This blog post focuses more on how to travel with two under two year olds, or even one, which can be a challenge enough. If you’re going on holiday, please don’t let having children put you off, it can be done and you can travel well with young ones, you just have to plan and prepare. So read more on how we survived travelling with two under two year olds:
- Packing
When packing for your holiday, make a thorough list of things you need, and when you go to pack your bag make sure the urgent things you’ll need – nappies, milk, dummies (soothers), snacks etc. are at the top of your bag. There’s nothing worse than struggling to find what you need whilst holding a wriggling toddler.
- Prepare
Your toddler is going to need distractions while you’re travelling, this includes snacks, so make sandwiches, or for ease take less messy handheld snacks such as breadsticks or basically anything that doesn’t contain sugar. There’s nothing worse than feeding your toddler sugary snacks when they’re meant to sit still for an hour or two. Don’t forget your toddlers favourite water bottle so they don’t get dehydrated, and I know how fussy some toddlers can be about drinking from cups or bottles with different teats so bring your own if that’s the case! It may seem obvious, but it’s so easy to forget to pack things and then have an upset, hungry toddler. If you have a baby who is drinking milk I’ve heard that feeding your little one their milk as the plane sets off helps them not suffer with their ears popping and so could reduce the crying.
- Technology
Just the other day a man stopped us on the train to say how well our boys were being while on our two hour journey home from Brighton. Well it’s a big thanks to technology, as my iPhone or iPad provides a great distraction either before or during a toddler meltdown! I would definitely recommend downloading the Cbeebies playtime app, and also another great free app for toddlers is Bubble Pop, which is basically where you pop the bubbles when they appear on the screen and it tells you the number of bubble you’ve popped. My 18 month olds are bubble popping pros! One last thing to mention is remember to pack a charger and charge before you go, as the man who stopped us on the train mentioned, there’s nothing worse than your battery dying mid journey with a toddler, as he mentioned had recently happened to him!
- Nap Times
You might be worried about your toddler napping while you’re out and about in a new place, but I have found that when a child is tired, they will eventually sleep. Whether you’re in a completely different time zone, or if you’re just a few hours away from home, a toddlers schedule can get thrown out of the window completely. A great way to combat this is to buy a Koodi Sun/Sleep Cover. Not only will it protect your little one from the sun, but it’s also a perfect cover to get your little ones to go to bed. Simply cover them in the pram and they should go to sleep. They’re available in both single and double covers.
- Food
If you have a toddler, unless you’re lucky, you’ll know that sometimes they just want their favourite food and won’t be willing to try anything else. If you’re able to take a few of your toddlers snacks with you, or at least check that there are restaurants or shops that you can get things for them from if they are being extra difficult with their food while away then that is one great way to make sure you have a happy toddler. It’s very important toddlers get their snacks and so having some packed with you will guarantee you’ll keep their tummys content.
- Weather
Preparing for all kinds of weather is just something we as parents have to do. If you’re going somewhere that’s very hot, preparing sun cream and hats is vital, as well as swimsuits, sandals and towels! It’s always good to prepare for a rain shower, even in the hottest places and so don’t forget to take your rain cover for your pushchair, there’s nothing worse than being stuck in a storm with no rain cover! As mentioned in point 4, a Koodi is also a sun cover so it might be worth buying a sun cover, or a parasol for your pushchair.
- Don’t worry
Even in the worst circumstances when your toddler is screaming and hitting the chair of the person in front of you, take a deep breath and know you aren’t alone. We’ve all been there, we’ve all had the stares and the eye rolling from people who’ve never had children, and those who probably have children but either have forgotten about this difficult stage, or paid someone else to deal with those times. You may feel that everyone around you is sighing or getting fed up, but you can just remember that one day it might be them struggling and realising just how difficult and unpredictable toddlers can be!
If you have any tips or any experiences please feel free to leave me and comment below, I’d love to hear about it!
Lots of love,
Samantha Dawn
xoxo
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