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These are a few of our favourite things for travel!

Child in Nature Baby swim suit

The thought of travelling with your child or children can feel overwhelming at the best of times. A trip out of town can be enough to make even the most organised parent feel stressed, let alone international travel! We've been lucky enough to go on a few international trips with our little ones ranging in age from 10 months old to almost 4. Here's a few things we've found useful along the way! These tips don't just apply to international travel though, a lot of these tips & products will be very handy for upcoming summer adventures domestically, too!

1. A Multi-Purpose Travel Stroller

We've been lucky enough to use & test multiple travel strollers over the last 3 years and can hands down say that the Mountain Buggy Nano Urban takes the cake! The two sets of wheels that come with the stroller, are what really sets it apart! The travel wheels are perfect for strolling through airports and make the stroller compact enough to put in the overhead locker of the aeroplane. The large set of wheels are perfect for handling all terrains. In our most recent travels we went to Bali and if you've ever been to Bali you'll know how undesirable the streets are! If you're lucky, you'll have cobbled streets like the picture, but the majority of the streets have no footpaths and are uneven with lots of stones. 


The Nano Urban handled this terrain so well and was compact enough to navigate the crowds of people we came across as well. Another benefit when travelling with both a nearly 2 and nearly 4 year old, is both children could comfortably sit in the pram, one walking and one in the pram, or one in the carrier and one in the pram. The perfect solution for tired toddler legs that needed a rest. The weight limit of this stroller is 20kg, so will fit most large toddlers. 


Looking for a more affordable option that still ticks the boxes for easy travel? Consider the Mountain Buggy Nano. 

2. A Good Baby Carrier [Or Two!]

How GOOD is a baby carrier when out and about? Especially when travelling abroad or for summer adventures! We have used and loved this Ergobaby Omni 360 Carrier for the last 4.5 years and have absolutely had our money's worth out of it! It's carried both of our children in it and still comfortably fits my 2 year old. I found this carrier great for travelling as it is a completely hands free carrier. Perfect for navigating busy airports and bali streets while having your hands for carrying luggage [or drinking coffee]. The other beauty for us is that our little one will still happily sleep in this carrier, allowing for easy naps on-the-go! Although this carrier is great for a hands-free carry, it can be frustrating for toddlers being so 'restrained' and makes it more difficult when they want to have stints outside of the carrier. ENTER - the Wildride Toddler Carrier!


What's so great about a Wildride carrier you ask? Well this is the perfect solution for those toddlers who don't love being in a more fitted/structured carrier. Great for those kids who like to walk, but don't last long before needing to be carried, especially when travelling away from home. This carrier is so compact it can easily fit in your handbag, hand luggage, the baby bag, under the stroller or in the glove box of your car! Super handy for a grab & go carrier. It's also incredibly easy to scoop your little one up into when out and about, without the hassle of multiple clips to deal with. There is a lot less fabric than a traditional baby carrier also, so great in hot climates where the heat can get a bit much with baby wearing!


Wildride toddler carrier
Wildride Toddler Carrier

3. Your Home Sleep Comforts!

If you're a routine parent who thrives off having a good sleep routine, then bringing your home sleep comforts away when travelling is a MUST. We, and our children, do a lot better when having somewhat of a consistent routine when it comes to sleep on holiday. There are a few home comforts we try to bring with us when we travel to make life a little easier for all of us. 


1. Black out blinds/SnoozeShade for the port-a-cot or room. Darkness is a must for our little ones when it comes to sleep, especially during the day, so taking a portable blackout blind or SnoozeShade cot cover travelling ensures daytime naps are a little smoother when away from home. If you're out and about, a SnoozeShade blackout pram cover could be a good option, too! Not only do they provide blackout, but they are well ventilated so can be used even in hot climates! 


2. White noise - need I say more? Whether out and about or in a room, a white noise machine can help to create a consistent sleep environment for your little one when travelling. It's also great to block out any external noise and ensure a good night [or day's] sleep! These can also help to make naps on the go happen a little easier with the use of a portable sound machine. 


3. Any home comforts like a snuggly blanket, teddy or sleeping bag can help make sleep a little easier. We even take our own sheets for the cot so they smell like home! This can help your little one to feel settled and at ease when travelling, especially if you're moving around a lot during your trip. 


4. Another product we bought away with us this time was the Natural Patch Sleep Patches for our littlest one. She is definitely not as adaptable as her older brother when it comes to sleep and we had already been using these at home with good success! With a change of time zone, we thought using these patches would help with the adjustment and continuing to create a 'home away from home'.

Snoozeshade Cover

4. Warmer Weather Essentials

Here's some products specifically for if you're heading for warmer climates! Mosquito repellants and sunscreen are a MUST, for summer adventures or trips to the tropics!


With mosquito borne illnesses on the rise in tropical locations, using a strong tropical strength insect repellant is essential. We used tropical strength DEET while in Indonesia as unfortunately our preferred natural methods just aren't quite enough for these locations! We did however pair the DEET repellant with the Natural Patch Buzz Patches for added protection for the kids. We found that in the evenings when in bed, the patch was enough to give the kids' skin a break from the intense repellants - a great back up method, especially if your little one's have sensitive skin like ours do! We also packed the Natural Patch Itch Patches for if we had any insect bites. Our kids didn't get bitten at all with the use of DEET and Buzz Patches but I managed to get a few nasty bites despite covering myself in insect repellant. The Itch Patches were so great for stopping the itch and keeping the bites covered - a must for the travel kit! 


A natural, reef-safe zinc based sunscreen is also great for taking travelling. I always prefer to take my own sunscreen rather than buying these while away as I then don't have any qualms about whether it will work [and also not make the kids' skin react!]. I love our P4O sunscreen and a tube lasted us for the entirety of our holiday. I use the SPF50+ on the kids and the SPF30+ on us adults. They are both so nice to wear and the zinc base means they are reef safe and provide a good physical barrier. 


5. Swim Attire!

Good swim attire for your little ones is definitely an essential when travelling somewhere warm! Another thing we found incredibly helpful this trip was taking the kids' swim vest floaties! Our kids have been using these Sunnylife Swim Vests for two summers now and have really got the hang of using them! It allowed them, and us, to move around the pool more while being hands free and knowing they were safe. These aren't intended as life jackets, but allowed the kids to "swim" unassisted and move from the steps in to the pool confidently! We all had so much more fun with their new found independence!


In the early mornings and evenings we felt confident enough for our kids to swim in just bottoms/swim nappies without worrying about sun burn, but 99% of their day was spent wearing their full length rash tops/swim suits [and don't forget the matching hat!] for optimum sun protection! Not having to reapply sunscreen to the majority of their body after every swim was game changing. Not to mention, if you're swimming near reefs they can help with protecting your little one from nasty reef cuts. 

There are so many other things you could take travelling with you to make life easier for you and your little ones, but this is so dependent on luggage space, your accomodation set up, length of stay, where you're travelling to and so many other factors! We are all about comfort when travelling and trying to recreate the home environment as much as possible, which is why we found these things useful. When it came to things like nappies, we purchased these where we went in order to save space in our luggage, with the exception of one short stay we had in Fiji as there were no close amenities to our accomodation. Other really important things we took travelling with us were mostly first aid items including the following:


- Teething Gel for our littlest child
- Pamol and Ibuprofen just in case! 
- Electrolyte/Pedialyte sachets in case of gastro
- Antinausea tablets for us and the children
- Plasters 

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