Bangkok with Baby:

A Short Guide to Travelling Long Haul with a Toddler in Tow...

Even at the best of times long haul travelling is both tiring and tiresome. When Dee was five months old we took our first plunge into the world of (long haul!) travel as parents. Needless to say it was pretty easy, being so young she pretty much slept the whole journey and when awake was contented to play on the floor with a few toys.
Since then, we have only ventured a few hours away by plane, for which she was happy to be entertained and dozed intermittently.

However, in a moment of apparent madness four months ago, we decided to take a trip to Thailand to soak up some culture and enjoy some winter sun. If I'm honest I was dreading the journey from the moment our payment went through and as the the date grew ever closer my fears of travelling so far with Dee were turning into full blown erratic questionings inside my head -  Will she sleep? What will she eat? What about mosquitoes? What are the hospitals like? Will she wail for 15 hours straight on the plane? WILL SHE SLEEP????

As my questions starting to morph into untold terror I turned to my well travelled husband for support. His response -  'They do have babies in Thailand Katie!' This did not help.

In a bid to busy myself in the few short weeks before departure (and obvious imminent death!), I took to my online community to seek solace and advice. What I read in various forums and blogs only enhanced my terror. 'Travelling long haul with a 15 month old - help!' was met with a flurry of 'Don't do its!' At which point I fell into the dark world of 'mortal peril' mindset.

After steadying myself with a cat-nap and a large gin I set out on finding more positive outlooks on the world of travel with toddler. I found some really interesting and informative blogs which helped calm my nerves a little. I also found some really useful sites that specialised in traveling with kids. These helped immensely, their overall collective viewpoint being - 'Be Prepared'.
So prepared I would be.

My first and biggest worry was the plane. We have all been on flights on which a baby wails for the entire journey or you get a toddler kicking the back of your seat until you are black and blue. It wasn't the fact that I was bothered about myself, or how little sleep I was going to get, it was for the welfare of our unknown travel companions who would have to endure Dee at her most tired and fraught. Don't get me wrong, Dee is a really good girl, she eats, sleeps and plays well. However, you just don't know what 17 hours, 3 airports and air-conditioning will do to one that young!
In a bid to keep her happy, content and entertained, I went about making a 'Plane Pack' for her.

Here is my 'must take' list to ensure safe passage.

• Suitcase -  Small enough to carry on as hand luggage, but large enough to contain all the things you will need. The various compartments in these wonders make it really easy to grab something at a moments notice. I picked one up at TKMaxx for about £12. 

• Food/Milk - Most airports are great with you taking the ready made up cartons of milk on board now, with a little effort and a nice smile at the security gate you can pretty much get away with 3/4 cartons. My advice is to take a few then buy more at Boots/other chemist once you are through security. I took a couple of meals on board as well just incase she became fussy. TOP TIP: take some powdered milk with you just incase -  you may be delayed etc. 

• Snacks - You will need plenty of these. I took lots of little packets of munchie biscuits, a few bananas, raisins, breadsticks, crackerbreads. These are all yummy and provide a quick fix whilst waiting for their milk or meal. 

Dee loves these.

These take a little more nibbling! 

Quick energy fix.

• Toys are essential, but you shouldnt take anything too large or too noisy for obvious reasons. My top tip is to play to their loves - this for Dee is sorting, reading and Peppa Pig. TOP TIP: Fill a small bag with small cheap toys, the cheaper the better as they do tend to get lost. I  scoured pound shops before I left. Here are some of my favourite finds.  

Peppa Pig Figures

Hours of magnet sorting fun.

A little more pricey -  but this megasketcher was well worth it. 

• APP's. - I know this isn't for everyone. Before long haul travel I was always the kind of person who would secretly judge those parents who resort to their iphone/ipad to keep their child entertained, however, these little apps proved a godsend. We would obviously limit their use but they did stop a couple of meltdowns.

Toddler Touch app. A beautifully vibrant, easy to use app for little finger. Basically a picture book consisting a picture of something and its name. Each picture has its own cute sound effect (we particularly love the Teddy!) and a nice lady spells out the word for you. Wonderful!

This top rated app is absolutely wonderful. I am tempted to do a whole post on it as its that good. Every parent should buy it. The story begins by setting a lovely night time scene in a farmyard, all you have to do is navigate your way around to the various animals and switch off their night lights so that they can go to sleep. The almost 3-D effect of this app is lovely and gives the whole thing texture. Dee simply adores putting all the animals to sleep. A useful tool as an aid to bedtime. 

Does what it says on the tin. Colourful, happy and full of americanised baby babble. Toddlers love this, you however, may not. (The wheels on the bus go round and round and round and round and round...).

• And the rest. Remember to pack extra sets of clothes, plenty of nappies if your little one isn't potty trained and sleepsuits. Babies seem to explode on planes so having plenty of changes is essential. Also remember to take their favourite comforter -  it really does help. 

I know this all seems pretty indepth, but I assure you it will help you ALL (other passengers included) to have a journey that is significantly less stressful. I felt I spent weeks worrying about things that became inconsequential when I should have just enjoyed the run up to the holiday. Remember, babies/toddlers are intuitive little things and when they sense you are tense, they too become tense. 

In the end, Dee was wonderful. In two 17 hour trips she cried for about 30 minutes. It's lovely to hear other people comment on how well your child has behaved, it makes me feel very proud. In hindsight, I don't think I could have done it without all my prep. Being organised is key and I hope this little guide has helped some other frazzled parents make the decision to go a little further afield on their next holiday, I promise you you won't regret it. Seeing Dee's little face light up in the pool, splashing and laughing in the sun, makes every second of the long journey worth it. 

Happy Travelling.

Love till next time - L&L xx