Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 is, hands down, one the best cruise lines for families when taking a transatlantic journey. Between the amenities, the childcare, dining options and practically soundproof hallways, Cunard has a long history of serving its guests a glamorous and cozy experience, even for the children.
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There comes a time in every travelling family when one parent gets the “pleasure” of travelling with the kids sans spouse. Though I didn’t think much of it when making plans with the family to fly back to Canada while he was away, as the day grew closer, I started to have many mixed feelings about the journey. “It’s about the journey, not the destination”. I call giant BS on that. It is all about the destination. If I wasn’t visiting my parents, and meeting my new nephew, amongst other family obligations, I would not have chosen an 8-hour transatlantic flight as the first solo-parent vacation.
There were a few stages that I needed to overcome before finally feeling that I could receive this specific parenting badge. No, they are not denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance… well, that did happen but that’s for another day. I’m talking about the logistical stages.
Fly during natural sleep times. Our 2:30 pm flight time meant that we needed to be at the airport at 11:30 am. While this is smack in the middle of nap time and not ideal, the connecting flight was at 6 pm and was the long transatlantic portion of our flight, which meant they would sleep the whole time. I much preferred to have her sleep on the other side of security and awake during the short flight, then awake during the long flight.
This is a big fat YES! While I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to or not, by the time I arrived to the airport via train, Baby Girl was already passed out in the stroller. This made the check-in process so much easier, only having to deal with one kiddo instead of being outnumbered.
Once she woke, we went through security – since they scan the stroller separately – and found our way to our gate. It was half way across the terminal and I wouldn’t have done it so smoothly without the stroller. Their bags hung off the mommy hook, the Travel Snug hung off the hook, and she sat comfy while eating the rest of the her lunch. Both flights allowed me to gate check the stroller and it was returned at the arrivals gate. I was barely out of the plane when I saw my stroller waiting for me. It was amazing.
We had the right to 3 personal items and 3 carry-on luggage. This is a lot of kit to bring on the flight. It took a lot of soul searching but I decided that there just wasn’t enough stuff that I needed to have at my finger tips to justify that many pieces.
That leads to my second point; do I even have enough hands to carry it all? What if they rebel and don’t want to pull their rolling suitcases between flights? What if I forget that we have 6 pieces on the first flight?
For these reasons, we only took one backpack each. The kids had their kit, and this also helped prevent over packing; colouring items, Kidz Gear headphones – check them out here , tablet, snacks, change of clothes (you never know), small toy, sippy cups, Travel snug – which they carried in their arms.
My book bag had the “other stuff”; snacks, charge cables, phone, change of clothes (you never know with kids sitting that close to you), paper and pen, wallet and other documents. My bag was also large enough to hold my baby carrier; more importantly, the carrier was small enough to fit in the bag. The Rose and Rebellion Pre-school Carrier was a life saver in Rome and is a life saver on a plane as well.
Because my stroller was available at the gate, I didn’t have to juggle both kids walking across the terminal. Had I not received the stroller, I planned on using the carrier to care for Baby Girl and let Munchkin walk. He would carry his bag and Travel snug, I would get to hold her bag and her snug, as well as my backpack and purse while I carry her front facing. It wasn’t an ideal situation but it would have worked out – this is why I didn’t want then to have any sort of suitcase in the plane – just not enough hands to drag it all around me.
The carrier was definitely handy when collecting my suitcases in Toronto. Take a few minutes on the plane to ask a Flight Attendant to help with the carrier, then wait in a large crowd for our lonely suitcase. I wore her, still asleep, he ran for the stroller and acted as a great counter-weight for the kids backpacks and snugs on the mommy hook. He fell back asleep shortly after Customs
I didn’t think that I wanted the CARES harness until a few days before our departure date. I remember my son at that age, flying to Cardiff, on a 2 hour flight. His whole body moved so much one he was asleep. It was easier if she was still, like in her car seat, in her CARES Harness and the travel snug. You can find out more about the harness by clicking here.
It was a little tricky to make it stay still. I wasn’t securing it properly before she started pulling on it. Baby Girl also wasn’t interested in wearing, since the chairs were nothing like her car seat. Especially for long-haul flight with kids, I wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to bounce around when turbulence hit around Greenland.
