“My daughter was just about a month old when we did our first trip together,” says Gosia Kurowska, a mother and content creator from Portugal. While most parents flinch at the idea of traveling with kids, Kurowska, an ardent globetrotter, didn’t let parenthood come in the way of her travel pursuits. It isn’t impossible if one plans ahead and follows tricks and tips for traveling with children.
“I started with short trips within Bangkok, where we were based at that time. By her fifth month, we did our first international trip to Cambodia and Laos,” says Kurowska, a mother of two girls, aged 2 and 4.
While traveling with children wasn’t smooth sailing for Kurowska initially, with experience and a few slip-ups, she gained confidence. She now shares travel tips on her Instagram handle.
Gosia believes that preparation is the key, and meticulously plans her itinerary, keeping her kids’ needs and preferences in mind and spotting obstacles from a mile away.
“Traveling is such a great way to expose your children to other cultures, and also bond as a family. It’s definitely more work than traveling on your own, but exploring the world through your child’s eyes is truly magical,” she says.
Traveling with children: Planning is key
Setting out on an impromptu trip with kids may not be the wisest decision due to roadblocks that may spring up along the way, dampening the experience.
Dr Sindhu M V, Consultant – Paediatrics & Paediatric Intensive Care, Aster RV Hospital, Bengaluru lists tips for traveling with children to plan your trip and evade mid-travel mishaps.
- Break-down long trips to incorporate playtime and for visiting places of the child’s interest like amusement parks.
- Pre-book everything beforehand including entry tickets, transport, and accommodation.
- Space out visits and activities to let the child relax and do nothing.
- Carry bright-colored clothes to spot them easily in crowds. Parents can take turns to keep an eye on the child and ensure that they don’t go missing.
- Avoid early morning travel, and ensure that the child gets adequate sleep, to evade morning blues.
- Choose child-friendly accommodations with play areas.
- Use baby furniture like prams and strollers.
- Carry the required nappies and wipes.
- Carry toys to keep the child engaged.
- For older children, plan the trip after discussing it with them.
- Communicating about the travel duration, delays, and destinations will prepare the child for what to expect.
- Identify signs of hunger, and rest timely so that the itinerary can be adjusted accordingly.
What to feed your child during travel?
“If the child is less than 6 months, breastfeeding would be sufficient,” says Dr Vrushali Bichkar, Consultant Paediatrician and Neonatologist, Motherhood Hospital, Lullanagar, Pune.
“For babies over six months, fresh homemade food is ideal. For longer travels, one can feed packaged semisolids, which are easy to prepare.
Dr Sindhu mentions carrying plenty of water, either boiled and cooled or sealed water bottles, tetra pack milk, or milk powders when traveling with kids.
She recommends avoiding raw, uncooked, spicy, and reheated foods during travel and discourages too much snacking or experimenting with foods that the child hasn’t tried before.
“These foods can cause indigestion and induce vomiting, stomach pain, and loose stools. Ensure that the food is from hygienic sources, as there is a greater susceptibility of food contamination during travel,” notes Dr Sindhu.
She adds that parents should stick to their child’s meal schedules and ensure that they have enough time for meals and provide snacks, to avoid fussiness and irritability.
Tips for travelling with children by air
Recounting a faux pas during her first flight with her baby, Kurowska says that while she worried about her baby crying in the airplane, keeping her entertained, and putting her to sleep, what actually transpired during the flight was something she never imagined.
“My baby had a giant blowout mid-flight and I had to continue the rest of our journey covered in poo as I hadn’t carried spare clothes for myself on the plane,” says Kurowska.
A common cause of children getting cranky and crying during flights is ear pain caused by pressure differences during take-offs and landings.
“The pressure difference creates a vacuum in the middle ear, leading to a blockage of the eustachian tube, the connection between the throat and middle ear, causing ear pain,” says Dr Bichkar.
Dr Bichkar says that children may suffer to a greater extent than adults as their eustachian tube is smaller in size.
She recommends feeding the baby during take-off and landings or using pacifiers, as sucking and chewing can help keep the eustachian tube open, preventing ear pain.
Don’t forget medicines
Dr Sindhu provides a checklist of medications to keep in mind before setting out to traveling with children
- Carry the child’s routine medications, paracetamol drops, suspensions, or tablets based on the child’s weight as prescribed by the pediatrician.
- Carry a digital thermometer, ORS sachets, or rehydrating solutions.
- Carry insect repellents, anti-itch, and antiseptic lotions.
- If traveling to sunny warm areas, follow sun safety rules, and use adequate sunscreen lotion with SPF>30, clothing, sunglasses, and hats.
- Avoid children near unfenced pools, and water bodies, and keep them away from animals, especially monkeys and dogs.
- Maintain hand hygiene and encourage the use of hand sanitizer
For motion sickness, Dr Bichkar advises making children especially kids between 2-12 years concentrate on things outside the car, and avoid looking at screens, playing games, or reading books. She recommends that kids nap while traveling.
“Avoid large meals just before or during travel, offer distractions, ensure ventilation, and take guidance from a doctor on taking medications for motion sickness,” says Dr Bichkar.
Takeaways
Traveling with kids while a daunting prospect, can be smooth with the right planning. Experts recommend tips for traveling with children including not messing with the child’s sleep and food schedules, eating healthy, and taking the requisite medications can help evade challenging situations.
