When you tell people that you are going overseas for a family holiday you can see that they are torn. Part of them are curious and excited about the holiday for you and the other part feels sorry for you, as if you don’t know how hard travelling is with kids. There are aspects of travelling that are difficult, especially when it comes to going to a third world country like I did but luckily for us mums, there are plenty of products made to help us out.
You need a good carrier. I took the
BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One Air: There is no way I would ever fly without it. You need your hands free for all the carrying, and you can be sure your baby will love being in it. The One Air is excellent in the heat because it is lightweight and airy. Give it to your husband and your ovaries will burst!
So when you travel with a family of 5 there are bags everywhere! Be clever about what you pack and what you pack it in.
With three children, I needed them to hold their own backpacks. Unless you are an octopus, this is vital! It is small and light enough that they could handle taking it on and off themselves but big enough to carry their Ipads, Books, some snacks and a water bottle. The girls LOVED their
Babymel Zip and Zoe Kid's Backpack - and the keyring that attaches to the bag was a huge hit.
When I first saw the
BabyMel Change Station, I thought it was a cute little clutch but it’s actually a one-stop change station. It stores everything you need in one place. You can put nappies, wipes and cream in the pockets and has a removable mesh zipped case which I put dirty clothes in. It is just the perfect travel companion.
I can’t rave about the value of a good travel bag. It made travelling an absolute pleasure. The
Storksak Travel Duffle Bag is so light compared to the heavy suitcases I had previously been lugging around and has the cleverest little organiser in it (which now is on the wall in the nursery). This bag looks stylish whilst being the most functional bag I’ve ever come across: it has pockets in all the right places, and a passport pocket and leather luggage tag. It’s perfect as the on flight bag (it fit perfectly in the overhead compartment) when you travel but now is my favourite gym bag. This bag made a massive difference with all the baby stuff we had to schlepp on board.
Make sure you have your pharmaceuticals are sorted. I worry when going to other countries (particularly those that aren’t English speaking) that if my kids become unwell we won’t be able to get the right medical attention so I try to be prepared.
I always take Panadol and antibiotics as well as gastro related medicine. I also make sure to have my thermometer (I took the
Oricom HFS1000 Non-Contact Infrared Forehead Thermometer) so that all my kids can use the same one without swapping sick germs). It takes temperatures so quickly and is contactless. I also take Milton for the bath water as well as the
Pigeon Anti-Mosquito Wipes - which are absolutely brilliant for summer months as well as when holidaying on tropical islands. My kids get eaten alive normally and a quick wipe down morning and night did the trick for them.
I know it sounds strange but I always take my monitor with me when I travel ( I have the fabulous
Oricom Secure 860 Video Baby Monitor that pretty much does everything). Perfect for sitting on the balcony reading a book while your baby sleeps, or giving it to the babysitter so they can easily see what is going on while you are out for dinner. It also meant I could play the same sleep music as at home, reinforcing a sleep cue and making my bub realise it was sleep time. Trust me on this one - take yours!
Be organised with food for babies.
I try to make as much food as I can but holiday means no cooking (win!) so I make sure to have enough pre-packaged food and snacks to last the duration. It also means no washing (another win) so I took the
B.box Travel Bib and Spoon so that I could just wipe them down and reuse. You just pop the spoon back inside after so that it’s all there when you need it.
I hope my tips have helped you! Just be organised and you’ll have the best time ever.
Safe travels and sweet dreams!