Travelling with babies and young children

Take the family's great holiday offerings
By Rhonda Carrier

Many people think that their travelling life is over as soon as they have kids, but in fact gadding about with a newborn is incredibly easy as long as you bear certain essentials in mind, such as not taking them to very hot places.

The bad news is that this doesn’t last for long – as soon as your child becomes mobile (crawling anytime from about 6 months, walking from as early as 10 months), it becomes difficult to make journeys of any real length, whether by plane, train or automobile. Although some kids are more able to sit still than others, in general until they’re at least 3 0r 4 and able to sit and amuse themselves with books and colouring materials, you’re unlikely to consider long trips worth the pain of dealing with a screaming, flailing, frustrated, red-in-the-face toddler.

Bear in mind, however, that under-2s do fly for free on mainstream airlines (on budget airlines you may be charged – and often, bizarrely, the infant fare is higher than the adult fare). Also, when you’re flying with infants, there’s plenty of help to hand in the form of practicalities such as bassinets (on-board carry-cots) and baby food and sometimes even luxuries such as ‘sky nannies’ (aboard some Gulf Air flights).

You will have to get round head round the fact that any form and duration of journey will entail disruption to your child’s routine. This disruption will be particularly acute if you travel long-haul across time-zones, incurring jet-lag (for more advice, see our page on long-haul travel). If you do have to cross time-zones, keeping one parent’s watch set to the time in your home country will help you keep tabs on what your baby needs and expects.

Another downside of travelling with babies and young children can be the excessive baggage that’s generated, largely made up by many changes of clothing plus bulky items such as packets of nappies and wipes in industrial quantities. You might also be nervous about finding familiar brand names in your destination, especially for formula, baby food and sunscreen. A solution can be to use a firm such as tinytotsaway (or, within the USA, Mexico and Brazil, JetSetBabies), who can ship your chosen products and supplies direct to your destination for your arrival.

In terms of health and safety, for up-to-date travel advice and warnings for all countries, check the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website. For advice on EHIC healthcare cards and health and travel insurance, see our Healthy and safe holidays page. The most basic advice is to take two of anything vital that could easily get lost or broken, such as glasses or an inhaler, and a prescription for any medicine that is crucial (plus a doctor’s note detailing what it is and who it’s for). For the latest advice on air travel, including what you can take on board, see Directgov.

Make sure to avoid hot countries with babies and young children, who find it difficult to cope with, and if you are heading for warmer climes, check that your accommodation has air-conditioning. Well in advance of your trick, talk to your GP about health precautions for kids for your destination, including any vaccinations that are needed. You might, or instance, decide against taking small children to places where they need to take anti-malarials (see our Healthy and safe holidays Advice page).

Book accommodation in advance – it’s one thing arriving in a strange city as a backpacker looking for a place to lay your head, and quite another arriving at a destination with no booking and fractious youngsters in danger of meltdown. Your needs are a lot more specific with young kids, too – you’ll need a room that fits you all, or at the very least inter-connecting rooms. Source and book a hotel in advance, and keep an email printout confirming your arrangements, including any amenities you’ve booked, such as a cot. Also print out a map of the hotel’s location and keep its telephone number to hand. If you’re travelling in from an airport, find out in advance your transport options and book if necessary, or at least make sure you have adequate money to hand and a Plan B.

The best form of accommodation for those with younger kids is a self-catering house or apartment, allowing you to save money on eating out and to remain flexible. Small kids hate sitting in restaurants for hours at a time, so three meals a day strapped into a highchair will be hell for them. Self-catering facilities allow you to eat in or make up picnics to take to the beach or park. You also tend to get more space to spread out in– and that doesn’t just mean the kids and their toys, but also for you wanting to chill-out after the children are asleep. The best compromise is an ‘apart-hotel’ – an apartment with access to hotel facilities, such as a pool and restaurant. This kind of accommodation also has the benefit of practically assuring ready-made playmates for your kids.

If you’re booking accommodation with childcare (see our Childcare), do some elementary research before committing – do the staff there speak English, for instance, and is the childcare facility or nanny accredited by an official body (such as OFSTED in the UK) or police-checked. Online parents’ forums can be good sources of information on the standard of specific kids’ clubs and the like.

Finally, the last thing you want to be doing with small kids in tow is trying to sort out the administrative nightmare that ensues if you’re robbed or lose important items. To curtail the distress and time spent sorting stuff out, make two copies of your passport details, card details, bank and insurance company contact details and other vital documents and carry one copy of each separately to the originals and leave the other with somebody at home, together with an itinerary of your movements.

