Travelling with a toddler
Once your baby becomes a toddler, travelling brings new challenges and in fact many parents feel this can be the most demanding time to travel with their children. They can be difficult to restrain, prone to tantrums and getting lost and it can be exhausting. Toddlers are however incredibly curious and enthusiastic and they are of course developing the ability to talk which means they can tell you if they are enjoying themselves, express their preferences and tell you if they are sick. Toddlers take delight in the smallest things but you will need patience and a family holiday full of child friendly diversions.
You have to be particularly careful with your choice of accommodation when you are travelling with a toddler. Toddlers have an amazing tendency to wander off when they see something interesting and you need to be particularly careful with unfenced swimming pools, balconies with inappropriate or squeeze through railings and electrical and water hazards. Toddlers also have a tendency to put most items of interest in their mouths and childproofing your room or your accommodation when you have a toddler in tow is essential. For childproofing, nothing beats good common parental sense.
Holidays with an established base with lots of diversions are generally best when travelling with a toddler and you should check our hand luggage and packing lists for tips on how to make your journey more enjoyable. A few well chosen pieces of travel gear will help make your journey easier and you should think about and research a lightweight buggy or pram, reigns for active toddlers and if you're going to a warm climate a baby shade.
Toddlers are very good at exploring and are fascinated by different smells and sites and excited by going on holiday. They do not cope well in confinement however; they find long journeys in a car seat or on a plane very frustrating. They love exploring planes so be prepared for a lot of walking up and down the aisles.
One of the keys to travelling with toddlers is to keep them entertained and you should pack a really good entertainment bag full of interesting activities to keep them occupied.
Remember to check out our tips for choosing an airline, reserving seats, boarding and flying which should help you on the journey. If you are renting a car, research carefully the car seats that may be available from rental companies. If in doubt, you should bring your own as standards can vary particularly when you are renting a baby car seat rather than a car seat for an older child.
If your toddler takes formula milk then make sure you take enough for the journey. Check that there will be appropriate supplies in your destination or take enough stock with you. Depending on your choice of accommodation preparing fresh food for babies may not always be possible. One option would be to cut down on your luggage by having your nappies, food and other supplies delivered to your destination by a company such as tinytotsaway who provides a fantastic service by delivering all your supplies to your hotel in advance.
We have prepared some articles on what to pack, what to bring on a journey as well as several lists on how to entertain the children while you're travelling through the various ages and hope these are helpful.
You will find lots of family friendly travel
tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the
right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and
travellers in our parents
forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real
parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for
your family holiday.
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