Successful start to a holiday
Fancy taking your child on holiday with you?
Make sure that the journey is well planned.
Small children have higher expectations of holidays than babies: If you want to relax and recuperate, you need to make allowance for their needs, ideally before you set off:
Flying:
Doctors advise against flying in the first few weeks of a baby's life. The key thing after this is only to fly with healthy babies. The good news is that the risk of thrombosis or circulation problems that can occur in adults is negligible for little ones.
- Be aware of the change in pressure during take-off and landing. The best option is to allow the baby to suck on something: give him a pacifier, beaker or bottle.
- Sitting in a confined space and being obliged to wear a seat belt can unsettle little ones when flying. One tried-and-tested tip is to take some headphones with you and play the baby's favourite music or favourite fairytale to him.
- Be aware of the air conditioning in the aircraft: take an adaptable outfit with several layers.
- Collapsible buggies can often be carried as hand luggage – check with the airline before you fly.
- Children aged up to twelve months can fly without their own ticket, but this means they don't get their own seat. Space can be at a premium. If you want more space, you must either hope for some empty seats and friendly cabin crew – or pay around 80 per cent of the standard price for a baby ticket.
Travelling by train:
- Travelling by train may sound relaxing, but for small children this is only the case if the journey's not too long. The average tipping point is two to three hours; maybe longer at night.
- Trains offer greater scope for moving around (no seat belts), but it can often be dirty – make sure you pack plenty of cleansing wipes and spare clothing.
- A good compromise if available is to take the car on the train. You can relax as the train takes the strain, but you'll have the flexibility at your holiday resort and you don't need to worry about your luggage.
- Have the child sit in a buggy? No, buggies and prams have to be folded up on trains because there's not enough room for them.
Lots of train companies offer parent and child compartments. Make sure you reserve a space well ahead!
