Travelling with a toddler if planned will be an enjoyable experience. Find out what to look out for when you plan to travel with a toddler. Travelling with a toddler can be an exciting experience and adventurous as well. But for all practical reasons, it can prove to be a stressful one too. The most important factor that worries parents travelling with a toddler is about the manner in which they will behave and how that behaviour will be accepted by the fellow travelers. It is indeed difficult to make things run smoothly or according to plan with toddlers around. They have just begun to move independently around and they are on an endless and tireless spree of discovering all that is there in their immediate surroundings. So, managing them while travelling can be quite an ordeal. But if you manage to take care of certain factors, you will find yourself better able to travel with toddlers. In this articleYour Carry-On Packing List Must Be ReadyReaching the AirportGet Your Plan Ready on TimeDuring Check InIn flightYour Carry-On Packing List Must Be Ready After you are done with your packing, make sure that the carry-on list is also ready. When you are travelling with your toddler, you have to ensure that there is almost nothing that you have to sort out at the last moment, as you will already be engaged in taking care of the baby. So it is advisable that you check and secure the seat assignment online. Print the boarding passes and keep them alongside your carry-on. Make sure that you have all the required phone numbers and a map if necessary with your carry-on. With prior planning, you can save yourself the hassle of finding a hotel with a toddler in tow. Reaching the Airport Unless your environment has an excellent public transportation, or you have the option of someone who will drop you at the airport, it is better to arrange for a cab or a shuttle that will drop you near your airport. Make sure that you call up the service and reconfirm the booking of the cab or car seat. Get Your Plan Ready on Time You must have your packing done, have all your tickets in place and ensure that you reach the airport well ahead of time. This will ascertain that you are saved from all those nervous jitters on whether you will be at all be able to catch your flight on time or not. Toddlers are high on energy; you need to give them time and opportunity to vent out that energy. This extra time at the airport will allow the toddler to play around at the empty gate area or airport play area and this will keep them good mood. Else there are chances that will be cranky if they are pushed onto the checking in and boarding area just after reaching the airport, with no time in between. During Check In There can be a queue to check in. Allow your toddler to move around in the open space in the check in area so that they do not feel very restricted. It will be easy to check in your luggage while you keep an eye on the kid. Check with your airline on baggage restrictions. Some international airlines allow a toddler to check baggage like a car seat or stroller, while excluding these items to be a part of the parents’ baggage items. Always ensure that your baby stroller has a tag bearing your name, address and phone number.Your tickets, passes and ID should be ready in your hand now. In flight Do not overwhelm the toddler that travelling is a big issue. Try to make it sound like a regular affair. Tell them in advance that they will be required to follow certain rules and stay quiet when they are instructed to. Try to make them feel comfortable and listen to what they have to say, like share their enthusiasm when they show you something that catches their attention. Do not hush them, help them to behave with an ease; you will find it easier to manage them during your entire travel. Apparently you might feel that travelling with toddlers is the most stressful event in life. On one hand you have to lug on to the baggage at the airport and then you have a couple of tired and unhappy kid in tow. The only thought in your mind is to keep them seated, take care of their safety, quiet and happy and comfortable throughout the journey or until you reach your destination. But with a bit of planning and man-management skills, you can happily deal with all the potential disaster-causing factors. So, happy journey with your kid is all that you need to say to yourself!
Travelling with a toddler if planned will be an enjoyable experience. Find out what to look out for when you plan to travel with a toddler. Travelling with a toddler can be an exciting experience and adventurous as well. But for all practical reasons, it can prove to be a stressful one too. The most important factor that worries parents
travelling with a toddler is about the manner in which they will behave and how that behaviour will be accepted by the fellow travelers.
It is indeed difficult to make things run smoothly or according to plan with toddlers around. They have just begun to move independently around and they are on an endless and tireless spree of discovering all that is there in their immediate surroundings. So, managing them while travelling can be quite an ordeal.
But if you manage to take care of certain factors, you will find yourself better able to travel with toddlers.
Your Carry-On Packing List Must Be Ready
After you are done with your packing, make sure that the carry-on list is also ready. When you are travelling with your toddler, you have to ensure that there is almost nothing that you have to sort out at the last moment, as you will already be engaged in taking care of the baby. So it is advisable that you check and secure the seat assignment online. Print the boarding passes and keep them alongside your carry-on. Make sure that you have all the required phone numbers and a map if necessary with your carry-on. With prior planning, you can save yourself the hassle of finding a hotel with a toddler in tow.
Reaching the Airport
Unless your environment has an excellent public transportation, or you have the option of someone who will drop you at the airport, it is better to arrange for a cab or a shuttle that will drop you near your airport. Make sure that you call up the service and reconfirm the booking of the cab or car seat.
Get Your Plan Ready on Time
You must have your packing done, have all your tickets in place and ensure that you reach the airport well ahead of time. This will ascertain that you are saved from all those nervous jitters on whether you will be at all be able to catch your flight on time or not. Toddlers are high on energy; you need to give them time and opportunity to vent out that energy. This extra time at the airport will allow the toddler to play around at the empty gate area or airport play area and this will keep them good mood. Else there are chances that will be cranky if they are pushed onto the checking in and boarding area just after reaching the airport, with no time in between.
During Check In
There can be a queue to check in. Allow your toddler to move around in the open space in the check in area so that they do not feel very restricted. It will be easy to check in your luggage while you keep an eye on the kid. Check with your airline on baggage restrictions. Some international airlines allow a toddler to check baggage like a car seat or stroller, while excluding these items to be a part of the parents’ baggage items. Always ensure that your baby stroller has a tag bearing your name, address and phone number.
Your tickets, passes and ID should be ready in your hand now.
In flight
Do not overwhelm the toddler that travelling is a big issue. Try to make it sound like a regular affair. Tell them in advance that they will be required to follow certain rules and stay quiet when they are instructed to. Try to make them feel comfortable and listen to what they have to say, like share their enthusiasm when they show you something that catches their attention. Do not hush them, help them to behave with an ease; you will find it easier to manage them during your entire travel.
Apparently you might feel that travelling with toddlers is the most stressful event in life. On one hand you have to lug on to the baggage at the airport and then you have a couple of tired and unhappy kid in tow. The only thought in your mind is to keep them seated, take care of their safety, quiet and happy and comfortable throughout the journey or until you reach your destination. But with a bit of planning and man-management skills, you can happily deal with all the potential disaster-causing factors. So, happy journey with your kid is all that you need to say to yourself!
