Traveling with a toddler can be daunting, especially if it’s your first time traveling with a child. As if getting organized for a holiday abroad wasn’t stressful enough try adding a toddler into the mix because let’s be honest, they’re unpredictable little humans, you never know when a meltdown will occur!
Our first flight with our daughter was to Orlando and she was only 13 months, I was dreading a 9-hour flight with a 1-year-old to entertain and I had no idea how she would be! Lucky for us – she was great! Pretty much slept the whole way there and back! A win for us!
However, fast forward a year and we have ourselves a very independent, knows what she wants, fast walking, doesn’t stop talking, queen of tantrums on our hands! I’m not going to lie to you it’s safe to say when we travelled to Palma Nova in April, I was DREADING it!
So here are my tips for going abroad with a toddler!
Tips for the Airport and Plane
Let’s get the most stressful part out the way! Baggage drop and security, not much fun for a toddler! We gave Heidi her own carry-on bag that she could pull along, this helped keep her occupied when we were walking through the airport, as she had something to focus on doing. I knew boredom would kick in whilst we waited but I had filled up her tiny carry on with my must-haves for going on the plane! These included:
- Her “favorite” cuddly toy, I don’t know about you guys but Heidi changes her favorite quite often, so we let her pick two to avoid any bedtime meltdowns halfway through the holiday!
- An actual toy, this holiday she chose her Moana doll, who apparently was equally as excited as her about going on the Airplane.
- A coloring book and crayons – let them get creative!
- A few books – Heidi loves to read so we packed a few different ones.
- Her tablet – a few pre downloads of Paw Patrol and a princess film and we’re good to go!
- Last but not least SNACKS! Pack all the snacks!
Other must-haves for the plane ride…
- A spare change of clothes (you never know when an accident or spillage will happen)
- A set of clothes to change them into once you’ve arrived at your destination (we change her into a dress or shorts as it’s so much hotter when we land than where we’ve left from!
- Baby wipes! For obvious reasons…
- Something like liquid Tylenol just in case of a temperature and problems with sore ears. Sachets are perfect for popping into hand luggage!
- Something for them to suck on whilst taking off and landing, Heidi has never taken a dummy or bottle so we just get her to have a drink, but dummies and bottles come in handy here!
- More SNACKS!
There you have it, you’re sorted, you’ve arrived at your beautiful hot destination, tantrum-free…hopefully 😉
Now that you’ve arrived at your holiday destination be sure to have packed these holiday essentials!
Holiday Essentials
- Sun Cream
- Toys (we always pack a few of her favorites into the suitcase, in case of bad weather or if we’re having some chill time in the hotel room.
- A Sun Hat, Heidi was always a nightmare keeping a hat on but we found one that had a unicorn on it – job done!
- Sunglasses – anyone else’s kids copy them? Trust me they’ll need their own pair!
- Snacks, especially if you have a fussy eater, we don’t have that issue usually but with the heat she tends not to eat very much at mealtimes, so we always pack extra snacks in the suitcase for snack emergencies for when she does decide she’s hungry!
- A fan – Heidi loved the fan, entertaining and effective!
- A wrist link - a must-have if you have an independent toddler who decides they’re not going in the buggy or holding your hand!
Last but not least now you’re there there’s only one thing left to do! HAVE FUN! Enjoy your family holiday! Remember why you’re there – to make memories! So try not to get too stressed about whether or not they’ve napped, if they’re up really late, have had more than one ice cream or the fact you’ve survived the whole holiday by sipping cocktails! You are on holiday after all! Just go and have fun!
Happy Holidays!
