Travelling internationally with little kids is a large undertaking – you pretty much need to pack up your entire house and transplant it. Why do babies require So. Much. Stuff?!
For some parents, the thought of being stuck on a plane with their bub for an extended period of time is enough to put them off travelling long-distance until they’re a bit older. And hey, I totally get it. There are no cheesy movies to be watched, no naps to be had, no dodgy plane food to be enjoyed. You are on shift around the clock trying to keep your tiny person happy and entertained. Depending on their age, they may be content watching shows on the iPad, but that’s certainly not always the case.
But, having done Europe with a three-year-old and a 10-month-old, I’m here to tell you that it is not only possible but also not the s**t fight you anticipate (minus trying to change a pooey nappy in the teeny tiny plane bathroom, that’s 100 per cent a literal s**t fight).
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Most recently, we flew to Bali with our young daughters, one of whom is still in nappies, and it reaffirmed that travelling with kids is 100 per cent worth the hard work and prep for the precious family time and core memories we made on the other side. Of course, it’s no walk in the park, but the youngest slept for some of the flight, the older one was a total angel, and the only time she became unsettled was when her ears popped as the plane landed. Kids are resilient little things and never fail to surprise when you put them in a new situation.
If you’re anything like me, you start packing for a family holiday about two weeks out. Gone are the simple days of backpacking when you could throw together a few cossies, some cute dresses, and your best denim shorts and off you trotted.
Packing for kids of different ages and stages can be overwhelming, but there are a few game-changing hacks I’ve picked up along the way to make life a little bit easier. We know the obvious things to take, like a sack full of snacks, 28 million nappies, and those stick-on window toys that are all over Instagram – but here are some not-so-obvious tricks I like to keep up my sleeve…
1. The best travel pram.
I am shocking, shocking at figuring out all the baby contraptions — especially prams. Trying to fold one up and put it in the boot of a car is enough to make me spiral into an existential crisis. But not the BabyZen Yoyo Stroller. This nifty number is not only super compact, lightweight, and easy to push around over all sorts of terrain (including the cobbled streets of Rome, praise be to its suspension!), but most importantly, even a rookie like me can fold it up in a flash, and it’s small enough to take on the plane as a carry-on piece of luggage.
We don’t just use our Yoyo on holidays, either. After we realised how great it was and how unnecessary having a big, bulky 4WD-type model was, it became our go-to pram for our second daughter (pro tip: you can also get a Yoyo bassinet for when bub is a newborn).
2. A sturdy backpack for transit days.
Transit days with little people in tow are a military operation. Toddlers don’t tolerate waiting in long lines. They’ll probably take one look at a never-ending queue and run in and out of it like it’s a game. The first step to surviving a transit day is to put your expectations of your kids’ behaviour to the side. Airports are a punish at the best of times and there’s no way a baby is going to be on their best behaviour for hours on end. As long as they’re not licking the travelator, do whatever you need to do to get through it.
The second step to get through a transit day is to wear a backpack so your hands are free for wrangling said little people. Backpacks don’t have to be daggy, either. This sleek style from Country Road is big enough to fit in all the essentials, and the neoprene material means you can wipe it down easily when an inevitable spill occurs.
3. An equally sturdy-AF baby carrier.
On the topic of being hands-free, a baby carrier is also a must. Contact naps on the go become the norm at airports so you’re going to want something comfortable for both you and bub. I’m a big fan of Sia Baby’s super-chic and practical gingham carrier. It’s got multiple ergonomic wearing positions, a baby bottle holder, plus the best feature for travel –pockets! I repeat, pockets, so you can easily access your passports without having to turn your bag upside down. A carrier will be your go-to when you’re on holiday, too. It’s the ideal way to explore off-road terrain that might not be pram-friendly.
