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

Standard Insight T&CS apply

Plan somewhere that is within reasonable travelling distance

Take some Calpol sachets on the plane (with your other liquids) as they're less likely to break/leak than a bottle and are pre-measured.

Take some wet bags (the kind used with cloth nappies) in your hand luggage. Any clothes that get wet or soiled in transit can go in there until you get a chance to wash them.

Don't travel more than 3 hours away.
Take flights within normal waking hours.
Don't have a strict schedule.

i took my son when he was 9 months, i took a few ready made milk cartons and an ice cream tub for a steriliser. I bought a second hand lightweight stroller for the plane so it didnt matter if it got damaged. We booked all inclusive at a family resort and good flight times

Bring plenty of snacks and entertainment for when you are traveling .

Find a good hotel that has plenty of child friendly facilities, play group etc. Also check out the reviews. Sterilising tablets are easier than liquids and take plenty of milk with you to prevent having to change (wouldn't it be fab if tour operators could have spare?)

Make sure you have plenty of snacks and games handy

Apartments or villas not a hotel room as they will need to go to bed first and we didn't fancy sitting quietly in the dark. Kitchen facilities means you can feed them food they like and at times they are used to. Well slept and well fed littlies always make for a good holiday.

Don't. Haha, not really!

Best advice from me is make sure you have plenty to keep them occupied during travel times and plenty of child friendly snacks.

And don't let them pack their own toys, or if you do, check what they've packed! On one visit we made by train to family about 300 miles away I let thye older two pack a bag each with things to occupy them on the train. They were around pre school/start of infant school age. My DD sensibly took colouring things, comics etc. DS1, however, filled his entire bag with wooden bricks. What made it more bizarre was these were bricks he never, ever played with at home.

Use everything at your disposal. This can be electronic tablets, snack-packs, home-made trays that stop things from falling in the car and most importantly human interaction! Verbal and visual games can make excellent memories.

book in advance. research research research your hotel its facilities and its location. If the baby is happy you will be happy.

Research thoroughly before booking a holiday so that the climate and destination are right for everyone.
Take familiar toys for the journey especially if it’s the child’s first time away.
Keep the travelling to a minimum.
Have a bag with you that contains...’ whatif’s’. Items that will tide you over if luggage goes missing.

Lots of things for your toddler to do to break up the journey like books, colouring, take some snacks. Book appropriate hotel for your toddler and all the things you like doing are within reasonable range! Hats/caps all around! :)

We tend to holiday over here in the UK and base our holiday around the kids, our pleasure comes from seeing them have a great time and it's alot less stressful than long journeys etc.

Take plenty to keep them busy!! Doesn't have to be tech!! Take doodle boards, I spy games, card games etc! Involve them in what they would like to take too.

If possible arrange travelling times around nap times, take lots of things to amuse but don;t take a cherished toy incase it gets lost. buy a cheap light stroller.

when we have taken our toddler on holiday in the past we took 2 ipads so when the 1st battery died we had a back up. also plenty of snacks x

Organisation is key! Have a checklist and check it twice. Go for a hotel that is family orientated with toddler pool facilities and kids Clubs. Have plenty of snacks, changes of clothes and iPad for the journey!

Drive. You can pack everything you need, including favorite toys etc. use a portable DVD player and plan plenty of stops for a little run around and a play.

Pick flight times to coincide with feeding times

We have mostly gone for package all inclusive holidays with small children as they dont want to be walking around everyday while looking for restaurants and then spending a fortune on a meal they might hate because its a little different to what they are used to. At least with all inclusive there is plenty of choice and they can choose themselves. Plus kids need to make sure they stay hydrated and drinks are included which can be a cost when self catering. Package holidays usually have the best entertainment especially for kids such as the evening disco and shows as well as the day time kids clubs or family activities. For the plane we take snacks and juice, a little bag each of their toys. A cuddly of their choice, some colouring in and maybe be some travel games or mini jigsaws. Taking a ipad or tablet with books/games on is great too. Some airlines you are able to take play doh. Always have a blanket and a jumper for kids as the plane can get cold once in the air. Dont forget you can buy most things where you are travelling such as nappies and wipes so you dont have to use the bulky items in your luggage allowance. Always take a mini firwst aid kit for travelling, we have always used something if its a plaster, tummy upset medicine or rash cream. If you are going somehwere hot the kids probably wont need pjs, I always took them and they never needed them! I did take a pillow case for my young baby and a travel cot mattress which fit nicely in our case as he had eczema so didnt want his skin to flare up too much.

Our ideal family holiday is one without a kids club, a pool would be nice but really lots of open spaces, a park, and a beach is our preference. Also we look for child friendly restaurants in the area as we want to spend quality time together as a family and nothing like falling into bed at night after a fun day building sandcastles and paddling in the sea.

Loads of sunscreen. A variety of hats to keep everyone happy. A few toys and books from home but not too many as they will be busy enjoying themselves. If you can travel during times they are likely to sleep that's ideal. Also I think try for some adult alone time either by using a kids club or each taking turns in looking after babies while the other one sunbathes/reads/goes to the spa or whatever.

Research research research. Make a list of everything you need to take so all options are covered.

Put together a activity pack for flights - something that they can explore during the journey. If the items can be wrapped that makes it doubly fun! Things like snacks, child sized headphones, magazines, little toys, activity books and crayons etc.

Book night flights in the hope that they will sleep!