How to plan toddler friendly holidays
Every parent knows that children change their parents lives forever. One of the clearest ways this can be seen is in the types of holidays that parents take. In the past they may have enjoyed hours laying on the beach soaking up the sun or perhaps taking part in sporting or adventure breaks. New parents often wonder if they will ever be able to fit in a holiday again they can get so overwhelmed with seemingly endless nappy changes and night-time feeds that a holiday seems out of the question.
Toddler friendly holidays abroad are not only possible but with careful planning they can be a lot easier than you think.
Change your focus
Plan every stage of your holiday with your child in mind. If you have a baby then remember that you are going to be carrying or pushing the baby everywhere you go. If you have a toddler then be honest with yourself about your child’s abilities. Don’t plan an eight hour sightseeing trip around your destination and expect a two year old to be able to keep up or even to be very interested in what you are doing.
Plan your journey
For parents with toddlers the journey can be one of the most stressful parts of the holiday. Even a ten minute car journey can cause cries of “are we nearly there yet?” so a long flight is often dreaded by parents.
The key to a stress-free flight is preparation. It is easy to think that the airline will provide in-flight entertainment and not to bother preparing anything. Parents forget how much waiting around there is with air travel. You arrive at the airport hours in advance of your flight and spend most of that time just sitting and waiting. What you should bring to keep your toddler happy will depend on what they like. It can be anything from a simple colouring book to soft toy. As long as it is small and light enough to fit in your hand luggage it doesn’t matter. This principle applies not only to your flights but also to any travelling you will do in your destination.
Choose your Accommodation
Your holiday apartment should come most things that you need to keep your toddler happy during your holiday. If you have any concerns about what may be provided then you can always check in advance. Apartments are a better choice than hotels for toddler friendly holidays abroad. The problem that many parents experience with hotels is that after putting children to bed in the evening their options are very limited. Young children will generally want to sleep earlier than their parents. In a hotel room that means that once the children are asleep either the parents are sitting in the dark whispering or they are sitting in the corridor or the bathroom every night.An apartment with a separate living and sleeping space makes life much easier for everyone.
Getting around on your holiday
If you are travelling with a toddler then it is important to research your destination thoroughly before you travel. Make sure there are lots of things that both you and your child will enjoy doing there. Remember that entertaining children doesn’t have to be expensive. They are generally happy with simple things like a park to run around and play in or a bucket and spade on the beach. Toddler friendly holidays abroad don’t have to mean giving up everything that you want to do. They just mean not trying to fit too much in and allowing some time for your toddler to have fun as well.