Until it was nearer to our departure date, I didn’t think much of it either. I was sure that if it was really necessary for her safety, then the airline would have required it. I have asked many parents that have done this trip before, with children this age, and their opinions are varied and polarized. Each is sure that their way was the best way. For me, it was not practical to bring a car seat. Now, if I owned a car seat trolley, like this one, then I would have given it more thought, since it essentially is a stroller and car seat in one, and would be with me during a transfer, but there wasn’t enough time for my purchase to arrive and I can’t be sure that my car seat is airline rated.
There are only so many types of car seats that will fit in the seats. This car seat was purchased 4 years ago, and that part of the tag has since worn out. It is not clear on the website if it is or not, and I don’t want to find out the hard way (i.e. on the plane, as I try to fit it in the seat) that it needs to be checked (and therefore no longer a stroller during transfer, just a sad looking trolley with no function).
Either way, I adapted the Travel snug to fit with the CARES harness and all was well.
Decided she wanted her brothers Travel Snug instead of her own… they are the exact same thing, just different colour
Just like my carry-on allocation, I have the right to 3 checked bags. With the cars on either end of my airport visits, I wasn’t walking too much with my luggage but 3 pieces would have meant that I needed a cart.
The bigger question though, is do I really need to bring that much stuff? Even if I wasn’t visiting my parents, destinations have laundry facilities. I don’t need to pack their entire wardrobe. They each had one large packing cube to themselves. Plus my two medium packing cubes, I only filled half of my hard-shell suitcase. The other half was filled with Florentine wine for my parents and hand-me down clothes for my nephew.
Since it is (apparently) late spring in southern Ontario, a jacket isn’t necessary but there are still frost warnings in between 22 degrees days so we had a sweater in our carry-on’s and a waterproof light jacket in our suitcase. I also purchased travel umbrellas/compact umbrellas, however, those did stay in our luggage instead of the carry-on like many would suggest, only because my kids love to play with umbrella’s. I’m not really sure why that is, maybe because it rains so darn much in Germany that they now feel it is a toy, but it isn’t safe in my carry-on; they will find a way of getting their hands on them.
After much deliberation and discussion, it was decided that a healthy mix of warm and cold weather clothes were necessary. You may think every Canadian stereotype is just that; a stereotype, not exactly the truth. Well, I am here to break your bubble. Depending on where you visit, every single Canadian stereotype is accurate. It can snow during the summer, and it can be scorching hot the day after a snow fall. It happens, get over it.
For each of us, we have packed the following
7 pairs of socks
7 pairs of undies
7 bottoms; 5 shorts, 2 trousers
7 tops; 5 short sleeve, 2 long sleeve
2 pairs of shoes; 1 sneakers and 1 solid sandal
Swim suit and flip flops
Travel umbrella
Waterproof spring jacket – to be layered with a long sleeve and sweater if it really gets cold
Toiletry bag
I could have paid 30 euro per seat (times 2 legs, each way) at the time of booking, or wait until 4 days before departure and it is done automatically for free. My family uses KLM to fly back and forth between Canada and Germany and we appreciate this service. Most airlines have some form of family waiver, especially when solo-parenting 2 under 12 years old. If you don’t already know, check their policy before booking your flight. The last thing I want is to be treated like a solo traveller and separated from my kids; I have heard this happening to a family with a 5-year-old and no one wanted to move seats. The flight staff aren’t required to make them move, so the child was sitting with strangers for the entirety of the flight. These are the types of deal-breakers that make me shout “HELLS NO” at travel agents and company representatives.
Munchkin is 5 years old, and thus potty trained – I had him in the aisle seat. Baby Girl was next then I was in the middle. I had to score seats right behind the toilets and therefore extra leg room. Proleg room for them to stretch, can’t kick anyone and can walk a little without running off. Con – no storage space so everything was stored in the overhead bin, they kept wanting to walk around since there was room for it, I had a neighbour that wasn’t too thrilled to be sitting next to us.
For the long-haul flight with kids, I wanted to be sure they weren’t going to get anyone more upset than they already were, just by being alive – essentially. I have found that adult passengers travelling without children, even if they have children at home, have very little patience for children. While I try not to let it bother me, I do try to make an effort to lessen their impact on their fellow passengers. This way, I know I have done everything I can to make the journey as pleasant as possible – if the kids have something else in mind, there isn’t much I am able to prevent it – just go with the flow and try to sooth them.
