Here are few tips to enjoy your travel and exploring places while travelling with toddlers and children
Travelling and exploring places is a lot of fun, but the fun can get into a lot of work when you have to take toddlers and children along. If you do not plan in advance, your vacation might turn into more work with not much time to relax. So here are the some tips to follow to make your vacation with kids a fantastic!
1. Book in Advance:
Before arriving to your destination, it is better to book the hotels you are staying in advance. With hungry, exhausted and cranky toddlers and children’s after long flight, waiting to get a room or worst yet – if the rooms are full and you have to find another hotel situation is a NO NO.
2. Stock up on the Meds:
Childrens are more vulnerable to infections and illnesses especially during travel. Talk to your doctor before travelling and carry the medicines for fever, diarhoea, constipation, pain killer, vomiting, cold and etc as adviced. On flights have some cotton balls and snuck them into your kids ear during take offs and landing. It is also a good idea to make them suck candies, preferably a sugar free one during that period (Note: Do not overdose them with sugar as this may get them hyper active!!) Also make sure you have a throw up bag with you at all times.
3. Hand Sanitizer, Wipes and Diapers:
These are the three most essential items that you must have with you at all times. One of the excitements of travelling is not knowing what to expect, so carry with you hand sanitizer in case you can’t find a wash room.
4. Activities:
Carry with you games, sketch pads, stickers, colouring books, jigsaw puzzles and some smart game apps on your smartphones and tablets for their entertainment. If your children are big enough, give them a camera to take photos or tell them to maintain a journal where they can write and draw about the places they see. This will keep them occupied.
5. Make sure your baby food comes under the flight norms:
Major airlines and airports do not allow liquids of more than 100ml pass the security. There are some relaxations when it comes to baby food; so check beforehand. Easier way is just to carry the empty bottles with Infant’s Milk Powder because you can always get some hot water from the flight attendant. Also baby lotions, diaper cream, hand sanitizers should come below 100ml containers.
6. Do not pack your Itinerary:
It is one thing travelling alone, but it is another travelling with children. Leave realistic time frames to cover their frequent wash room visits, pacifying their tantrums, explaining to them about things around and time for their rest. It would be a lot more enjoying and relaxing for the whole family to cover fewer attractions in a leisurely manner both for the adults and the kids. And hiring a travel guide agency with stringent time frames is not a good idea.
7. Take a Pram along:
When travelling with toddlers this is a must, as they can relax and sleep in a pram. It serves a double purpose helping you with carrying of bags.
8. Tracking Device:
It is a handy device especially when you are praying and have toddlers and children unattended. This device is a remote sized device with a watch strap on your kid’s wrist. You can set the range in which they can move around and if that range is broken the device starts beeping. Also if the wrist band is removed the device starts beeping. You can also switch on a button which will make the wrist band in your kids wrist beep a constant sound for the purpose of tracking.
9. Brand Them:
Have a wrist tag with their names, no address and other essential information, when travelling in a crowded place as a just a precautionary measure.
10. Feed them Halal food that digest slowly:
While travelling you will be caught up in some delays here and there and the time schedule of your meal might be broken. Easier for adults but for kids it leaves them fussing and fuming. Feed them healthy snacks that load them up with energy and digest slowly making them feel fuller for long. E.g.: Banana, raisins, flavoured yoghurts, dates, nuts and etc. Also always have a snack for the children wherever you go. Don’t forget to give them water regularly to prevent dehydration.
11. Keeping the children indoors during Magrib time:
Even when you are travelling try to keep the children indoors during Maghrib time.
Prophet (peace be upon him) says: “Do not send out your cattle or your children when the sun sets until the blackness of the night descends, for indeed the Satans are sent forth when the Sun sets until the blackness of the night descends.” [Sahîh Muslim]
12. Teach the children the travel duas
Most importantly teach the children all the travel duas, it will help protect them from many harms