Travelling with Babies (up to 12 months)
The good news is that babies are immensely portable and will happily sleep in their car-seat anywhere that you care to put it. However, although you can fly with a newborn from the age of 1 week (if given the all-clear to do so by your doctor and if the baby wasn’t premature; as early as 48hrs with some airlines), you’re advised to wait until they’re 8–12 weeks old to fly if possible, because younger babies are vulnerable to germs circulated by the aircraft ventilation systems.

All babies and children now need a passport of their own and cannot travel on a parent’s/guardian’s passport. The fastest you can get a first UK passport is one week, but you’ll pay almost double the standard fee (which is currently about £50). Otherwise, you’re advised to submit your application at least 6 weeks before you plan to travel. For full information on applying for all UK passports, see the official website.

The rules regarding children’s passport photographs are stringent – they must have their eyes open and no part of an adult’s body, such as a supporting hand, must be showing. This can be tricky with a very young baby, so rather than taking them to a photo-booth, go to a professional high-street photographer, who will use a digital camera for better results at little extra cost.

In terms of where to do with babies, avoid hot places but otherwise the world is your oyster. One baby-specific break you might consider is a Young Mother break at a French thalassotherapy centre such as the Thermes Marins de Saint-Malo in Brittany, where a new mum can book a week’s hydrotherapy package that includes baby-minding sessions and baby massage. For more on the Thermes and other thalassotherapy providers in France and elsewhere, plus a couple of other options, see our feature Post-Baby Family Holidays.

Travelling with Toddlers (1–3 years)
Make no bones about it: this is the most difficult age to travel with kids. They hate sitting still and will kick up a terrible racket if forced to do so. They’re also not yet terribly self-reliant in their play, so you’ll need to be on hand to provide constant stimulation and amusement, which can be tiring. Their nappies and clothing are bulkier to pack, and if they’re in the process of toilet training, travelling can be very stressful indeed (try refraining from screaming as your son, theoretically potty trained, does an accidental no.2 in his trousers beside the Eiffel Tower in a heatwave).

Avoid long journeys and try to coincide car, plane and train trips with nap-times where possible (most kids nap up to about the age of 3). Buy children their own mini-backpacks and fill them with a mixture of small toys – old, comforting favourites and new surprises – plus colouring and sticker/activity books. Cars and small hand-held figures can work very well, and I always take along a brand-new pack of plasticine in various colours, which usually keeps my boys entertained for hours.

Endless supplies of food provide a great distraction – think dryish, non-messy items, rather than smeary chocolate and greasy or crumbly pastries and biscuits. Think also of things that keep little fingers and jaws busy and out of mischief, such as raisins that have to be extracted one by one from small boxes, dried apricots, fruit leathers, frozen grapes, apple slices and carrot sticks, rice cakes, and filled pitta bread. Zippable plastic sandwich bags make great containers that can be reused for getting rid of debris.

If you’re flying (good luck!), this is the age when onboard entertainment systems come into their own, especially individual seat-back TV screens. See our guide to the most family-friendly airlines and what they offer. If you’re driving, traditional I-Spy type games and sing songs can be very successful.

It also pays several-fold to spend time researching your destination in advance for kids this age, through Tourist Board websites, Takethefamily’s own destination guides and family-friendly guidebooks such as the Frommer’s ‘With Kids’/’With Your Family’ series. There’s nothing worse than missing out on great family attractions on your doorstep, or eating in an uncongenial restaurant because you didn’t know about the great family place around the corner.

In terms of where to go, the beach is a surefire (and cheap!) winner with kids of this age (whereas babies just eat the sand – and regret it when it comes out the other end). Find one that’s no too busy, so you can easily keep an eye on them, and they’ll happily run away from waves and dig in the sand for hours at a time.  

Lastly, bear in mind that if you’re looking for a resort with a kids’ club/activities, some places require children to be nappy trained.

Travelling with Pre-Schoolers (3–5 years)
Breathe a sigh of relief – this is when it finally starts to get easier. Not that you won’t be assailed by more or less constant cries of ‘Are we there yet?’ But at least your child will be able to keep him- or herself entertained for sustained periods of time, with the help of reading, colouring and sticker books and crayons. You could even get them a kids’ digital camera and encourage them to record elements of their journey – a great way of keeping them interested in their surroundings, the changes of scenery, and the nitty gritty of the travel experience.

As well as the toys and games popular with 1–3-year-olds (see above), audiobooks can now be added to the list of good distractions on journeys – most current and classic favourites are now available. By this age range, you might also start to get your kids involved in their upcoming adventure by introducing them to books featuring your destination, letting them help with your internet research (see above), and asking for their ideas about what they’d like to see and do.

