We all know how much easier it is for us to cope with a long road trip or plane ride if we have the bits and pieces we need. Well, the same goes for the kids. Here’s a few suggestions for babies through to older kids to make travelling just as fun as the destination.
Tips babies and kids travel gear
Camera
Give the kids their own digital camera and view your holiday through their eyes. Fisher Price make a real-life, kid-tough, digital camera designed for chubby hands. Naturally it comes in blue and pink, cleverly has two-eye viewing (ever seen a child try to wink?), and works just like a grown-up version, allowing you to store and print the pictures. Also, it’ll serve as a sturdy back up when the kids lose yours.
Neck Support
Support little necks from flopping during travel with a neck support pillow.
Wheely Bag
Kids will be more likely to want to carry their own bag if it’s a cute pull along and even better if you get a style that they can sit on it while you pull them along!
Baby wearing
A baby sling or toddler carrier is essential for travelling away from home. It is so much easier to move through the airport with your luggage and more compact to pack and carry while out and about as well.
Bottle Warmer
An in-car bottle warmer is like manna from heaven, for everyone.
Hiring baby equipment
Hiring your baby equipment once you arrive at your destination makes sense when you realise you’ve got the porta-cot, highchair, baby backpack, stroller, pram, baby capsule, toddler car seat and bassinet all lined up at the front door and nobody has started packing yet.
My boys are now 4 and 10 and we still seem to take away just as much as we did when they were little. There are the spare clothes, the shoes, the extra cuddly blanket. Then there is the favourite toy for bed, the toys to play with, the scooter and the bike. The device if needed. Then the food for the trip, the food for the destination. The list goes on. And thats only for the boys – we still have to pack for two adults. I think we all need bigger cars!!
We haven’t yet been away on a family holiday out of the country (or further than Christchurch so far), so haven’t really had to plan anything like this. We would definitely get our 6 year old her own hard case wheeled bag though. We would also pack a little play kit with some small toys and book, drawing items etc. We already have a neck support fo her for the car when we travel. The camera idea is a great one though! She would love that 🙂
When my 4 year old son was a baby, I had to travel abroad and my baby wearing sling and carrier have been heaven sent. I totally enjoyed baby wearing and almost wanted to buy a collection of wraps or carriers but I knew how ridiculous it was as these were expensive too. But yes, baby wearing is a must and not only for travel.
Awesome ideas. I love the one give the kids a camera of their own each and let them take their own photos. My kids would love that as they are forever stealing my camera and taking photos while we are on holiday. Kids always take a great photo as their photos are never planned which is even better. And photos are memories and memories are forever.
Thoroughly recommend wheely bags. We went for a cruise last year and I got the kids a wheeled bag each. They were very happy to hold and roll them everywhere they needed to go. It made my life so much easier. The camera sounds like a good idea too. We did visual diaries and I got them art supplies but cameras of their own would have been good too.
Thinking of investing in a wheely bag at the moment for our toddler…she loves pulling bags till her little legs get tired and she wants to be carried by two very tired parents…think this will help. Also going to research that camera …it would be nice to see a holiday through their lens too…thanks for the tips always Kidspot… another idea for travelling i find that works is carrying an activity pack when they get bored of technology.