For many, it is a joy to travel with their child, be it to the grocery store, to the park or another country or continent. When searching for accommodations to book, you first look for a safe, toddler-friendly shelter: a quiet and clean place surrounded by nature. Then you find educational, play and fun activities to develop their imagination and foster a curious mind. You get a great sense of accomplishment when you see their excitement and think of ways to help them develop and grow as persons.
It takes more than a brand-new vehicle and a skillful driver or pilot for a safe car ride or air travel. Keep reading to gain a grasp on how you can improve safety when you travel with your baby or toddler.
In This Article
Choose toddler-friendly accommodations
Child-friendly accommodations help you save some time for yourself. Babysitting is an amenity an increasing number of resorts and hotels are beginning to provide to parents. It is a desirable and valuable feature you should look for in a hotel if you want to have a break from the pressure of constantly having to watch your child.
There’s a wealth of information out there that can help you pick the most suitable and toddler-friendly hotel or guesthouse.
Furthermore, some offer supervised activities and special events which make children happy and help them burn energy for a good night’s sleep. Not to say that they get the chance to meet other kids, make friends and overcome emotional and behavioural difficulties such as shyness, anxiety and selfishness. You can even take your pet if you book pet-friendly accommodation.
If you own the financial means, go for a hotel with a swimming pool, a play area and everything you know your child likes. Otherwise, pick destinations that allow you to have in-nature activities such as hitchhiking, seaside swimming, skiing, painting, sightseeing and any pleasant activity you can do at a low cost.
Take a travel medical kit with you
Children are energetic and curious and want to feel independent. It is hard to have your eyes on them all the time, and misfortunate and unexpected events can happen if you lose sight of them, even for the slightest moment.
Some vacation destinations don’t have excellent access to drugstores and pharmacies, and it is advisable you take medications and a travel kit contains the following items:
- Band-Aids
- Bug repellents and after-bite spray
- UVA and UVB sunscreen protection
- Hand sanitizer
- Cough drops
- Panadol/Ibuprofen
- Decongestant
- Diarrhoea medicine
- Mild laxative
- Vitamins and supplements like vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K; calcium; iron and zinc.
Child-proof your car
Childproofing your car and ensuring your kid or baby is safe and sound will help you drive more relaxed. This doesn’t mean they will find the ride displeasing or boring, as long they don’t feel like they are grounded.
Vehicles come with all sorts of features that secure rides with children. But it is prudent you take additional safety measures, like the ones below:
- Activate your car’s childproof locks. If you haven’t done it because you lack the knowledge on how to enable child car locks, look in the car’s manual or contact your car’s manufacturer for more information. If none are possible, Google your type of car, and most likely, you will find a tutorial. This prevents your kid from opening the rear doors.
- If your car doesn’t have automatic child locks, ensure your kid only stays in the middle of the car seat.
- Ensure your kid always wears the seat belt, even if it is a 5 minutes drive to the local store. The three-point seat belts are the most efficient.
- Secure loose objects and sharp items so that your kid won’t get hit in the event you have to brake quickly. Hide small objects so that they don’t swallow and choke on them.
- Stop letting them eat and drink while driving, even if they only want to have a lollipop. Yes, it is convenient because these will keep them busy and quiet, but it increases the chances they choke on them.
- Place the baby car seat on the rear for a safe baby car drive. Infants usually sit in rear-facing car seats – putting them in a forward-facing car seat is admissible only after they turn two years old. Choose an age-appropriate seat. Make sure they don’t reach for any harmful objects and that their seat won’t move in the case of a sudden break.
Make a list of what you need to pack
Travelling with babies can be quite a tricky adventure. You never know what the future holds, so it is hard to predict what stuff you might need when on vacation. It is impossible to take the whole house with you, as long as you don’t go by camper van. Ensuring you don’t leave any essentials at home comforts you and the baby. Some of the primary, indispensable things you must put on your packing list whether you travel with a baby or a toddler are:
- Wipes
- Nappies
- Water and refillable drink bottles
- Some of their favourite toys
- Plastic bags
- Healthy snacks
- A portable changing mat
There are red flags that a hotel is not for children
You may come to the realisation that some pieces of information in the description of an accommodation are not quite in accordance with the reality you find when you arrive there. To avoid falling into the trap of deceptive advertising and ruining your vacation, read all the reviews that mention the experience with children they had in that hotel or guesthouse before jumping on one. You can rely on the opinion of other people who have previously experienced the place more than on the host’s subjective opinion. Besides looking at the scour reviews, examine the accommodation’s website, and you can find clues to help make up your mind easier. Lastly, call and ask direct questions, such as if the resort offers fun activities for families or if nearby attractions for kids exist and how old and soundproof the hotel is.
Conclusion
As cheerful as travelling with your baby or toddler can be, it is a challenging experience too. You can’t know what the future holds, and safety always comes first when caring for such curious, active beings. Luckily, we can take measures like the ones above to ensure a relaxed and hazard-free trip.