If you’re going abroad, remember to check your passports – if your 5-year-old has had a passport since s/he was a small baby, it will expire very shortly! Many parents get a horrible shock at the airport after assuming that kids’ passports last 10 years, as adults’ do. (Note also that some countries require both adult and child passports to have six months’ validity beyond the date of entry, regardless of the duration of your stay.)

Beaches remain winners with kids in this age group, who might progress to crabbing, hunting in rock-pools, castle-building and simple beach games such as French cricket. But with paper and pens and the right jolly-along enthusiasm, you might be able to interest them in the odd museum or gallery too, rewarding them with a visit to an aquarium or zoo, or a ride or two on a carousel…

As this is the age when your kids will particularly appreciate playmates, apart-hotels (see above) and gite complexes are your best accommodation choice. Alternatively, think about sharing a villa with friends with children of the same age and you might even get to relax a bit…

Top 10 Tips for Travelling with Young Children
- Spend some clearheaded, child-free time writing detailed packing checklists, one general and one for your child. Begin with daily essentials and vital travel documents, then concentrate on any requirements relating to your destination. (Tip: Keep a permanent ‘travel box’ containing small items that are only needed for trips, from passports and EHIC cards to adaptors and earplugs.) Refine the lists over a few days as things occur to you, until you’re certain you have everything covered. Hopefully this will obviate the risk of last-minute panic packing!

- When booking transport, whether a hire car or a flight, make sure to pre-book any equipment you need for your baby, such as a car-seat or a bassinet. (If you’re taking connecting flights, make sure to book equipment for all stages of your journey). Book children’s meals on planes too, and find out if your airline offers baby supplies, such as nappies, wipes and food, on board, which can lighten your load.

- If you do have to make a long trip of 8 hours or more, by whatever means, consider travelling overnight so you can all sleep (bar the driver, should you go by road!) and arrive relatively rested. If that’s not feasible, look at possible break sites about halfway through your journey – on a 6-hour car-trip, or instance, see if there’s a child-friendly attraction 3 or 4hrs in, even if it’s just a soft-play centre or outdoor playground.

- Think about investing in a good baby carrier – your little one will outgrow his or her Babybjorn or sling by the age of 1, but something like an Ergo (my personal choice) can be worn on the front, back or side, making it suitable for ages up to 3 or even 4. On some trips, you might even be able to dispense with the need for a dreaded buggy/stroller, leaving hands free for luggage/holding older kids’ hands. Similar options are baby rucksacks and hip-seats such as those made by Hippychick.

- Another good investment is a Gro Anywhere travel black-out blind, which attaches to any window with the aid of suction cups and prevents early awakenings due to light in a hotel or villa bedroom that doesn’t have adequate curtains. (Tip: it has a waterproof back so you can also use it as an impromptu mattress protector or a picnic mat!)

- Depending on where you’re going or how you’re travelling, a portable highchair may be very useful, saving you having to hold a squirming baby while feeding it, or forcing a toddler to remain seated on a precariously balanced cushion. They come in all kind of guises, from fabric highchairs that slip over chair-backs and fold ultra-small to self-inflating booster seats (my tried-and-tested choice).

- Pack a basic childproofing kit to use both en route and at your destination, including a non-slip bath mat, safety plugs (suited to the country you’re visiting), and temporary door and window locks. Also buy or put together a rudiementary First Aid kit containing Calpol (sachets), a thermometer, antiseptic gel/wipes and plasters, sterile gauze, bandages and tape, and insect repellent and calamine lotion (good for sunburn as well as bites).

- Write your mobile number/accommodation details on your kids’ hands when you are out and about, and if they’re old enough to understand, impress on them the importance of never divulging their name to a stranger.

- Wear a money belt under your clothes with credit cards and vital documents. Parent keeping an eye on luggage and the safety of young children make easy targets for pickpockets and thieves.

- Count off your luggage each time you move to a new setting, ie from a train to a taxi, or in or out of a hotel room. Trying to remember who has what is impossible, but if you note to yourself that there are five bags in total, it’s easy to do a quick check every time you move.

For more tips, advice and information on taking the different modes of transport with kids, see our section On the Go.

USEFUL LINKS
FamilyTravelBoards ‘Infants & Toddlers’ forum 

Travelling with Kids Forum 

Babycentre ‘Travel with baby’ and ‘Travel with toddler’

Have Baby Will Travel 

Travels With My Baby 

Delicious Baby ‘Travel Tips’ 
    
Kiddicare An excellent online store with a good range of travel items, often sold at discount.