There are several pros and cons of each.
Boarding first – there is less stress. Take as much time as needed to find the seats, and settle down. Maybe even colour while you wait for the rest of the plane to board. This also means you can be sitting for 20 minutes or more, not moving, while the kids are anxiously for it to start.
Boarding last – no sitting around for too long, and the kids can continue walking/running around while everyone else boards. You do run the risk of no overhead cabin space for any of your carry on bags.
We choose to board first. Since Baby girl is only 2 years old, we sit as close to the desk as possible. When they start to call priority seating, we are either flagged down to join this line or join it anyways. We have only been turned down in Nice, France – but that airport is all kinds of strange in other respects so I wasn’t surprised by this.
FYI Dusseldorf and Amsterdam have a children’s priority policy – they actively searched for me at the front of the line and asked me to step up into the priority line in order to be seated right away. I wasn’t about to turn them down.
It’s 2 am (Berlin) and I didn’t see my mom standing right in front of me. The kids didn’t even wake while leaving the plane.
While it is certainly easier said than done, if you stress, they will stress. They can sense that something is wrong and they will get worked up in anticipation. Overseas flights provide wine with the meal; take it. Once the kids are asleep, charge the electronics, de-stress with a video, book or writing of your own, and just relax. They are out for the night, the hardest part is over.
Please share your thoughts in the comments or reach out on social media...We would love to hear from you.
An excellent resource for planning all of Canada can we found with the Lonely Planet Canada.
We love train travel. I have mentioned it several times in the past and I will miss it when we move back to Canada next summer . Recently, we took a long haul train ride to Rome, Italy with the kids and it was great, for the most part. We took the standard ICE train from here to Munich, then the EuroNight train from Munich to Rome. I will discuss more about that next week, but for now, I wanted to dispel a few myths and secrets about the ICE train with kids. Taking the kids on the train isn’t has horrifying as many make it out to be and it really is my favorite way of traveling across the continent.
Children’s Bluetooth headphones can be found by clicking here, and review found by clicking here.
Oh, beautiful family compartment! I rarely travel without it. When we utilized train travel for our trip to Berlin, we were too many and for some reason, I didn’t think of splitting us up into 6 in the compartment and 2 just next to it. We all sat in regular seats and it was an interesting 5 hours (each way). We decided then that I didn’t want to do this again. Just not enough room for us, we are too loud for others, and honestly, I don’t want to hear other people’s’ noisy and disrespectful kids.
When I went to Amsterdam with the kids and my mom, we didn’t have a compartment but it was a quick 1.5 hours so it wasn’t a big deal. We sat in the handicap section and the kids were on the floor playing with a new toy the whole time. We make it work when we need to.
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The Family compartment has 6 seats, overhead storage, and a large table between 4 of the seats. The other two are behind the rest, like a quiet area in the compartment. I use this to rest when they are playing with hubby, or keep the kids separated when one needs a nap or time out.
The Space between the two solo seats and the other 4 have enough room for 1-2 strollers open or a ton of baggage. This also means there is plenty of floor space for the kids to spread out or open our kit to find anything accidentally packed at the bottom, like a lovey or change of clothes.
The door closes for privacy and it is somewhat soundproof. Anyone can hear the kids’ scream and cry but at least it’s less loud than if we were in the open car. It is also next to the baby toilet so I can let Munchkin go to the toilet on his own (when the train isn’t stopped and the doors are open). He is trying to be more independent and potty breaks is where he is drawing the line.
Beware; there are only 2 compartments per train, 2nd class seating. Wagon 25 & 35, seats 82,84,85,86,71,72 ICE Train. Booking can be a little tricky when you aren’t sure of what to look for. When purchasing tickets, they won’t allow tickets for anyone under 6, this just means my two kids ride free. Perfect. However, the next section asks if I want seat reservations. This is where I select 4 seats, since I don’t want the baby on my lap the whole time, and I request Family Compartment. There is parent compartment or 2nd class compartment selection, this rarely turns into anything more than the seats with a table; not the same thing as what I am looking. Once the right seats have been requested, hit next and check the seats that are being selected. This may involve asking the system to change seats, which is fine. You want to be sure these specific seats in the wagon are being selected. If not, manually change the seats to something near the toilets or near the compartment. If someone misses the train, you can easily jump in and take it.
