. There is no reason for it.
I also used bottles from 1 year on. My kids were not big fans but it is good to have them. For baby and toddlers you can take up to 1 liter of liquid on the airplane, if you can prove it is for the baby. You can ask to heat up your bottle on the airplane. I have done it few times. Sometime you have to wait a bit for it, but they definitely will heat it up for you.
Having liquids to drink is also very good during taking off and landing, to help with ear pain. We all know those moments when they suddenly cry. Let the kids drink and eat especially during taking off and landing. It helps to relieve ear pressure.
Before leaving the house, make sure that your kids always have a good breakfast. If you don’t have breakfast available where you are staying, make sure that the very first thing you do out of the house. There’s always a chance that your timetable will change. We plan our activities around eating time. To encourage your kids to eat, it can be good to let them help you decide what and where to eat. We have a practice that our kids have to try something new. It’s okay if they don’t like it, but they have to give it a try. And we have to be a good example for them, showing them that we enjoy the food and it tastes good. We also explain to them what we are eating and how it can benefit us. Like how healthy the food is. What kind of food it is. Where it comes from. Kids love to know all about these things. We just need to take our time to explain it. That is the magic that is working for us. There is nothing that our kids don’t eat or at least haven’t tried. We love our food and especially good food from all over the world. We are always looking for good places to eat through TripAdviser.