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Packing Tips For Young Families

July 15th, 2017
Helga
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Packing Tips For Young Families
It might feel a little more like you are moving house than going on holiday considering all the items that need to be packed. At a second glance, you realise that only one small suitcase is filled with your clothing, and the rest is all to make sure the little one is happy. You are not alone, and that is why we decided to let you in on a few secrets for a fuss-free family holiday.

Gone are the days of having to pack it all. You can now rent your baby gear with agencies worldwide. They will set you up with cribs, buggies and everything else your baby may need. Travels With Baby has a listing of companies around the world that offer baby gear rentals. Car rental agencies often provide an option to include a baby seat, however, make sure you book and confirm this in advance.

Now that the larger items are taken care of it’s time to simplify the truck load of smaller items that are needed. Some airports now have a reserve-and-collect service for formula milk. This means you can book your chosen brand of formula with your airline and collect it in the departure lounge. However, if this service is not available the restrictions on the liquids you can take on a plane do not apply to food or milk for your baby. Therefore you can take what you need for the journey in your hand luggage, whether it is expressed breast milk or boiled water to make a feed, as long as it is in a baby bottle. Baby food, including finger foods, are also allowed. Pack a little extra in case of delays. Take disposable changing mats, they're far easier than lugging your changing mat and cleaning it down in a tiny aeroplane loo (who packs a bottle of anti bacterial cleaner anyway?!)

When travelling, especially air travel, a happy baby will make for a happy mum, and pretty much a happy cabin. Having a drink, snack or dummy for the little one during takeoff is always a good idea to try and minimise discomfort in their ears (and serve as a little distraction). Here are a few more tips to turn the rather daunting trip ahead into child’s play (quite literally).

Get your baby used to room temperature bottles making it easy to feed anytime, any place.

Consider using slip-on nappies as aircraft space is very limited for nappy changing.

Make up little changing packs with disposable changing mat, nappy bag, nappy and travel wipes, so much easier than lugging a huge bag into that small loo!

Diaper garbage bags are ideal for keeping a dirty diaper until you can dispose of it in the trash. They are also handy for isolating soiled clothes and keeping nasty smells hidden.

Pack a spare set of clothes for baby, but also a shirt for yourself – accidents happen.

Use disposable bibs, keep a few sterilised dummies in your bag and never (ever) go anywhere without wet wipes.

Last but not least remember that baby needs her own documentation for the journey. This will vary depending on your destination but make sure you have her passport or other required documents on hand. Most importantly, don’t sweat the small stuff.

If you have any tips to add, please comment below!

Bon Voyage!

Helga x

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