When you don’t book on time.
Seats are only reserved for up to 20 minutes after the selected departure point. Once on board, the screen will indicate that the compartment is reserved from this station to that station. If no one comes to claim the cabin within 20 minutes of leaving that station, you are free to take it – as long as you have small children. 10 years old is not small. They suggest 6 years old and under, but preference will be given to 3 and under, should two families be waiting for it to open up.
Book quickly. Since there are only 2 cabins in the whole train, they tend to fill up fast. I was lucky and booked 2 months ahead and reserved the compartment, but I have also been denied the compartment at 2 months ahead and forced to change my train time in order to secure the compartment I want. This is the choice that needs to be made; keep the time and sit in the open cabin or change the time and get the family compartment. It all depends on flexibility, and my travels are usually pretty flexible.
You need to have a small child to book, with reserved seats. This doesn’t cost more than regular reservations, but you can’t just walk in and expect a first come, first serve situation to happen.
So this is the part where I tell you a not so funny story about some rude passengers on the train. We always try to book the family compartment when we travel. It was imperative that we have it this time, since it was a 5-hour train ride from Munich to Dusseldorf, immediately following a full night on the EuroNight train. We needed the space, the privacy and the soundproofing.
Halfway through our journey, the train starts to fill up. People have not reserved seats and they are sitting out in the halls with their kit. This happens all the time. They either don’t know tickets don’t come with seats, don’t believe the train will be full or don’t want to fork out the extra 10 euro for reservations. Either way, there were people eye-balling the two extra chairs in our compartment. One guy, whom I will refrain from using the name we called him, decided to waltz into our compartment and make himself at home. Baby Girl was asleep, Munchkin is trying to sleep, and buddy doesn’t have a reservation.
So I ask him, “Do you have a reservation for this car?” He tells me he doesn’t need one. Umm, yes you do. I inform him that I have paid extra to be in this car, alone, so please leave. He says I didn’t pay extra (excuse me, have you checked my visa statement recently? I didn’t think so.) I remind him of my sleeping kids, tell him I know what I paid for and that he needs a reservation and small kids to be in here, so please leave. He refuses. Hubby tells him to leave. He still refuses. What kills me is why does a person insist on sitting in a small, confined space, with small children, when you are not wanted?
Either way, hubby minds the kids, I get a ticket agent and tell her a man won’t leave my cabin where my kids are trying to sleep. Lady comes over like a boss and stares down the two men in my cabin. I need to tell her that the angry-looking tank is my hubby, and the jack-a** sitting smugly is the intruder. In German, she asks him for his ticket and reservation slips. He doesn’t have a reservation, but he did pay 4k euro for an annual pass to D Bahn and therefore he feels the right to sit where he pleases, and he wishes to sit here instead of the hallway. She looks at the door with the sign and reads it aloud; “for families with small children”. She asks him, “do you have a small child with you?” He says no. “Are you a small child?” She asks. He says no. So she firmly tells him to leave the compartment immediately. He argues some but eventually leaves.
The moral is; tickets do not get you a chair like they do on a bus or plane. You need to pay extra for the right to sit while trtravelingThis is beneficial when you are only going one or two stops. It sucks when you are traveling 500 km. The website does ask if you want to make a seat reservation, just before you pay. And for annual pass holders, there is a selection for seat only reservations, in conjunction with your pass number. This guy could have easily secured himself a seat if he had gone online and picked one – yes, he would have been charged the 10 euro but then all of this would have been avoided.
And no, he was not bumped to first class due to the situation. This is Germany. They do not praise ignorance or arrogance here. Buddy was placed in the next available chair or forced to sit in the hall like everyone else.
Sitting in the handicap parking
First class compartments seat 6, without luggage storage and no room for strollers. 1st class must pay extra for the compartment and the level is more expensive. It is a good solution for slightly older kids or if the family compartment is taken, however. This will require a first class ticket, which can be up to double the cost of a 2nd class ticket, so it really depends on how badly you want a compartment. When I train travel with my parents, they are willing to pay the difference. I haven’t been forced to make that choice yet on my own, we will see.
