TOP TIPS FOR TRAVELLING WITH BABIES While flying can be overwhelming during these challenging times, travelling with a baby can be a daunting process-it requires a lot more prepping and extra packing. The most important thing to remember is to stay calm and be patient with yourself and your baby. Car rental experts at StressFreeCarRental.com have put together a range of ways to make travelling easier with little ones from bringing double the baby necessities to pre-booking airport transfers. GO TO THE AIRPORT BATHROOM BEFORE BOARDING: It’s a good idea to board the plane with your baby’s diaper being freshly changed. Head to the airport bathroom before heading to your gate. The bathrooms at the airport are roomier and better equipped than ones on the aircraft. BRING DOUBLE THE BABY NECESSITIES: Never underestimate the amount of baby necessities you will need for a flight, especially if it’s a long haul. Bring twice as much formula, bottles, baby food and snacks on the plane than you think you’ll need. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, you’ll be grateful. DRESS IN COMFORTABLE LAYERS: If it’s your baby’s first time flying, you may be tempted to doll them up in a cute outfit but think of comfort and convenience first. You want your baby to be as comfortable as possible to avoid any fussing, and make sure their clothes are easy to change.
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BABY CARRIER: Managing luggage, coffee, gate details, tickets and food is complicated enough when travelling, so it’s worth getting a baby carrier and wearing your baby whilst you’re going through the airport. PACK ZIP LOCK BAGS: Babies can be messy. It’s worth having zip lock bags with you to easily clean up and dispose of any mess that your baby may make rather than waiting for a flight attendant to come around for rubbish. It’ll be easier to manage, and your fellow passengers will be pleased. PLAN YOUR AIRPORT TRANSFERS IN ADVANCE: Be sure to book your transfers to and from the airport in advance and specify that you will be travelling with a baby. By doing this you won’t have to hang around the airport waiting for transport with your child. Your journey will be smooth and quick.
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DR DELSEY is the founder of InstinctualParent.com an online community of parents looking to better their relationships with their children. She explains that meltdowns can be triggering for parents and that simple reflection exercises may help in those moments. In case you didn’t know, meltdowns are normal! If your child is losing it on a daily basis, then they are on the right track. Meltdowns are a normal part of a child’s development. Meltdowns occur when a child cannot make sense of or process, a situation or experience. And so instead they express through behavioural outbursts. Firstly, remember they are NOT doing this on purpose. Secondly, it has NOTHING to do with how good you are as a parent, (so, we can all dump our parent guilt here and read on). Tantrums are hard for ‘us’ as parents… When our children are dysregulated, it can trigger us and make us react in those moments.
In my experience, it’s the ‘parent’ that needs the most attention. In reality, our kids are a reflection of us. This can be quite confronting, I can imagine. Sometimes when I look at my son, I see parts of me I don’t want to accept… So next time you face your raging kid, ask yourself: Are you regulated? How is your energy? Are you present? Are you thinking how you are going to teach them a lesson? Because when we focus on teaching them a lesson, we aren’t able to be present. When we focus on their behaviour, it’s always going to seem ‘bad’ and we miss what’s happening beneath the behaviour.
The first thing to understand is YOU and your emotions, then the situation and then your child.
Check your tone + pace. A HIGHPITCHED tone and fast-paced words won’t calm you nor your child. Going s-l-o-w and using a soft tone will calm and reassure them. All of this takes practice. So, give yourself some compassion and love.
Usually, we’re quick to think that something is wrong with our kid, and we need to ‘fix’ them so that our problems go away.
I dive deep on this in my FREE Guide, and you can grab yourself a copy by going to: www.instinctualparent.com
BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF: Stay calm and be patient with yourself and your little one. There are usually friendly flight attendants who will do whatever they can to make your flight go smoothly. Bon Voyage! www.eastlife.co.nz JH17454
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