Here's some of our top tips for travelling and holidaying with tots!
Pack for any weather.
Our holiday was a total mixed bag of weather (thank you UK) we checked the forecast before leaving and suspected as much but when we left home the sun was shining and it was lovely and mild. The optimist in me threw all the sandals, shorts, sun hats and beach gear in the suitcase dreaming of sand castles and laying on a inflatable lilo in the sea. We did get some lovely weather but it also turned and we had some wash out days.I was so grateful I'd also packed the rain macs, closed toe shoes and a few jumpers for cooler evenings.
Buy your suncream before you go.
Some of the sunny days totally snuck up on us and it's never great to be caught without sun lotion. Keep the children safe from the sun and be sure you have sun cream to hand whatever the weather. Some of the smaller shops sometimes quickly go out of stock if a bit of a heat wave appears and no one wants to spend their precious holiday time driving around looking for lotion. If you are caught without sun cream and the sun is basking down on the kids don't forget other families often have lotion with them and are quite happy to lend a little to keep the kids safe from those harsh rays, this can help tie you over until you can buy some of your own. (Of course be cautious of those little ones with sensitive skin if borrowing a product, a sun hat and a thin blanket or long sleeved tee can help protect from burning if you're really stuck)
Bring some toys.
We stayed in a beautiful old cottage but there wasn't much there in the way of entertaining the children indoors. Pack a soft play mat some puzzles, books, shape sorter etc to keep the kids happy. They also come in handy for long spells in the car, flicking through a book or having a puzzle toy to play with is far more entertaining then looking at the back of a car seat for hours on end.
Stock up on snacks.
You never know when the kids might get peckish. Avoid those meltdowns and make sure you have lots of nibbles. Yogurt drops, fruit, crisps, snack bars etc are all great to curb those hunger pangs whilst out and about.
Wipe clean bibs.
Avoid having to pack a heap load of cloth bibs and take plastic wipeable ones. We only packed 2 of these and they lasted us all week. It saves on washing and packing space. Once the kids have chucked their food all down their front you can wipe them clean, wash them up in soapy bubbles and dry them for the next meal time. (We did still have a few cloth bibs with us but found the wipeable ones much more manageable)
Bottled water.
Carry round a bottle of water in your changing bag. So handy for topping up sippy cups when you're off the beaten track.
Bring a toy tie
If your tot has a favourite cuddly toy be sure to keep them tied to the pushchair/ car seat/ bags. We have a toy tie so if Lottie flings Nutbrown hare out the buggy she doesn't fall to the floor to be lost forever. Lottie sleeps with her Nutbrown Hare and they pretty much go everywhere together so losing her is not really an option. ( we even have a spare)
Have a wind down/ rest day.
Holidays can be quite daunting for little people. They're somewhere they haven't been before, the familiarity of home and comforts are suddenly gone. Make sure you take some time out to rest and have some quiet time so the children don't get overwhelmed. We had a morning of swimming at the cottage and then the children spent an afternoon with grandparents one day. This gave us a lovely chance to spend some couple time together too and everyone could recharge their batteries.
Pack a picnic.
We must have saved so much money taking packed lunches out for the day. Nanny made us some lovely cheese wraps, veg sticks, yogurts, crisps, and lemon cake which meant we could lunch when and where we liked. We did treat ourselves to a couple of meals out to Rick Steins fish restaurants early evening but for lunchtimes we found taking a picnic worked really well.
Hope some of these tips are helpful when travelling, holidays with tots are always a big fun adventure!
