Share your tips for planning a family holiday with a baby or toddler with Thomas Cook - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

Going on holiday with a baby or toddler in tow means you’re likely having to plan for things you’ve never even considered before. Whether you’re new to holidays with a baby or toddler or feel like you’ve got too much experience, Thomas Cook would like to hear the tips you have for planning a family holiday with a baby or toddler.

Here’s what Thomas Cook has to say: “Going away with a baby or toddler can, at times, be a little stressful; there are lots of readers out there with some great tips to help make things easier for other mums, meaning that everyone can enjoy their well-earned time away”

Do you find that it’s easiest to book a package holiday so that the big stuff is done all in one go? Perhaps you have tips for making a flight run smoothly? Or maybe you have ideas for keeping them entertained when you’ve had to scale down their toy collection for the week?

Whatever your tips, share them below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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This is when some of those duplicate presents can be most useful as you can take a few little ones along so that if they get left behing it's just at home arriving a little ahead if you. Little books with clips that attach to pushchairs high chairs etc are so handy too.

Remember the nappies :)

Get the best daytime flights that you can - we tried flying overnight, thinking that our two would sleep the journey away...how wrong we were! It was the night from hell, no one got any sleep - my youngest was on the floor of the plane crying, she was so tired, but just couldn't get to sleep. Absolutely hanging by the time we got to the resort the following morning.

Give them a little rucksack full of new small toys and things to do - sticker books/puzzle books/colouring books, card games etc. They love having new things and it will keep them busy and occupied during the flight.
Do your research before you book and ensure that the hotel/resort has everything that you want/need. If your kids are happy you will have a happy holiday!

Do lots of research

We took our LO to France when he was 18 months old - I was very anxious about it - but it was actually fine :) The plane journey was short - we packed lots of snacks, drinks & activity books to keep him occupied. Sticker books are great as he focused on tearing off each one individually & sticking them to every part of me - something I was prepared to endure if it kept him content!! The journey there was great..
However.. on the return journey - the flight was delayed so we had a looong wait - LO got fed up, was awake through his usual nap time & screamed most of the return journey.. this was why it was good it was only a short flight though! A very kind parent offered us a dummy for him on the return fligh - so I'd say pack one of those for emergencies if your child is partial to one!
Otherwise though - it was a great holiday - we enjoyed the sunshine & the pool safely - all took long afternoon naps while it was hotter & stayed up later in the evenings when it was cooler.

Ours are older now, but when they were little we found it easier to go to places we could travel to by car (two buggies on Eurostar as well as luggage was not fun!).
When staying abroad in a hotel or similar, try to book as much baby stuff you can eg travel cot, stair gates. A baby/child friendly hotel/resort was a must for us, and I would recommend the ‘family’ hotels that some companies specialise in as they have playgrounds, small pools etc.

Depending on the age, make sure they have something to keep them occupied during the travelling (whether it be a tablet or a cuddly toy). This will hopefully keep their attention focused on that to avoid boredom and make it seem quicker.

Also make sure all attractions etc. you want to do with the kids are actually open and available. I know someone who went away once and the water park they had promised their children a visit to was closed down for the season.

If you have to fly, put together a pack of things to do, and/or a tablet for watching videos.

I find having really low expectations really helps. I was fully prepared for dd to be horrific on her first flight and prepared accordingly with lots of sweets entertainment to keep her distracted. When she wasn't too bad, it felt like a huge win!

My daughter is 9 now and it is just me and her, but we frequently travel abroad to visit my parents who live in France. I remember the first few flights were scary and the worst one was a long haul when she was around 4. She was actually fine but I was on tenterhooks the whole way.

Tips that I have learnt the hard way to start implementing :

Take a change of cloths in case of any accidents
Wet Wipes
Feeding products/sterilising
Books and colouring books
Electronics - download some of those free apps on your phone which don't require Data usage.

Package holidays although can sometimes work out more expensive are handy because everything is catered for, you don't need to worry as it should all be taken care of.
I also like to stay at All Inc or Full Board resorts as food isnt a worry.

Spare clothes for yourself on the plane, I arrived once on holiday covered in yoghurt!