I also only have a Bahn 25 2nd class discount card so I would need to pay the full amount in 1st class.
Speaking of discount cards, the Bahn 25 was the greatest thing I have ever purchased. Essentially, I pay 60 euro per year and receive 25% off all 2nd class tickets purchased for myself. This does not discount the whole group, just my seat. Since the kids are free, this means I pay the hubby full price and discount my own. The card has my name on it so I can’t give it to anyone, and they check the card to match the name of the purchaser on the ticket; this means I need to be present when the discounted ticket is being used. They have the right to check further ID for name verification; Drivers licence, credit card and residential ID will be asked. Passports are not among the ID available because they are not customs agents. Only customs agents are allowed to handle and request your passport.
You can purchase a second discount card for your spouse. We bought ours online when I made my first train purchase. I received an email with a temporary card and a plastic card was being sent in the mail. I can also just purchase the card online, without buying a ticket too. If I wanted to buy a second, I would take my temporary card, or plastic card, to the train station, and request a spouse card. The spouse needs to be present in order to do this, which is the main reason why we don’t have one – he either doesn’t utilize train travel enough to justify buying the card, or he doesn’t have the time off to go downtown for this. Either way, a spouse card is possible.
There is a myriad of other discount cards available on bahn.de Eurail for non-European residence and Interail for Europeans means near unlimited travel across Europe for a set annual fee. This is the ticket that rude-dude probably was talking about. German rail is up to 15 days of consecutive rail travel, discounts for youth and further discounts when travelling as a pair (twin pass). 1st class is also only slightly more expensive than 2nd class, and very rarely is 1st class full. Groups of 6-30 are also available to receive a discount, but they must be called into an agent or visit the station as they can not be booked together on the website.
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Fell sleep after snack time.
With the new Electronic Bans starting to roll out in the UK and USA this week, it is time to take a hard look at how we keep our kids entertained and happy during long-haul flights. While we already know about colouring, sleeping, and eating during a road trip to keep the kids at bay, not everyone knows how to implement these distractions during long flights, when other people are staring and judging.
The first thing all parents need to do is, stay calm. We are all in this together. That businessman is just as upset about losing his computer as you are of yours. Crusty old man two seats behind are more upset that you lost your tablet than he is about his own tablet; now he gets to hear your kids and they aren’t old enough to understand fully why they are suddenly not allowed to have it anymore. In theory, everyone will be that much more patient with parents trying to deal with current vacation plans under the new ban, but there will come a day when parents need to accept that we aren’t getting our tablets back and this trend could spread from just USA and UK bound flights, to other countries.
Be prepared now and adjust to the possibility that your flight may be next on the cutting block. See more about that here.
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1. Electronic Free Games
2. Look for onboard entertainment options when booking your flight and bring a pair of wire headphones. Most airlines no longer require an adapter to connect.
3. Fly the Red Eye. Keep the same sleep schedule and follow the same bedtime routine. Grab a pair of nightshades, lower the curtain and turn off the lights.
4. Food as a distraction is not the best way to keep them busy, but try to pack healthy snacks. Or at least not so sugary. Space them out between other activities, like a reward system. “Thank you for colouring so well and quietly for an hour, here’s a fruit cup.” Cheese, crackers and shelf-stable meats are a great way to keep them busy a little longer.
5. Load up the smartphone with music, apps, and movies. Don’t forget to bring a charger. At the end of the day, a screen is a screen. While battery-packs are not allowed on the plane, your charger is. Find out from the airline if a USB plug is available at or near your seat.
At the end of the day, what did we do before 2010? It has only been 7 years since the iPad was released and it is already so ingrained in our culture that we can’t imagine spending 10 hours on a plane without using it.
Airlines have become so accused to passengers bringing their own entertainment, that they are now no longer providing it for us. I would hope that changes to the insurance policies and airline entertainment options change if this electronics ban is to last for any significant period of time. But since we can only depend on ourselves, it is time to have that tough conversation with the kids and take a hard look at that bucket list.
Do more people travel with little ones because it is easier with technology
or
Where kids just better at keeping themselves entertained “back in the day”?
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There has been a lot of questions and complains regarding the new Electronics Ban in American and British airspace.
