Traveling with a child is not easy but this should not stop you from sneaking away to your perfect vacation or visit your ideal place for solace. It will infact give your child an opportunity to learn and observe as well as nourish your bond.
Don’t relinquish on your desires of wanderlust as children become surprisingly easy to handle, once their basic requirements and entertainment quotient is taken care of, and a couple of things are kept in mind.
Shorter travels for smaller childen: For starters, when you’re starting off, remember to always opt for shorter flights. Children, especially infants and toddlers, tend to get restless when they’re cooped up for so long when they aren’t used to it.
Plan like you’ve never planned before: Look for baby-friendly hotels and book all necessary items in advance. Prams, strollers, any specific food you think your baby may need and so on. Ensure you have your itinerary in place and arrangements made for pickup and drop to the airport and for sightseeing trips. Don’t do anything on the fly. The better prepared you are, the easier the trip will be for you and your baby.
Pack smart: Pack what’s familiar and convenient and make sure everything that goes into your bag can do double-duty. So if your baby absolutely cannot do without her stuffed teddy, pack that, but don’t pack any other toys. You can always keep them entertained with colourful rubber bands or a piece of paper and a crayon. It’s important to pack your child’s comfort items.
“I sincerely believe that the best education children can get is on the go, and no school or university can teach them what they can learn by travelling the world”, says Nidhi Batra, Nirvana’s co-founder.
“When I first started travelling with my baby, who was just three-months-old at the time, I was surprised and happy at how comfortable he was wherever we went. My little man was a brilliant traveller and there was definitely no looking back after that. After thoroughly planning 11 trips with my little one, we come with Nirvana Little Explorers to help other mums like me,” she added.
After a good chat with the parents about the experience they would like to give their kids, Nirvana’s team looks after making the trip kid-friendly, said Nidhi.
While it’s normal to feel worried about taking your children to strange places, it’s equally important to allow them a certain degree of freedom. You’ll be surprised at what they end up learning.
