Have you ever felt horrified just by the idea of traveling longer distances with a toddler? Have you been procrastinating your travel plans, just because you think your toddler/baby could make your trip a stressful one ? Well, then this post is for you. These suggestions are based on my experiences and these tips may actually help you plan for a vacation real soon.
Have a detailed plan
Always have a thorough plan of where you are going and what you are going to do there. The time you are going to start from home , the places you are going to see, how long you are going to spend at each place, the working hours of those places and the time you will be reaching home must be planned well in advance. If you are not making proper plans, you might end up wasting a lot of time by simply driving around the unfamiliar city and eventually you are going to annoy your baby. Always include places like zoo, children’s museum etc in your agenda to make the vacation exciting for the kids.
Pack appropriate clothes
Well, I don’t have to explain much on this. Your baby needs to be in comfortable clothes while traveling. Check the weather conditions in your destination before making plans and pack your clothes accordingly. Carry extra baby towels, wipes, burp clothes, socks and mittens for they get lost or misplaced often. Always have an extra pair of clothes in your diaper bag. If you are using cloth diapers, do not forget to bring your wet dry dirty diaper storage bag.
Food and snacks
It is very important to plan about food during your entire travel like, where you are planning to have your breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Staying in hotels that offer complimentary breakfast will be a great option when you have kids. Also I suggest you consider booking rooms with kitchen. I carry a lot of home made cookies and other snacks for my daughter to munch during the travel. Bananas are true life savers. Babies love them and I bring them in plenty. I also bring required items to cook from home for the baby if we are staying in a room with kitchen. We like to keep our meals simple during our travel as it saves you a lot of time and money.
Keep your diaper bag organised
This is the key for a stress-free travel. Make a check list of items you need during the trip for your baby and keep them organised in your diaper bag. In my diaper bag you would find diapers, water, snacks/fruits, formula, burp clothes, bib, extra clothes, socks, wet wipes and few toys. I also carry my baby’s chest rub, nasal spray for emergencies. I guess mommy can use a small room in the same bag for keeping pouch, mobile phone, charger, lip-balm, comb, lip-stick and compact powder. I always make it a point to keep my diaper bag organised and it reduces your tension to half.
Entertainment
Your toddler needs to be engaged through out the travel or they will be irritated easily. So carry a lot of toys, books, coloring stuffs etc to keep them occupied. Tell them a lot of stories, talk to them about things you see during the drive, tell them about the destination and its significance and keep them involved in your conversations. You can also give them smart phones to keep them engaged for a short duration. We don’t let our daughter use mobile phones or other smart devices during travel as it may be a strain to her eyes.
Use a carrier and a light-weight stroller
Baby carriers are of great help when you have to wait in long queues or when your baby wants to nap. I strongly suggest you to have one especially if your itinerary includes hiking! Also bring a light weight stroller that can be opened and folded easily to avoid extra annoyance.
Be prepared
Traveling with your little one is no cakewalk. It is going to take a lot of preparations and efforts from your end. Just be prepared to face breakdowns and deal the temper tantrums. You might even actually miss visiting a couple of places when you travel with a baby. Keep in mind that you are on a vacation to make memories with your kids and let those memories be nothing but sweet.
Happy traveling mommies and daddies!!
Mommy Me 