Travelling with kids

Travelling with children can be challenging but can also provide your whole family with wonderful memories to last a lifetime. A little research, discussion, planning and preparation can go a long way in improving your family's trip. First and foremost, you need to make sure that you have adequate supplies of any medication that the child may need. Have the paediatrician's name to hand in case of emergencies or if travelling overseas, find out the emergency number of the nearest hospital or child clinic. Know the generic names of any medication your child may be using as brand names may be different in other parts of the country or world. Take an extra pair of eye glasses or contacts if the child uses them. A fairly important thing to remember from the child's perspective is names and addresses of his friends so they can send postcards or letters. A good tip is to pack some of your child's clothes with your luggage and vice versa in case one bag gets lost. Another tip to remember is to use separate plastic bags for each set of clothes for your kid. This way, you'll be able to dig out an entire outfit in no time when on the move and it also helps separate your clothes from your children's. The empty bags can then be used to store dirty laundry. If flying anywhere it is imperative that you attach a label to every checked baggage with itinerary and home address information on there.

Tips on choosing a hotel

Does the hotel have a baby/child pool? Will there be a lifeguard on duty? and if so what times? Is there a supervised play area in the hotel? Does the hotel have adjoining rooms and are there any smoking rooms? Does the hotel have cots for the baby for rent? Does the hotel's restaurant include a kid's menu? An often overlooked priority when you're finally in the hotel is to make the room baby'proof. Inquisitive minds can wreak havoc in no time. Consider carrying electric socket blanks with you for any free sockets. Even though you're on holiday, it's sometimes nice for the grown ups to enjoy a night out without the kids so checking with a hotel before you book to see if they have babysitting services is a good idea. You'll need to ask what are the hours of the babysitting service and how much? Is the staff properly trained in the care of children? How old are the babysitters? Are the caregivers trained in CPR and basic first-aid? Are background checks carried out on employees/babysitters? Are there any other restrictions on placing a child with the service, such as they must be potty trained or the like? If the hotel doesn't offer a babysitting service, is their a center nearby that has an affiliation with the hotel? Take it easy when eating out at restaurants at first. Going straight for the fine restaurant may prove embarrassing if the kids aren’t yet used to eating out this way. Teach them how to order, sit and use the proper utensils. Use games to teach them how to behave in a fine restaurant. Children love these kinds of games so it is a fun way for them to learn. Bring something along to keep your child quietly occupied while you linger over a long meal.

Keeping children entertaineed while travelling in a car

A couple of essential clean-up items if you’re travelling with an infant in the car are a bottle brush and baby wipes. These items are often forgotten whereas nappies, milk and water are the first thing you will usually pack. A blanket and their favourite toy is another good idea. Plan your route well and try to avoid road works and overly windy trails. It may be great for the driver and front seat passenger but kids in the back will get bored and sick of the constant swerving. Have regular breaks every two hours at the most. Stopping at service stations is a good idea as they usually have games arcades to keep you in your good books with the little ones. Play I spy games in the car can also make the trip go more quickly and is good fun. Change the theme to see who can add up the numbers the fastest on other cars' registration plates, or the newest ones. If your children are old enough, consider bringing along a portable music player for them so they can listen to their favourite music in peace. It's important that you limit the usage time on portable players though as prolonged use at volume will damage the eardrums! Make sure everyone has a healthy breakfast before leaving the house or hotel but also bring along plenty of water and munchies for the trip to minimize stoppage time. Bring one or two small bottles of pop but water is much easier on the body.

Keeping kids entertained whilst flying

Consider bringing some of your child's favourite snacks along on the trip since the airline's don't serve meals immediately and may not have exactly what your child wants. Remember that with international travel, you may be limited on items such as fresh fruit that won't be able to pass through customs. Pack an extra shirt for your child and yourself as the inevitable spilling of the juice does happen! Keeping kids entertained on long flights is difficult at best and its often cumbersome to pack your child's favourite toys in the carry-on back so check to see if the airline has any packets or gifts for kids. Some airlines now provide games, puzzles or colouring books. Another tip on packing is to perhaps put a swimsuit for your child in with the cabin luggage in case your checked luggage goes missing or is delayed. Travelling with a child who has an ear infection can be a daunting experience so speak with the child's doctor before travelling if he has one. Ear infections can be extremely painful, especially for young ones and are exacerbated for those travelling on an airplane. Have ear drops and a mild sedative for your child if you must fly. Use ear drops if you suspect your child has collected some hotel pool water before your return flight. Take-off and landing is the worst time during air travel regarding ear problems due to the constant changes in air pressure by the air compressors in the cabin having to compensate for the lack of pressure outside. Chewing gum, sucking sweets or constantly swallowing during this time is good for both kids and adults. Pressure will be relieved on the ears using these methods. Yawning is also a good way to relieve the pressure on your ears. The worst time on the ears is during the descent and you should wake up your child so that he can equalize during this time, as it may be painful when they wake up. Back to top