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When we found out that we would be moving to Germany with our 2.5-year-old, I was over the moon. Not only would we have a chance to explore Europe on the weekends and holidays, but Munchkin would be able to learn new cultures and languages. We were so excited at the idea of showing him the world and exposing him to the traveling way of life. Little did we know that during all of the planning and packing and relocation, we were expecting Baby Girl. Traveling with little ones was going to take on a whole new meaning.
I can hear you cringing now. “What is she thinking? Traveling with little ones? That’s crazy!” At first, I almost agreed. On the one hand, these little guys needed so much of my attention, had so many little-human demands, and their daily schedules really don’t coincide with a traveling schedule. Between nap time, early bed time, potty breaks and tantrums, I figured we would spend half of our vacation in the hotel room. On the other hand, we didn’t really have a choice. I wasn’t about to spend the next 4 years stuck in my house just because I popped out two babies. Children live in Europe, they go away for weekends, why can’t I have that.
So once the initial shock of being pregnant wore off, we started “practice traveling” with the munchkin. Not only did this help him get used to the idea of being out and about on the weekends that didn’t involve a park or visiting my parents, but it also helped us get into the rhythm of preparing and packing with children in mind. During the next 9 months, we “perfected” our packing list, our hotel requirements and itinerary expectations to better suit children, and eventually a new born.
Practice Traveling
Honestly, Baby Girl was easier to travel with than Munchkin. It was probably the lack of opinion. As a newborn, we started traveling with her when she was 3 weeks old. My parents came to visit and we didn’t want to spend 2 weeks in our little house, so we went out for a series of day trips. Baby Girl kept us from exploring too fast, which is great because I still needed to heal (figuring by the time my 6 week appointment arrives, she will be ready for a little more exciting travels), we sat often and just people-watched while I fed her, or changed her, or just soothed her back to sleep.
Schloss Kaiserswerth
Since I was breastfeeding, we didn’t need to pack any extra food or snacks, we changed her diaper when Munchkin needed a potty break, we held her when she woke up and continued exploring the area with a tiny-baby in our arms. Hotels often have playpens available free of charge, so I really did not have to bring anything new with us during any overnight trips, it was great. All of our practice-vacations with Munchkin actually paid off.
Also see: The Traveling Diaper Bag
I’m going to skip the cliche statements about loving the wonder I see in their eyes, or how much character and experience they are gaining even if they don’t remember the vacation specifically, though you can read more about that in “Why I choose to travel with kids”. Instead, I will focus on the “adult” side of taking the kids.
Traveling with little ones gives us that excuse to splurge on a hotel room or apartment rental instead of a hostel (though the cost savings would be nice). Having a private room, with a private bathroom, and space to throw your luggage around without needing to stuff it in a locker right away, is definitely appealing. Until they are 6 years old, little one’s get into most attractions and can ride most public transit free of charge, they can share our meals (since the serving sizes are crazy large anyways), and they tend to get their fair share of freebies whenever we enter a business, grocery store or attraction.
Upgrade to the family room
The number of locals that just walk up to us and start chatting, is amazing. They want to tell me how cute they are, or how well behaved they are. They want to shower us with local advice, tell us where to go for extra kiddy-fun that most tourists don’t know about. Locals like to see families, they feel safer with families, but mostly they feel their city isn’t being overrun with site-destroying tourists if the tourist looks like a precious 2-year-old Baby Girl. There is familiarity in families that locals are attracted to, and so we are treated very well.
Fellow travelers also look at us differently. Sometimes it is with pity “oh look, they can’t-do this list of things because they decided to procreate”, looks of worry “those kids better not ruin my trip” or just curiosity “Are they locals or tourists? Can I ask them questions? Where are they hiding all the baby gear? I thought kids cry a lot, why aren’t those kids crying?” I love proving them all wrong at the end of the attraction. “Yup, my kid was awesome!” I like the bragging rights of having surviving Oktoberfest with kids, or visiting the Matterhorn with kids.
When we travel with the children, we are literally forced to slow down. Unless they are both in a stroller, they have little legs and just can’t tour as quickly as we can. We slow down on the touring, we take regular breaks in strategic locations and eat at decent times (we don’t skip meals either). I know this doesn’t sound like much, but put it all together, after a few days, we have seen and done more with them than we would have if they were left behind with the grandparents.
