Thursday 30 June 2011

Travelling with a Toddler

Tomorrow we are leaving on a proper vacation. What the freak makes it proper you ask? It's a vacation which has the sole purpose of being a vacation. Being an expat means that a lot of your vacations are actually trips to visit friends and family. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing them, but I'm really excited to being going on a proper holiday which for me includes a beach and our very own OUTDOOR pool!


This will be our third trip with Blondie Boy so I thought I'd pull together a list of what I think are must haves for travelling with a toddler. Some of these I haven't tested or tried yet, but like I said it's my opinions, not facts.


trunki toddler child suitcase
Trunki: Unless you've never been in an airport ever you'll have seen a Trunki; I saw at least ten over the past two weeks when I flew to Manchester and London. Not only are they ridiculously cute, but they are functional. Your child can ride on it, you can pull them on it while you use it to schlep their carry-on stuff on the plane. Blondie Boy has been pushing it around the living room all week so I can't wait to see what he does at the airport.


Salter Luggage Scales: I hate packing; I am always overpacking and don't even get me started on how I jam everything into our suitcase when we come home from the US (I may or may not bring an extra bag just for food). On more that one occasion we've had to shuffle items from one bag to another so they were the right weight.  You attach the Salter luggage scales to your bag, lift it by the handle, and wait for the beep to see the total weight. No more embarrassing moments at check-in and no more excess luggage fees!


megasketcher mega sketcher magnadoodle magna doodle
New toys and books: The tip mentioned to me most often is to bring toys and books your child has never seen before to keep them entertained. I've already broken that by letting Blondie Boy play with his Megasketcher but I love that the pen is attached to the board so he can't drop/throw it away. Luckily my Mother-in-law has gotten him some new books as well.


Change of clothes in your carry-on: I'm not just talking about for your toddler here; pack an extra top for you, too. Do you want to sit in a puked on, peed on or food smeared shirt for an extended period of time? I didn't think so.


Snacks: I don't like airplane food and chances are your toddler won't either. Pack snacks you know they like and are easy to eat. Things like snack bars or fruit pouches which your toddler can slurp. If the pouches are more than 100ml you'll have to taste them but 100ml or smaller and you are good to go.


A baby carrier: If your child is still light enough use a baby carrier. We used one when we flew with Blondie Boy at 5 months and it was amazing. He fell asleep in it and I could carry him while eating a Sausage McMuffin; I call that a win-win situation.


nunna pepp pram stroller pushchair yellow
A compact stroller: We are taking our Nuna PEPP with us on the flight. It folds up easily and compactly, but doesn't slack on style or function. I've been happy with how it's worked for travelling around Glasgow and I'm interested to see how it does travelling abroad.


Travel Cot: Blondie Boy still sleeps in his crib so trying to put him to sleep in a regular bed is just not going to work. We're taking a Mamas and Papas Sleep Travel Cot. It is compact and portable, but still very spacious, sturdy and stylish. Hopefully Blondie Boy will like sleeping in it!


pourty potty blue
Pourty: I've talked about the Pourty before and since we know Blondie Boy likes using it as a potty and it is portable we are taking it with us on our trip. No reason for potty training to stop just because we are going on holiday. It also means we can dispose of everything in the potty easily and without mess.




What are your *must* haves for travelling with a toddler? Am I forgetting anything?


Some, but not all, of these products were provided to Transatlantic Blonde to review but all opinions are my own.



15 comments:

Designer Kids Clothes said...

We have the mega sketcher and take it on most holidays and trips.  It was a really good buy.

Melaina25 said...

I can't wait til Elfie is big enough to get her a Trunki! I will definitely check out the Trunki - I've been on the lookout for a more portable pushchair. Hope you have a fabulous time!! 

Melaina25 said...

Blondie Boy I think is just a smidge to little to properly ride on it but I
know he'll enjoy pushing it around the terminals!

Melaina25 said...

I would maybe think about leaving the Trunki at home.  I've seen loads of them as well, but they always seem to be more hassle than anything.  When we travel with Milo, we bring him a little backpack that's just his size and holds a few new toys/books, snacks and his bunny.  We also gift wrap the toys/books and that adds a few extra busy minutes.  We also bring a portable DVD player and a few of his favorite movies and that has saved us many a time.

Most importantly, have fun! x

Melaina25 said...

Wrapping the books/toys is such a cute idea! I also totally bought a Mickey
Mouse Club House DVD at the "impulse buy" section of the grocery yesterday
:)

Melaina25 said...

Just a little bit of advice, we took our Uppa Baby Vista on a flight and it was RUINED from the  flight's storage.  I suggest a cheapie umbrella for travelling as airlines are not responsible for damaged items. LOVE travelling with a baby carrier though- LOVE the ERGO!

Melaina25 said...

Smarties. Smarties save you on an airplane when they decide the ride has been long enough...

Melaina25 said...

Great advice and have a great time. x

Melaina25 said...

I really love Trunkies! My children go crazy about them. I recently purchased one for my daughter. I wish there was an adult line so I could get one for me!

Melaina25 said...

A bit late to this party, but we're flying long haul later this year and are also taking the Nuna Pepp. Did you have any issues taking it to the gate as even though collapses fully, it's not an umbrella stroller?

Melaina25 said...

No problems at all. We flew with it again this summer on RyanAir (low cost airline) and didn't have any issues gate checking it. It fits through security scanners too so you should be good to go!

Melaina25 said...

Thanks! We're flying to Australia (from Amsterdam) in about six weeks, starting to get very nervous!

Melaina25 said...

How old is your LO? Bring lots of snacks, toys/books they've never seen before and get them used to headphones BEFORE the flight. Also iPads are they best. I can recommend apps based on age!

Melaina25 said...

Means no looking for lost crayons!

Melaina25 said...

Thanks! My daughter will be 10 months when we travel. She's already in love with the ipad and we have some headphones (for concerts - she's a rocker already!) so I'll get practising. And go hunting for new toys...