Travelling with a Toddler
We recently travelled from Nairobi to Bangalore, which in pre-Covid times would have been a much easier journey. It took us around 20 hours door to door with one layover. Overall, it went much smoother than expected with no tears and minimal stress. Here are a few things that we did which helped.
1. Preparation: We have taken several domestic flights together in Kenya and I took one international trip on my own, so we were a bit prepared about what to expect from her as well as from the environment. As soon as we knew we were going, we kept talking to her about where we were going, what to expect along the way, and whom we were going to meet once we reached. We also took our Covid vaccinations as soon as we could and waited until our family members were also fully vaccinated before we decided to travel.
2. Flights: We flew Etihad via Abu Dhabi, which was a good call. We had two four-hour flights and one six-hour layover. The first flight left during the day and the second in the middle of the night. By the time we reached home, it was around 7 a.m. Not super ideal timings, but the options were pretty limited.
3. Paperwork: We completed all necessary paperwork ahead of time including the PCR tests, verified to fly by the airline, and Air Suvidha requirements of the Indian government. We kept checking the MoH guidelines for our final destination as well as transit. Right now, India doesn’t require PCR tests for under 5 but guidelines keep changing so always best to check. One thing that we completely missed for our toddler was the yellow fever vaccination that is required by India for children over the age of 6 months coming from most countries in Africa. We had to quickly get an exemption letter from her paed that thankfully worked. Something that was very helpful was keeping all documents with one person in an organised and labelled folder especially because the number of places where you need to show multiple documents has significantly increased since the pandemic.
4. Crowds and queues: The Nairobi airport was very crowded when we left and it was a bit stressful but everywhere else crowds were limited as compared to usual. In most places, they also wave you to the front of the queue when you are with a child. I would say don’t be afraid to go to the front of the queue especially when they are tired or you feel a meltdown coming on. Keeping hand luggage minimal is a big plus.
5. Airport hotel: We booked an airport hotel room/sleeping lounge for the few hours that we were in Abu Dhabi which was the best decision ever. It was around her bedtime so she was able to sleep well for a few hours before we headed straight to the boarding gate. We also had lounge access but found it too busy and bright. The hotel was totally worth the 50 USD as we also got to rest before the next flight. We carried her pyjamas and a change of clothes so she felt like it was time to go to be just like at home.
6. Carrier: We used our Ergobaby hip seat carrier which was great as the top half detaches so I could carry her easily on my hip. I have back issues so this was especially helpful. When she was sleeping, I added the top half, which is very easy to buckle on and has a hood too for additional cover. We used the airport stroller in Abu Dhabi and I’m glad we didn’t carry ours along. However, I think this depends on your child’s preferences, how sensitive they are to their surroundings, as well as their age. E has always preferred to be in a carrier instead of a stroller, and she is very sensitive to light, noise, and movement while sleeping.
7. Food: Never underestimate the power of snacks. We carried a variety of packaged baby food pouches and snacks, which were such a hit because they were new to her. We also ordered a kids meal for the flights so that her food came before the rest.
8. Toys and books: We carried a few but they didn’t get much use to be honest. Crayons and paper, water colouring book, popit toy, and a magnet sticker book were what we carried.
9. Screens: We downloaded a series of Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood on the ipad and she watched a show for the first time ever! Because she had never had screen time before, I didn’t want to rely on the inflight entertainment shows as I felt that they would be too over stimulating and I was right. Maybe because it was new to her, she couldn’t watch the show for more than five to ten minutes at a time and only got through a show and a half over the whole trip. For one landing, she watched some Baby Shark that worked to keep her in her seat.
10. Nursing: My boobs to the rescue yet again. Honestly, I don’t know how we would have managed without nursing. This depends on the airline, but they let us use the infant seat belt so that she could sit on my lap and nurse for take off and landing. We had three seats which made it possible for me to even lie down and nurse her to sleep during both flights.
That’s about it! I’m not dreading the journey back as much anymore. Let me know if you have any additional questions- I would be happy to answer!
