15 Top Tips for Travelling with Babies & Toddlers

Travelling with babies & toddlers can be daunting. How many nappies will I need? I mean, how many nappies will my little one need? In our case, it was how many nappies will our little ones need. Travelling with twin babies was challenging and then another little chap came along. But we love to travel & I hope this blog helps other families get travelling too.

Here are my 15 tips for surviving & enjoying travel with babies & toddlers :

15 Top Tips for Travelling with your Little Ones

You may well be able to buy nappies at your destination. However you may find them more expensive, of a poorer quality & not available in the size you need. Calculate how many nappies you will need for your journey. How many you use a day multiplied by the number of days. Then add on at least a days’ worth, in case your little one has tummy problems. (Remember to pack some swim nappies/pants if swimming is on the agenda.) Take two packs of baby wipes (for one week’s travel), since they can double up as hand wipes.
A must have are non-leak water bottles. We love these Ion8 bottles, with cute designs for kids & a smart range of colours for adults, they are the first genuine non-leak water bottles we’ve bought. Plus they wear well too, unlike other brands we’ve tried.
If your little one has a specific routine, take what you need to maintain it. It is not worth spending good money on a holiday only to end up having sleepless nights. So it might be that Teddy gets a holiday too. ( Lion, Duckey, Mousey & Baby all got to come on our family holiday, when the twins were young!)
Having a small rucksack with a harness is great if your toddler likes to roam about. At busy places like airports, this can give your little one the freedom to move about whilst still being in your care at all times. We had this insulated dinosaur one for our youngest, as seen in the photo above at the Dubai Marina. It kept him safe & also kept his lunch cool too. We always pop a few snacks & toys in the boys’ bags, so they can keep themselves occupied. Nothing beats Hot Wheels cars if you’ve got young boys. Keep a look out on Wowcher for good toy deals too.
Weather can be unpredictable so do pack a range of clothes, in case the weather turns on you. I remember getting caught out in Dubai, where the temperature dropped out to 13 degrees C. We had to layer up clothes!
In the UK, you can pre-order your milk & other baby essentials from the Boots in Departures, after airport security. This is handy to know, since you will only be allowed enough milk for your journey. Find out about the latest restrictions here>
Always check what your accommodation has available for babies & toddlers before you book, but definitely before you travel. I always found lists really handy, so nothing gets forgotten. Some places do not offer a baby cot as standard, for example. This pop up one is a handy solution>
Having an easy to fold buggy can save time at the airport & when hopping into taxis. Every airport has a different policy with regards to scanning. Some will require you to fold it up for the scanning machine, some just put it through the same scanner as you will go through. Just make sure to empty the buggy, before you go through security.
Check that your little ones’ passport is in date, assuming that he/she has one already. Countries really do vary in terms of how many months need to be left on the passport, some say 3 months, some 6 months. Find out more about how leaving the European Union will affect your passports>
If you are taking more than one suitcase, share out baby/toddler stuff especially nappies, between the suitcases. It is rare that bags get lost these days, but better safe than sorry.
Some little ones’s just like their milk warm. One of the twins was like that. There are whole load of ideas on this front but what I do recommend is an insulated bottle bag. It also helps to keep the milk cold if you are out in hot weather and don’t want the milk to go bad. These are the ones we used for our twins>
Prepare mentally for the journey. There will be fellow travellers who are understanding & then there will be those who will give you dirty looks. Kids are kids. They cry. They make a lot of noise. They play up when they haven’t had sleep. It is challenging, particularly on long haul flights or where you are cramped in so tight on the plane, you can barely breathe. I try my best to make my children aware of other passengers and be respectful. But let’s be honest, there is no reasoning with babies !
Vaccinations & immunisations are always the topic of hot debate these days. Do check if the destination requires them and weigh up the risks for recommended ones. The Fit for Travel website is a great resource & you can search for the latest travel advice for your destination>
Sterilising milk bottles is one of those things that has to be done. I always sterilised the bottles when abroad because of the heat & potential other contaminates. Rather that then dodgy tummies. You can go old school and boil the bottles in a big pan of water. I actually sterilised the bottle in my travel kettle last time! If you do have a micorwave at your destination, these microwave sterilising bags are super handy>
Finally, don’t forget the essentials. If your are travelling abroad, do check if you’ll need travel adaptors. Morocco, Turkey & many European destinations require two pin plug adaptors, like these>