4. A kid-friendly travel pillow.
Getting your kids to sleep on a plane can be super tricky. There’s minimal space, limbs everywhere, and pokey bits of the seat digging into them. The Plane Pal Pillow takes all that stress away. This clever contraption transforms any plane seat into a cosy nook for your child. All you have to do is inflate the pillow to the perfect height and watch as it creates a spacious flat surface for napping, playing, or just stretching out those little legs.
5. Your child's toys – wrapped.
If you’re going on a longer-haul flight, you’ll no doubt be packing some trinkets and toys to keep your kids entertained. When we went to Europe last year, we wrapped up a few of our 10-month-old’s toys from home so it turned it into another activity. She had no idea they were her toys from home and it killed even more time because she had to tackle the added challenge of unwrapping them, plus as every parent knows, wrapping paper is another toy in itself. Win-win.
6. Magic colouring-in books.
Craft on a plane sounds as terrifying as snakes on a plane, tbh. But these brilliant Water Wow books give your kid all the joy of painting without the mess. Simply fill up the pen with water, screw the lid on, and get painting as the blank image slowly turns into a colourful creation.
Once the page dries, the image erases and it can be coloured in again… and again... and again. With four pages of pictures to ‘paint’, it’s honestly the best $17 you’ll ever spend. My daughter is obsessed and would peacefully paint for hours on the plane and around various dinner tables on holiday.
7. Travel-size Vegemite.
Kids. They’re fussy with food at the best of times, let alone when you take away their usual offering of fail-safe faves and they have to make do with the buffet breakfast (seriously, they don’t know how good they’ve got it). Appease their basic-bitch palettes with a travel-size tube of Vegemite because when in doubt, they’ll always eat toast.
8. Your own car seats.
This might sound annoying but it’s even more annoying rocking up to a new country with jetlagged babies as you try to install a foreign car seat in a hire car. Save yourself the stress and bring your usual ones from home. That way, you’ll not only know they’re safe but also be able to install them. Just make sure you check them in with the correct travel cover bag, which you can usually purchase via the baby carrier brand’s website.
Another silver lining of bringing them along means you essentially have a whole other suitcase to stuff with things like a big family-sized picnic rug or your toddler’s scooter. Most airlines let you bring along the baby essentials like travel cots and car seats without any extra charge – just double-check the specifics with them before you fly out.
9. Anti-nausea wafers.
It took me getting the worst food poisoning of my life in Fiji to learn that these magical wafers even exist but now they are the first thing I pack for any trip. You need to get them via a prescription from your GP and be guided by their advice. They’re also safe for children from the ages of four and up, but of course, always check with your doctor before using them.
There is honestly nothing worse than getting sick on holidays and if the dreaded gastro or food poisoning strikes, having these on hand will be a saviour. You put the dissolvable wafer on your tongue (genius, because who can swallow anything when they’re spewing up their guts?) and it will stop the vomiting and nausea.
10. Stick-on mosquito patches.
This is another handy weapon to have in rotation once you arrive, especially if you’re staying in a tropical environment like Bali or Fiji where the mozzies can do a real number on the family. I personally love these BuzzPatch ones, which you stick on the back of your little one’s T-shirt, because they use a safe but effective formulation that will give your bub ample protection.
11. The ultimate blackout-blind hack.
Ok, this sounds rogue but please trust me on this one. Black-out blinds take up a lot of precious space in your luggage. So we’ve taken to picking up aluminium foil and masking tape at the local shops once we’ve arrived and then covering up the windows or any cracks of light in the baby’s room with that instead. I can hand on heart say it actually works even better than black-out blinds so much so, that this is what we use in our daughter’s room at home now! It seriously works a treat.
12. Magnetic tiles.
Picking which of your children’s favourite toys to take away is some real-life Sophie’s Choice stuff. But these Magnetika tiles have quickly become the MVP of holiday entertainment. It’s the kind of toy that encourages creativity and imaginative play, and hones in on fine-motor skills as your little one builds all kinds of structures and buildings.
Failing that, I’m a firm believer in just opening up the Tupperware draw at the Airbnb and letting them run wild with a plastic container.
Feature image: Supplied.
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