Tizzie Hall is an internationally renowned baby whisperer and bestselling author of Save Our Sleep. With experience and expertise working with babies, toddlers, and their parents for over 22 years, she gathered for us some precious tips to make sure we are travelling with kids stress-free!
Travelling with a baby or toddler is very different to travelling alone. The main difference is you will need to plan things well in advance. I have clearly observed over years of sleep consulting that children in a routine adapt faster and more easily to any new environment. This applies equally to children that are travelling across time zones or within their usual time zone.
Pack a sunscreen from home that you have tried on your baby or toddler. This way you know it will not react with their delicate skin and that the SPF works. It’s a good idea to bring two so you can leave one in your pool bag or at the Kid’s Club.
As far as routines for babies go, I generally recommend giving your baby a milk feed two hours before the plane is due to take-off or land so they will be hungry enough to take breast or bottle on the plane (a sucking baby’s ears will also be more comfortable during take-offs and landings). For example, if you are booked on a 4pm flight, feed your baby at 2pm rather than the usual 3pm feed, so when you offer your baby milk after take-off at 4pm they will take it.
This is for two reasons. First, it avoids hot drinks or meals having to be passed over your toddler to you and ensures you can open the meals and only pass them on when the food is not too hot to burn them; second, if you have two children, it is much easier in an emergency to drag two children behind you than to push one and drag the other.
On the first morning, put your baby or toddler straight back onto their normal routine at local time if you have crossed time zones, regardless of how often or how early they woke the previous night or that morning.