Growing up, I remember a lot of parents in our circle would travel the world, thinking nothing of leaving their children behind with nannies… My parents raised us with the exact opposite approach, taking my sister and me virtually everywhere with them, from Zimbabwe to Cuba, we were both incredibly lucky to be very well traveled even before we had left primary school. Fast-forward to the present, I’m now the mama of two wonderful yet quite buoyant children, and whilst I always knew I would follow in my parents’ footsteps when it comes to travelling with children, I can see why some people don’t.
If you think flying is stressful, try taking small children along: it becomes a unique yet very effective method of torture; suddenly you are a sherpa, a marathon runner, a UN negotiator, and even a food taster (the suspicious airport attendants always insists someone tastes the milk in the baby’s bottles… because planning a criminal attack with one or more toddlers in tow is the smart thing to do , didn’t you know?) So yes, you can opt for a travel ban, especially air travel, until your children are sulky teenagers who will sneer at everything you are trying to make them discover, but then, take it from me, you are missing out on so much: a little city escape becomes a magical adventure when you see everything through the eyes of an amazed little one, and taking a five-year old snorkelling and hearing her squeals of pleasure at seeing the fish so close is such a moment of pleasure. My approach? Take your children with you, continue to explore the world, but be prepared to change your travel style a bit… Read on for my tips on how to raise the perfect little travellers, one flight at a time.
One – Check in online… planning ahead helps you get seats together, save time at the airport, and overall will save you a lot of aggravation.
Two – Assume you’ll be slower… Many of us are used to zipping through airports, with little ones it’s always a little slower than you’re normally used to, so arrive with plenty of time to fold the pushchair at security, divide the bags into the x-ray trays, negotiate with the little one to follow her brother through the security guantry without waiting for mama…
Three – Visit the lounge… If you can, once you’ve passed the over-zealous security staff and had your fill of baby milk and other purées, head over to the lounge and have a sip of champagne whilst your little ones run around, many lounges have play areas and food that children will enjoy, and the seating is far more comfortable than elsewhere in the airport.
Four – Invest in a small easy-to-fold pushchair… Over the years we went through more than our fair share of pushchairs, always looking for the one which would be the easiest to travel with; nothing gets even close to the Babyzen Yoyo 2, which folds up and fits in the overhead compartments and makes it super easy to explore everywhere with babies and toddlers. Put some of their favourite toys in the little net so that when you’re in the restaurant waiting for lunch, they can keep entertained.
Five – Layer up and plan for accidents… Airplane temperatures tend to vary so I go for a multi-layer look for everyone, and it’s always a good idea to pack a change of clothes for them and for us, because you know… little accidents happen.
Six – Bring food and drinks that your children like… It’s well known that babies’ ears struggle with pressure and a milk bottle helps, but also plan for older ones because children can be a little fussy, and generally they are ill catered for by most airlines, as I learned to my detriment: last year we took a long-haul flight with British Airways, and when breakfast time arrived, the crew refused to give me a glass of milk for my toddler on account that they needed to keep enough to serve it with coffee for the other passengers; so now, one of the things I do hunt down in the airport is milk, even if it means begging the lounge chef for a bottle.
Seven – Relax your screen time phobia temporarily… Of course we all want our children to play with wooden blocks and puzzles, but sometimes you also need to take the easy road. You can fill ipads or kindles with kids-friendly apps, movies, and games that they will enjoy, meaning they will stay calm for a few hour.
Eight – For longer holidays, consider shipping some things ahead… This way you’ll have less to carrry yourself (when we went to Puglia with a baby, we sent a box of nappies, baby milk, fruit compotes, pool toys)
Nine – Head for the tour bus… Who ever thought mini city breaks with kids are hard work needs to be introduced to the Big Red Bus company and its equivalents, it’s the best way to discover the city at leisure, the children don’t get tired from walking, they can doze off in the bus for a few minutes, and you still get to see all the historical beauties you had on your bucket list. We did places like Barcelona, Rome, Cape Town, New York, Paris etc. by foot and by bus and it was perfect.
Ten – Variety is key. Try to alternate between cultural visits and children-friendly activities, such as parks with kids playgrounds, zoos, aquariums etc. Recently we’ve been on a lot of safaris and whilst kids are obsessed with animals after ten elephants it’s handy to have a few toys in the car or a child-size camera so they can play at being a wildlife photographer…
Over the years, our children have become seasoned travellers and they are used to seeing new things, experiencing new foods, and we get to indulge in our love of travel instead of spending ten or more years hiding in family-friendly hotel clubs that would make us miserable. Everybody wins.
With love, S.
A Styled Life 