Tiny Tots Tips

10 Tiny Tot Travel Tips For Long Car Journeys

1. Keep first aid kit, wet wipes, sick bags, change of clothes, toilet roll and liquid antibacterial soap together in an easily accessible place in the car cabin so they are readily available in case of car sickness, spillages, accidents or unplanned toilet stops!

2. Have a rubbish bag handy in the car as well as some large sealable sandwich bags which can be used for storing snacks, small toys and crayons.

3. When driving at night try simulating sleeptime by changing the children into their pyjamas, pillow, slippers and blanket. You can then either read them a bedtime story or put on an audio tape to settle them down for the night.

4. Keep a torch handy for older children to read or play in the backseat of the car!

5. Children can still get sunburnt in the backseat of the car so remember to apply suncream as well using a sunblind to keep the sun out of their eyes.

6. Pack a cooler bag or lunch box full of healthy snacks as services can be expensive with a limited choice of healthy food, some ideas could be....

Grapes	Cherry tomatoes	Cucumber & Carrot Sticks
Dried fruit	Rice Cakes	Bananas
String Cheese	Breadsticks	Apple slices (dipped in orange to stop going brown)

7. Plan your stops so the kids can have a run around every couple of hours and bring a ball so everyone can have a kick about or game of catch. If possible try and leave a few hours free for relaxing at the end of the day!

8. Ensure your child has easy access to water during long journeys particularly in hot countries, the sip n snack provides a non spill cup and snack storage.

9. Have a bag of small toys and treats individually wrapped up and let the children have a lucky dip as either prizes, good behavior treats or simply as a form of distraction, some ideas could be....

	Small scribbling pad		Crayons		Stickers
	Window Crayons		Books		Window Stickers

10. The snack n play tray can be attached to the carseat and gives the kids an area to put their toys on, eat from, an be used to do activities on!

10 Tiny Tot Travel Tips For Flying

1. If possible book morning flights or flight times that suit your child's mood, often instead of toddlers falling asleep on a late flight they just end up over-stimulated and overtired.

2. If your child is under two they will need to sit on your knee for the flight, to give you extra space ask at check-in if the flight is full, if it isn't then ask to be sat next to an empty seat. If travelling on an airline where seats are not allocated, one person sit in the middle seat and the other person sit in the isle seat with the baby on their lap - generally people will choose to sit elsewhere

3. Pack healthy snacks as airline food can be expensive and limited (see Tiny Tot Travel Tips For Long Journeys for some ideas). Buy water at the airport to take on board as airlines generally do not serve drinks until airborne.

4. Take a change of clothes for your toddler or baby and if there is room in your bag a change of clothes for yourself can be useful - spillages can easily occur on flights.

5. Change your baby's nappy before you board the aeroplane as the change station in the toilet can be very cramped on the flight

6. If you cannot take your car seat onboard for your toddler, an alternative is the safety harness which can be used during take-off , landing and whilst airborne which secures your children during any turbulence or air pockets.

7. A sling or carrier can be really handy to carry your baby from the plane to the luggage reclaim where the airline deposits your pushchair - this will free up your hands whilst negotiating passport control.

8. Feed your baby during take-off and landing to help with ear pain from the changing pressure, if your baby is weaning you could use the baby safe feeder as the sucking action helps un-pop ears.

9. Make up a treat bag with individually wrapped surprises to keep children entertained and distracted if needed!

10. Although airline rules say you should only take enough food and baby milk for the journey - bear in mind that delays do happen, so pack a bit more than needed to allow for this!

At The Airport - Gatwick and Heathrow

Security still requires that all liquids are under 100mls are packed in transparent resealable bags measuring 8 x 8 inches and be able to close easily, if this is not the case some airports will charge you to use their bags.

Exceptions to the 100ml rule is baby food and milk, however you may be asked to taste 50% of what you are carrying.

Medicines can also be over 100mls however you may be asked to provide a Doctors note stating you need them for your journey as well as tasting them.

Gatwick and Heathrow airports website say they allow you to take a nappy bag as well as your cabin luggage but it is worth checking with your airline that this is the case particularly if flying a budget airline.

Ryanair

The minimum age to fly is 8 days old
The only child on-board restraint allowed is a Crelling harness.
Priority boarding for families is chargable at £4 per person each way.
Ryanair's website states that pushchairs are taken up to the aircraft steps and available at the bottom of the steps after landing - however, this is not always the case and sometimes the pushchair comes out on the baggage reclaim.
Cabin baggage dimensions are 55 x 40 x 20cm and weigh no more than 10 kg.
Infants under two are not allowed hand luggage
Hold luggage weight limit is 15kg

Easyjet

The minimum age to fly is 2 weeks old
Front facing carseats are allowed for children over 6 months, can be no wider than 42cm, made of rigid plastic or metal and have a 5 point harness -ensure your car seat is compatible with aircrafts single lap belt
Cabin baggage dimension are 55 x 40 x 20cm and no weight limit (within reason)
Hold luggage limit is 20kg
Families with children under 5 and a maximum of 2 adults board under the code SA and board after speedy boarding tickets
Pushchairs are taken up to the aircraft steps and delivered on the baggage reclaim
Infants under two are not allowed hand luggage
Bottle warming available

Thomas Cook Airlines

Minimum age to fly is 48 hours with a certificate of fitness for both baby and mother up until 2 weeks old when no certificate is required
Carseats are allowed but must be booked in advance
Hand baggage dimensions are 43 x 28 x 23 and maximum weight is 5kg, under two year olds are not entitled to hand luggage but you can purchase 10kg of hold luggage for £6 per flight, first come first serve.
Hold luggage is either 15kg or 20kg depending on your ticket
Allocated seating
Pushchairs are taken up to the aircraft steps and delivered on the baggage reclaim

British Airways

The minimum age to fly is 48 hours with the treating Doctors agreement
Hand baggage dimensions are 56 x 45 x 25cm plus a handbag, laptop bag or briefcase. Infants are allowed their own hand baggage even if under two.
Carseats are allowed but there are restrictions and they would need to be compatible with a lap belt, alternatively the AmSafe harness maybe used.
Hold luggage is a maximum of 23kg.
Allocated seating and online family check in is available 24 hours before travel
Pushchairs can either be checked in or taken to the boarding gate.
Bottle warming available

Costs of Travelling with Children

Airline	Push Chair	Carseat	Travel Cot	Infant Charge (under 2)
Ryanair (If booked online)	Free	£10 each way	£10.00 each way	£20.00 e/w
Easyjet	Free	Free	Free	£12.50 e/w
Thomas Cook	Free	Free	TBA	From £20 e/w
British Airways	Free	Free	TBA	10% of adult fare