How to Travel Succesfully with Toddlers!

How to Successfully Travel with Toddlers

Being able to go on holiday with your little ones is amazing. It’s the perfect opportunity to create some beautiful memories with lots of first moments, as well as beginning to introduce your child to the incredible world we live in. When people think of travelling with little ones, however, it’s quiet often a daunting thought, especially if you have toddlers and you’re a first-time parent. You don’t want to be that person on the aeroplane whose child is screaming the isle down, or the parent in the restaurant whose toddler is kicking and throwing things because they’re sleepy and bored, and you don’t have to be! These useful tips will help you figure out how to travel with your little one, enabling you to have a wonderful holiday together!

Don’t Rush, Don’t Panic

One of the most important things to remember when travelling with toddlers, is to take your time and stay calm. Children can pick up on stress and negative emotions, and this can then cause them to feel distressed and worried, which is not what you want, especially when you’re taking them somewhere unfamiliar. Make yourself a plan, with allotted times for travel, breaks, snack time etc, as this will really help you to stick to a schedule, giving yourself plenty of time to get from each place on time with no rushing. If you’re catching a plane, be sure to arrive at the airport a few hours beforehand to ensure you have plenty of time to eat, toilet break and so on. Similarly, if you’re travelling on the road, make sure you take traffic into consideration and give yourself plenty of time to get to your location, expecting slight traffic every now and then. This will simply ensure the travelling runs smoothly with no panic or stress.

Plenty of Battery

If you don’t have constant access to Peppa Pig or Paw Patrol, you may find yourself struggling to keep the little ones quiet. Whilst it’s not necessary for your child to spend hours on end watching the screen of your phone or iPad to keep themselves entertained, it is often a saving grace when it comes to travelling. Sitting in a car, on a plane or even on the train for longer than half an hour can be a very boring process for toddlers, so having plenty to keep them occupied will really help keep them happy. Make sure your phones, iPads, laptops or tablets are fully charged for plenty of watching time, as you don’t want to realise it has no battery after just promising them they could watch their favourite show on a loop.

The Right Equipment

Having the right items with you is really beneficial, as it’s difficult to make do with certain items when it comes to toddlers. If you’re travelling in a campervan, you’ll find there are lots of campervan accessories that are child-friendly and used to help make their time in the vehicle safe and positive. Similarly, you may want to look at some useful items for when on a plane, such as a snack pot that can store their favourite nibbles, a tippy-uppy cup to ensure there are no spills and so on. You also need to remember to pack spare clothes, nappies and dummy’s, as it’s amazing how often people forget to bring extra supplies and get caught short in the most inconvenient moments!

Medicine and Soothing Solutions

At such a young age, your toddler is prone to catching colds, getting a slight temperature, falling over or simply not getting enough sleep, so you need to make sure you have the right essentials when it comes to be able to sooth and help them get better. Pack plenty of Calpol and other medicines that are suitable for a child of that age, as this will help you hugely if something happens and you’re in need of some relief for them. Similarly, you need to make sure you have plenty of soothing options, as your little one may feel home sick, over tired and so on. Blankets, favourite teddy bears, dummy’s and teething toys are ideal for this, as it will help to settle them and keep them calm and content.