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Under 3's: Top Tips for Travelling without Tears

Family holidays should be a time of fun and relaxation, but parents can find them quite stressful. Family holiday experts First Choice asked hundreds of parents with children under five, to let them know what worried them the most about holidaying abroad. Whilst 96% of respondents said that holidays were important to them, the survey flagged up a number of concerns about travelling with little ones, with 86% of parents worrying that their kids will get bored on holiday and 62% of mums concerned about exceeding their baggage allowance. First Choice have put together their five top tips for travelling with young children to help make sure that mums, dads and kids have a truly memorable holiday (for all the right reasons)

 

1. Packing

 21% of parents said that packing was the most stressful part of their holiday, with 62% of parents with children under five saying what worried them most was the fear of exceeding their baggage allowance, so here are some ideas to make it easier.

 

  • Babies travel with a lot of kit, however some airlines don’t give you baggage allowance for your infant if they have not been booked their own seat. Make sure you check your infant’s baggage allowance before you travel so there are no nasty shocks at the airport. Thomson Airways gives you an extra 10kg luggage allowance for infants travelling with you to help you pack all those extra baby things
  • To save space try and find out whether you can buy your baby essentials such as nappies, baby food and milk formula at the supermarket overseas. Alternatively check to see if you can pre book a baby pack. First Choice offers baby packs at many of their family properties. These packs include a high chair, buggy, steam steriliser, food blender, changing mat, sun tent and baby bath and start from just £50 per week
  • To save space in your hand luggage and make nappy changing on-board easier, prepare individual nappy sacks with clean nappies and wipes to avoid taking a huge changing bag into the toilets with you
  • It is tricky to know how many toys and which ones to bring, generally fewer and smaller is good advice. However one way to make sure they don’t get bored of the things you bring too quickly is to hide some of your child’s favourite toys a few weeks before going away. It may sound a little mean, but they’ll be greeted like old friends when you pull them out of the bag on holiday
  • If your baby still has a bottle, bring some fresh or UHT milk, ready-mixed cartons or sachets of powdered formula milk and some sterilised water for the journey. It’s best to bring them in re-sealable containers because you’ll probably have to open them at airport security so they can check what’s inside
  • If you are travelling with infants it is always worth popping some spare clothes for your child in your hand luggage for those little…incidents. And you might want to put in a fresh top for yourself while you’re at, accidents do happen!

 

 

2. At the Airport

Unsurprisingly 39% of parents find the airport the most stressful part of the holiday. Certainly, hanging around with young children, surrounded by masses of people is not a scenario most would choose, however there are ways to make it better.

 

Keep in mind general security rules you are allowed:

  • One piece of hand luggage for each person
  • Liquids limited to 100ml and carried in a re-sealable plastic bag
  • You can shop and get more food and drink once you’re through security
  • Baby milk and formula are considered to be essentials. This means you can carry milk in bottles of more than 100ml. But they’ll ask you to taste it to prove it’s what you say it is, so it’s best to bring these things in re-sealable containers. The same goes for baby food.
  •  You can take nappies and wet wipes, but creams, pastes and lotions can’t be over 100ml
  • Dress the kids in bright coloured clothes so they can be easily spotted in busy airport departure lounges should they wonder off at the airport
  • Make sure you give yourselves plenty of time to check in and go through security, remember that it takes longer when you’ve got kids and there is nothing more stressful then nearly missing your flight! If you live near the airport check to see if you can check in the day before you travel not only is it quieter, it saves a lot of time on the day, perfect if you have an early morning flight

 

3. Up in the air

With tiny tots it’s the flying itself that many parents fear, we all know how unpopular the couple with the screaming baby is! When we asked parents with children under five what the hardest part of flying with kids was 55% said that it was keeping them happy and entertained throughout the flight that was their biggest worry.

 

  • We all have to adjust to air pressure changes when taking off or landing but babies can’t do it for themselves so it can be painful for them. A good way to ease it is by feeding your baby at these times as it will help your baby’s ears to ‘pop’ and take away the pressure on their ear canals
  •  For older babies and toddlers, you can give them a carton of juice or a beaker to sup on and their ears should also pop more easily
  • Cabin air is very dry and so it is  easy to get a bit dehydrated, so make you’re your kids to drink regularly.
  • Remember there is no microwave on the plane so heating things up can take a lot longer. If you need to ask for bottles and food to be heated, ask well ahead of when you need them as they’ll have to do it using hot water.

 

 

4. Food

It’s a difficult balance satisfying fussy little eaters with grown ups who want to try local fare and eat out, and one that 44% of parents worry about.

  • No one wants to spend their whole holiday cooking but neither do you necessarily want to spend your whole holiday eating at the hotel. However in the last few years new options have become available. Many all-inclusive resorts now offer numerous a la carte restaurants as well as the standard buffet. For example at the Holiday Village Red Sea in Egypt, there is a top class seafood restaurant where your wine, soft drinks, side dishes and desserts are included in the all-inclusive and then you only pay extra for your freshly caught lobster and fish
  • A lot of family hotel resorts offer both self-catering and all-inclusive within the same complex and have apartment style rooms as standard.
  • If any of your family members have got food allergies ask your hotel for a card written in the local language saying what you’re allergic to. It’ll make all the difference when eating out

 

5. Health on holiday

Spending time in the sun is one of the joys of being on holiday, however if you’re not careful enjoying it can lead to sunburn and sickness. We found that 63% of parents worried about sunburn and sunstroke.

 

  • Make sure your kids drink plenty of water, even if they don’t think they’re thirsty, as they need to stay hydrated. Giving them sugary or fizzy drinks won’t do the job – no matter what the funky ads say. To make sure they’re not dehydrated, you could check your kid’s urine from time to time. If it’s darker than usual, cloudy or strong-smelling, get them to drink more
  • Dress for the heat especially if you are out on an excursion for the day. Sweat irritates sensitive skin and can give you prickly heat or sweat rash, so make sure you bring some clothes made from natural fibres
  • If you are out in the sun for any length of time make sure you are all wearing hats as well as sun cream. Ones with wide brims and neck flaps are the best for youngsters playing outdoors
  • Get your kids some shades. Not only will they be the coolest kids on the beach, they’ll be better protected against the sun’s glare. After all, their eyes are more vulnerable than yours
  • The sun’s rays are much more powerful in the water so if the kids are swimming in the pool or sea in the middle of the day cover their shoulders up either with a special UV suit or with an old t-shirt
  • Don’t let your air-con get too cold at night as the dramatic change in temperature from outside to inside can make you and your kids sick
  • Hotter countries suffer from mosquitoes, which could get in your room during the night. Most hotels don’t have mosquito nets for baby cots, so if you are staying somewhere tropical you might want to bring your own.