No need to carry many extra diapers, tinned food, all sorts of medicines etc if going to a first world country. Its all available to buy everywhere and saves on the stress if having to pack and cart. You should aim for as less luggage as possible while traveling with tots.

A very light pushchair (except when trekking in forests) is great for even older toddlers who might be tired.

Hop in hop offs are a fantastic way to see the whole city with children and then focus on what you want to see in more detail

Pack lots of snacks and prepare a special travel activity pack to keep them busy when boredom starts to kick in

You just have to work around the kids otherwise you will have unhappy screaming tired kids. Go full board or half board atleast so kids can eat on time

Umbrella folding pushchair - plus sling for bumpy paths and places with steps
Don't attempt to do too much sightseeing, to maintain at least some of the usual routine for naps etc - baby pace is totally different to adult pace!
Self catering with a separate bedroom, so you don't have to be out in the evening or tiptoeing around your room.

I found the most relaxing and enjoyable holiday we've had with children was a villa holiday to menorca, the villa was equipped with dishwasher, and washing machine and highchair, cot and safety gates, it was fabulous we had our own pool which was cleaned every day, we flew from our local airport which made the travelling with young children so much easier as the flight times tend to be more sociable times and we didn't have to arrive hours and hours earlier as with larger airports. so my main tips would be to travel from your local airport if at all possible and book your own place. Bliss

Prepare for flight delays and other obstacles by packing extra clothes (bedtime clothes for later flights), nappies and a spare clean bottle (buy milk from a shop, cafe) and extra change to use for snacks and drinks to keep you and littles topped up. An ipad with child friendly games that don't require wifi is always a winner as well as colouring, finger puppets, and if you have room a travel game for older children.

When we first travelled with our son as a toddler it was all about the planning. I spent time choosing the right flights, hotels and transport. It was so much easier booking a package although it would have been better if you could also tailor flight times. I think as a mum holidays can be a stressful time especially if the plans don't quite go correctly. But I would say make time for yourself and try and get some down time as it will pay off for everyone if you can have time to recharge the batteries.

I really think the best tip for travelling with little ones is not to overthink it and stress about the whole thing. If you go into it relaxed and with the attitude of going with the flow, you're less likely to get upset if the baby throws a spanner in the works. Just be more relaxed about eating or sleeping, and follow your baby's cues.

preparation is key! Don't be afraid to ask a million questions. Things like are there socket covers for safety and whether any pool floats or beach toys are provided as that saves loads of packing space if you don't need to take your own.

We try to plan ahead and be as organised as possible. If the fight is at night then I'd hope the children would sleep but would also have back up books, snacks etc just in case.

I would ultimately say that id travelling with a toddler in tow to choose and plan your holiday around them. I wouldn't go somewhere where the temperature would be unbearable for them and certainly i'd look for a short haul destination with as little time difference as possible. I would also make sure that the destination is family friendly and has lots of activities for my child to get involved in to keep them entertained.

Preparation, preparation, preparation.

I have always booked toddler-friendly destinations, with cots/highchairs/baby gates to avoid having to mess with those. Journeys are planned with snacks and activities, and travel times around naps/bedtime whenever possible.

DS is very much a planes, trains and automobiles kind of child, but he also enjoys playing with the contents of my kitchen cupboards so he can amuse himself quite easily even if there are not as many toys as he's used to.

My biggest tip would be, work out what you can enjoy with the family you have, not how you would have it in that ideal world where the kids entertain themselves for hours on end while you sunbathe.

Do you find that it’s easiest to book a package holiday so that the big stuff is done all in one go?

Absolutely! I took my son, who was 2 years at the time, away to Spain with Thomas Cook.

Perhaps you have tips for making a flight run smoothly?

I always book late night flights as there is more chance of them sleeping. Take plenty of snacks and an iPad.

Or maybe you have ideas for keeping them entertained when you’ve had to scale down their toy collection for the week?

I always try to remember that everywhere we've been on holiday the locals have babies or toddlers too. So there's generally nothing we won't be able to buy.

Put a bag together with entertainment and goodies in for your children to keep them entertained during the flight