Travel with little ones can be a nightmare – here’s how to avoid any hassles when travelling with a baby for the holidays or going away for Christmas.
Expect the worst – when you are planning at least, it’s best to prepare as if the worst could happen. Your train/plane/boat gets cancelled? Your car journey takes twice as long. Luggage lost at the airport? Bring that change of clothes and something for baby to sleep in. By having the supplies you need for your baby in a handy daypack, so that should the unexpected happen, you’ve got everything you need.
Take more time – there is no doubt that everything takes longer when you’ve got kids, and travelling with children is no exception. Leave early to avoid traffic – there’s nothing worse than traffic – except perhaps traffic with a baby screaming in the car seat.
Bring supplies – take enough food supplies for the journey, anticipated setbacks and one overnight. If you arrive late at your destination, and the stores have closed, you’ll be glad you brought enough food for baby.
Bring comfort and familiarity – bring baby’s favourite bedtime book, rubber ducky – anything around their routine that they recognise as familiarity in their unfamiliar place. Whatever you can do to rebuild the pre-bedtime routine as it is at home will help to get them familiar and relaxed in their new surroundings, and hopefully off to sleep.
Establish the new ‘home’ early – we all love the familiarity of our own bedroom, bar the odd escape to a luxury hotel. Unfortunately the latter doesn’t cut it with little ones. Once you arrive at your destination set up the crib or cot where baby is going to sleep, add familiar toys and things that smell familiar and show them their new sleep zone. Another helpful idea is to bring the sheet that they were just sleeping on in their cot at home, rather than a newly washed one. That way they have a familiar smell, too, which can be a very powerful trigger.