We also choose attractions that would be appealing for the children, like Dinosaur Museums or miniature cities like Mini-Europe , and have also found them to be fascinating. We are thankful that we decided to make them part of our itinerary and wonder how adult groups can skip them for being “too child-oriented”.
They notice the smallest things; this is probably because the big things are too big for them to really focus on. I can’t count how many times Munchkin would point to a random building “that looks strange” and it turns out to be a national heritage site, or demands to walk down a certain alley-way and the architecture is breathtaking. We discover local places to see, shop and eat, that many solo or couple-travelers walk right passed. While I know there are a few things I am missing out on because the kids won’t be welcome, I am not an adventurous person so I wouldn’t want to do those things anyways, so I don’t feel that I have lost anything.
The key to surviving your children is to be flexible. Being too rigid with plans is only going to cause tantrums – from both you and the children, but mostly from you, because let’s be honest, they won’t cooperate and you’ll be kicking yourself in the pants for wasting all this time over-planning the vacation and accomplishing only half of it. These fights can also lead to accomplishing less than if a “laissez-faire” approach was taken to the daily itinerary. We (I) point out the must-do’s, want to do’s, and would like to do’s. In this order, we start our morning relaxing at breakfast, start at point A and work our way through the list. If only the must do’s are accomplished, I can leave the city happy, knowing I did exactly what I came here to do. We usually get half-way through the want to do’s before heading back home.
Flexibility allows us to stay sane. If a place is closed, no longer allowing children or the kids just aren’t interested in it, we can’t shut down for the day because we have nothing planned. We always have Plan B, C and D just waiting to be implemented. This started way back when we were doing practice-vacations and Munchkin fell asleep before we could enter the attraction. Do something else and come back later.
This also leads to our next must; spontaneity. Especially in Germany, but for life in general, if the weather is favorable, GTFO and do something. I have a major list of day trips that I plan on using on any nice weekend that we don’t have anything planned. They are a mix of inside activities and outdoor activities so as long as we can physically get to the attraction, we have something “planned” yet still spontaneous. That’s parenting logic, don’t try to understand it.
I am not much of an adventurous person, even before we had the kids, so I don’t feel I am missing any attractions or locations because of them. Hubby would like to do a few things that we will be doing when the kids are a little older – either they can join us, stay with the grandparents or have moved out by then, but these types of activities are a little further down the bucket list – but not removed. My big item is Antarctica; at $15,000 per person (times 4), I will wait until they are old enough to pay for themselves or stay behind. Or I strike it rich, which ever comes first.
Want to hear the ugly truth; check out There is an ugly side to traveling with kids
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Traveling with children should be fun, not stressful. So the last thing you want is to have forgotten a crucial item or stressing about what’s in a diaper bag. I like to keep everything in the kids’ own backpacks. That way, when Hubby and I take them potty, they are carrying everything they need for their own potty breaks, as well as being held responsible for transporting their own needs. Munchkin is 5 and Baby Girl is almost 2, and they love having their own bags to care for.
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Whether breastfed, formula feed or cows milk, little ones tend to require more liquids than humanly thought possible. While I don’t necessarily suggest packing a whole carton of milk for a day trip (though I have done that once), having a spare bottle to fill at the restaurant is always a good idea.
And when I say spare, I mean to have one they don’t know about. This will come in handy when the main bottle is thrown outside the stroller into a muddy puddle, lands on the bathroom floor or out the car window when no one is looking. Lots of things can happen. Be prepared.
While neither of my kids was very fond of pacifiers, I always had one or two in my diaper bag. Today will not be the day they want one and I left it at home. This can help them fall asleep in a loud room, bumpy road or when they are overtired.
When traveling, make sure to have enough Diapers to at least last the first few days. After that, simply buy them on the economy. The local people have babies, so there is no reason to think that the local corner store or pharmacy won’t carry at least a small package of the size you need.
If you are looking for a hard and fast number of how many diapers to carry around at any given time, my magic number is 1 diaper per hour out of the house. I always come back with a few extras but it is better to have too many than not enough.
Even if you don’t have a small baby, Baby Wipes are a must for any age. You never know when you will need an emergency clean-up of one kind or another. I prefer the natural style – no perfumes and they are sensitive on baby’s little bum, as well as your hands. After changing 10 diapers per day, you will thank yourself.
