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Teddy Travels Too

Sharmeen Suleman
Apr 17, 2018
4 min read

Baby Toddler Travel tips holidays abroad

Travelling with babies & toddlers can be daunting. How many nappies will I need? I mean, how many nappies will my little one need? In our case, it was how many nappies will our little ones need. Travelling with twin babies was challenging and then another little chap came along. Here are my 15 tips for surviving & enjoying travel with babies & toddlers :

16 Top Tips for Travelling with your Little Ones

You may well be able to buy nappies at your destination. However you may find them more expensive, of a poorer quality & not available in the size you need. So it can just be less hassle to take what you need with you, so you do not have to hunt around when you get to your destination.
Calculate how many nappies you will need for your journey. How many you use a day multiplied by the number of days. Then add on at least a days’ worth, in case your little one has tummy problems. (Remember to pack some swim nappies/pants if swimming is on the agenda.)
Take two packs of baby wipes (for one week's travel), since they can double up as hand wipes.
Freezer bags are great since they are cheap, weigh next to nothing & have a multi-use. They can be used with a towel as an ice pack for bumps & bites. If you are using them for drinks, use bottled water, if you are in a country which does not have drinking water on tap.
If your little one has a specific routine, take what you need to maintain it. It is not worth spending good money on a holiday only to end up having sleepless nights. So it might be that Teddy gets a holiday too. ( Lion, Duckey, Mousey & Baby all got to come on our family holiday, when the twins were young!)
Having a small rucksack with a harness is great if your toddler likes to roam about. At busy places like airports, this can give your little one the freedom to move about whilst still being in your care at all times. Pop a few snacks & toys in their bag, so they can keep themselves occupied. Ensure that you child has some sort of identifier with them, in case they do get lost, with their name and your number on it.
Weather can be unpredictable so do pack a range of clothes, in case the weather turns on you. I remember getting caught out in Dubai, where the temperature dropped out to 13 degrees C. We had to layer up clothes!
In the UK, you can pre-order your milk & other baby essentials from the Boots in Departures, after airport security. This is handy to know, since you will only be allowed enough milk for your journey.
Always check what your accommodation has available for babies & toddlers before you book, but definitely before you travel. This means that you can pack only what you need rather than everything on the list. Download our free packing list for travelling with babies & toddlers.
Having an easy to fold buggy can save time at the airport & when hopping into taxis. Every airport has a different policy with regards to scanning. Some will require you to fold it up for the scanning machine, some just put it through the same scanner as you will go through. Just make sure to empty the buggy, before you go through security. See my post 'Sail Through Security' for more tips.
Check that your little ones' passport is in date, assuming that he/she has one already. Countries really do vary in terms of how many months need to be left on the passport, some say 3 months, some 6 months.
If you are taking more than one suitcase, share out baby/toddler stuff especially nappies, between the suitcases. It is rare that bags get lost these days, but better safe than sorry.
Some little ones's just like their milk warm. One of the twins was like that. There are whole load of ideas on this front but what I do recommend is an insulated bottle bag. It also helps to keep the milk cold if you are out in hot weather and don't want the milk to go bad.
Prepare mentally for the journey. There will be fellow travellers who are understanding & then there will be those who will give you dirty looks. Kids are kids. They cry. They make a lot of noise. They play up when they haven't had sleep. It is challenging, particularly on long haul flights or where you are cramped in so tight on the plane, you can barely breathe. I try my best to make my children aware of other passengers and be respectful. But let's be honest, there is no reasoning with babies !
Vaccinations & immunisations are always the topic of hot debate these days. Do check if the destination requires them and weigh up the risks for recommended ones. Read my post on this for further info.
Sterilising milk bottles is one of those things that has to be done. I always sterilised the bottles when abroad because of the heat & potential other contaminates. Rather that then dodgy tummies. You can go old school and boil the bottles in a big pan of water. I actually sterilised the bottle in my travel kettle last time!