Holidaying with the Kiddos
I am one of those people that likes to build up all sorts of none existent problems in my head before they have even arrised.
So as our holiday got closer and closer I had so many questions… how will I feed my baby in the airport? how will I change my baby? how will I keep my baby happy whilst sat on my knee for 2.5 hours in a tiny plastic chair with my 3 year old sat next to me also requiring my attention?
Well, first things first. I could NOT have done it alone… I would love to be all independent woman/mother/supermum but if I had been on my own I would of been a bit of a wreck to say the least. Thank god for my mum!
I have learnt that paying a ridiculous and complete rip off of £50 to have a check in case is possibly the best thing you can do when travelling with kids. Hand luggage is not fun. When your 3 year old is SO excited to go on holiday and packs her beloved Minnie Mouse suitcase… don’t expect them to actually drag it around the airport, that lasted all of 30 seconds before an all mighty overtired bitch fit. I did see a lot of happy children with Trunkies though so not sure if they are worth the hype!? She did happily carry a backpack (some of the time) so that was a bit more successful but I definitely won’t be taking a piece of hand luggage for her next time as Pram + Baby + Baby Bag + Small Child + Backpack + Handbag + 2 Hand Luggage Cases is near on impossible to navigate!
You are allowed to take unlimited Baby Milk, Sterilised Water, Powdered Milk, Baby Food through security, I have read that there is a 2000ml limit on the size of baby bottles but I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen anyone feeding their baby out of a 2ltr sized bottle! When we went through security I just had to take the bottles with sterilised water out of her bag and the powdered formula then they were put in a fancy machine and tested. Also when walking through the body scanner we had to carry Isla through, they don’t let you push them through in the pram and they will check the pram all over too, so be prepared for that incase they are asleep or nodding off!
When it comes to changing nappies ofcourse all Airports have plenty of Toilets and Baby Changing but if like us you are cutting it very fine, plonking them down on the chairs/benches at the Boarding Gate and doing it there was a sufficient enough surface!
As for being on an actual Aeroplane with young kids things I will recommend having are some sort of iPad or Tablet that is fully charged, Lollipops, Colouring Book and Colours (do not buy at the airport I paid 9 british pounds for the pleasure!), Plenty of Water or Juice and a few favourite Toys… all of the above kept Abs pretty entertained for the duration… she was so knackered bless her and she’s a bit of a ticking time bomb when she’s tired but usually the mention of Lollipops/Sweets/Chocolate is enough to keep her happy!! And I managed to time Islas bottle so she had it just before take off, then she slept for atleast half of the flight and was entertained by a few toys and empty wipe packets… I also had rice cakes that she was happy to knaw on and made sure I had extra feeds just in case.
Whilst we were away we were really lucky to be on holiday with lots of family including Emma and baby Evie, the baby’s were so in awe of each other and would spend time just sitting on cushions in the shade with their toys. I think if they were crawling it would of been a very different holiday… basically nowhere near as relaxing 😂 We also had a mini paddling pool which they both loved chilling in!
Isla had some time in the sun and would happily sit with her hat on for a while but as soon as she realised it was on her head it was game over!
We were so lucky to eat out every night, it would usually involve lots of Pram Pushing/ Rocking and napping at times she never would at home so we could stay out late but personally that’s what holidays are for and I just tried not to be to uptight about sticking to her normal routine, she did ALOT more sleeping during the day to catch herself up and they were both delighted to stay up late every night!
So all in all a very positive experience and nowhere near as stressful as I had made it in my head! Ofcourse it’s not as easy as the child free holidays of the past but it’s 1,000,000 times better and I genuinely enjoyed every minute spending quality time with my girls everyday felt so special and I can’t wait to do it all again!
L x