With summer already upon us, you’ll probably be thinking about preparing for your summer holiday. Whether you’re travelling by plane, train or car, we’ve compiled a list of handy hacks to make your holiday a little less stressful.
Pack smart
- Take both a foldable pushchair and a baby carrier to help free up your hands for bags and streamline operations tenfold.
- Pre-order baby formula and other essential items before you get to the airport and pick them up there. This will mean you free up your baggage allowance and ensure you don’t forget to pack baby essentials.
- Save space and get organised by packing items in plastic zip-lock bags. You won’t have to decant your whole bag at security, and baby-changing will be a whole lot easier.
- Consider bringing a travel black-out blind with you, especially if you’re going somewhere sunny. It may just get you a few precious extra minutes in bed.
- Taking your own travel cot is a really good idea. Opting for a trial run or two before your trip will get your baby used to sleeping in it and make for a better night’s sleep whilst you’re away.
Be creative
Even small babies will respond to interactive games with you. Use whatever you have to hand:
- Airsickness bags are one way to create your own toy that will fascinate babies and toddlers for hours. Simply draw a face on the bag and use it as a puppet.
- Mirrors are another great toy for young babies; babies don’t recognise their reflection until around 18 months old so a compact mirror will provide an instant friend for your little one.
- If you have a spare bottle and some loose change, why not create a makeshift rattle? It might be noisy but your baby will have a great time shaking it and watching the coins rattle around.
- Why not buy one or two new toys or books and wrap them up. Babies and toddlers will enjoy unwrapping them as well as playing with them. As the toy will be new, you’ll hopefully get more play time out of it than something they are already familiar with. They can also be used as prizes for games or rewards for good behaviour for small children.
Soothe little ears
When travelling on a plane, the dreaded ear pop is one of the worst things that can happen to a baby or a toddler; for the child, the parent and everyone in the vicinity. Here are a few things you can do to prevent your child experiencing ear pain and stop the screaming:
- Sucking is a good remedy to combat ear popping. Paediatricians and mums say that offering your baby a bottle, breast or dummy during take-off and initial descent is a great way to relieve your child’s ear pressure. If your baby still seems uncomfortable, try rubbing their ears and speaking soothingly to them.
- Consider bringing along some cotton wool and putting it gently in your child’s ears to create makeshift earplugs. Aeroplanes are extremely loud and this can be too much for little ears.
On that note, we hope you have a fantastic holiday and get some well-deserved R&R. If you have any more mum hacks on travelling with babies and toddlers we’d love to hear from you so please get in touch.