It has been a whirlwind of a year in which I’ve set up Send a Box with my wife, learnt to code (very basic stuff, don’t expect me to build you Facebook), started freelancing by putting my website builder / graphic designer skills to the test, and oh yes I nearly forgot – I quit my job to become a stay at home dad…maybe I should have mentioned that last part first.
So Nikki (my wife) and I decided it was about time for a holiday (this term is now used lightly). Baby travel is an interesting experience and one that shouldn’t be rushed into. If you thought getting out the house normally was a challenge, try fitting all your kids belongings for a week into a suitcase that weighs under 20kg…good luck. I hasten to add we paid extra at check in.
Baby travel – research, research, research
My biggest tip about the whole process is try to remain calm and book your rooms, hotels or Airbnb’s well. By that I mean really research how child-friendly they are, because when you are chasing your child around the apartment trying to get them to put down the sound system it becomes blatantly apparent you should have done much more research.
Holidays apartments often say child-friendly, and you really don’t check the photos in detail but what we came to realise is that child-friendly often means a cot and a high chair. Knives will often be left in drawers closest to the floor, TV systems are far too easy to get to, and tables are super easy to climb.
Since returning we have found a company called Tots to Travel, and all I can say is, why did I not know about them before!
My second biggest tip is don’t open your child’s sucky water bottle 35,000ft up in the air. It will go everywhere and soak you through. I should have taken my physics class more seriously.
Here’s some other great tips from the DaddiLife community.
Activities and ‘Presents’
Have you tried a loose itinerary of “activities” coupled with small “presents”. For example they children are only allowed to watch the tv for 1-2 hours and then give them a “present” each that they can open, which is say a colouring book or small toy.
This occupies them for a while until the next activity. Sleep can just be incorporated as and when they get tired, instead of forcing them to sleep at specific time. We’ve had a few dads say this itinerary works really well on the way there, but be aware that things can happy (e.g. child sickness) that throws the whole plan right out of the window.
Gift for others
One of the pressures of baby travel is that as dads you’re conscious of the impact all that noise and disturbance is having on passengers. They probably just want a peaceful flight (lets be honest, you’ve probably been that side of the things too once before)!
So how about building some goodwill right from the start. Aurelien in the DaddiLife community told us about an idea for disturbing packed goodies (gums, ear plugs, sleeping mask etc), along with a note apologizing for any potential disturbances.
Good will – done.
How do you manage the plane and baby travel dad? Let us know in the comments.