Not every diaper changing station has a roll of paper to place under your baby. And not all diapers will be changed at a changing station. Having a changing pad means your baby’s bum doesn’t touch the surface of anything questionable, and your legs/picnic blanket/back seat of the car doesn’t come in direct contact with your baby’s dirty backside either.
Breast pumps are considered medical devices and should be allowed as a carry-on item. Check with your airline before packing a separate bag, or simply placing it in the diaper bag.
A manual pump will get the job done, either for immediate relief or top up breastfeeding for another time. They don’t, however, stimulate the glands for further production. It is not recommended that a manual pump is used for full-pump or long-term pumping.
The Medela Swing is the least expensive stimulating electric pump that I have found. Either plug it in or use a new set of batteries to pump anywhere, anytime.
Once you have expressed a sufficient amount of breastmilk and baby doesn’t want it right away, you will need to store it. I have used a handful of different brands and much prefer the Medela milk bags. They seal nicely like a Ziploc bag, I can write the date and time so I never forget when I expressed, and they are also reusable.
Most importantly, they are “hackable”. There is a little yellow strip across the top that will secure to the pump nozzle and collect milk straight from the pump, no need for a bottle. This makes one less step in the preparation process and one less item I need to clean.
Recommendation;
I have a soft spot for the aden + anais Muslin wrap. It is the only blanket that I trust to wrap around my newborn baby as a swaddle and use as a blanket when they start to squirm. Due to being so lightweight and breathable, I am not afraid if the wrap happened to lay on the baby’s face. We have also used the Muslin wrap as a cover-up when feeding in public, as well as a cover for the stroller or car seat when the sun was at that perfect angle. Be sure to use a stroller fan on those hot days to make up for the lack of air circulation under the blanket; it may be breathable but it still gets warm under there after a while.
A Muslin wrap is also a great idea for covering up while nursing. Know the cultural norms and laws regarding breastfeeding in public during your travels and plan accordingly.
Always bring a change of clothes for the baby, even if it is only for an hour or two. You never know when disaster will strike. This will not end until they are firmly potty trained, and even then, accidents happen. I try to leave a single outfit at the top of the season, and only change it once it is either used or I switch the closet around to reflect new size and weather. A full outfit would be best; socks, bottoms, top, sweater, and bonnet. A pair of slippers if you are feeling especially practical today.
Have these stored at the bottom of the diaper bag, tucked away and forgotten, in a ziploc bag. Not only will this keep the clothes clean if there is ever a leak in the diaper bag, but will also keep the diaper bag clean once the kids have changed their outfit and you are now carrying around the soiled outfit.
Recommendations;
Kids have a tendency to run when running is the least safe way of getting to your destination. Slips happen, skinned knees happen and blisters definitely happen. Carry a small first aid kit to cover these basic ailments, as well as some pain reliever. Many parents have suggested that a first aid kit is not required while traveling since they do not feel the need to bring one on regular outings or day trips… we are of a different camp. We always bring a first aid kit, even on those small trips downtown. Skinned knees and splinters wait for no-one. Now that they are in school, we even have a little pocket in the front of their bags that carry a few band-aids, kleenex and a small envelope of baby wipes – because you never know.
I have been known to carry around Benedryl while they were younger, as they had yet to be tested for severe allergies like Nuts, Eggs or Bee stings. Benedryl won’t replace an epi-pen, but it can relieve the symptoms long enough for emergency services to arrive.
Diaper bags aren’t just for babies. We may call it something else; toddler bag, personal backpack, carryon item, whichever you cal lit, it still needs to have the same basic items until they are teenagers (even then).
For potty-trained toddlers, nothing is scarier than nearly falling into the toilet because their little bums just don’t fit. Grabbing a Potty Seat with hygienic carry bag is the best way to reinforce potty training while traveling. Allowing them to jump back and forth into diapers will only confuse the child and hinder their potty training progress.
Once they are able to be trusted with a book, having Books for Children is never a bad idea. This will keep them occupied while sitting long hours in the stroller. They can be large books in the stroller or little palm-sized board books that even baby can flip through. This doesn’t only need to be for the baby/toddler. Older children can easily get bored and forget to pack something; pack a magazine or notepad for teens.
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