So, we’re back in the land of soggy playgrounds, Oyster cards and Living Etc, after our 2 week family holiday in the Bahamas, via Miami with our 2 and 3/4 year old. It was our first and despite all my worries about the flight, routine, keeping him entertained and tantrums, it was probably one of the best trips I’ve ever had. Plus, when you have a conversation on the way to the airport coming home like this, you know it’s been a success:
MG: Mummy, I’m not going home!
Mummy: Darling, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Did you have a good holiday?
MG: Yes
Mummy: But now we can go home and see your friends and your toys and your bedroom. You can wear your snowsuit too, because it’s very cold.
MG: I don’t like going home.
Mummy: Oh Nello, no one likes going home. (looks wistfully at the palm tree lined beach running adjacent to the road)
So here’s my discoveries from travelling with a toddler!
1. If I have the choice, I will always choose an airport with a considered play area for children. We travelled from London Heathrow (Terminal 3) which has the Family Lounge, a free haven for travel-anxious parents and their kids with some energy to burn. There’s soft play areas, a games room for older kids, cartoons on loop, baby change facilities and most importantly a Costa coffee machine for the mums and dads. MG wore himself out so much in there, he was asleep as we took off – result!!
Lynden Pindling Airport, Nassau also has a maritime-inspired play zone for kids, much to the delight of MG.
2. Preparation is key to keeping a toddler entertained on a long-haul (10 hours for us) flight, iPad (loaded with new apps and episodes of Peppa Pig and Mr Tumble), a giant sticker book, crayons, lego and lots of snacks made our flights pretty much stress-free.
We also bought a genius Skoot suitcase, which is a carry-on sized ride on suitcase that also became an invaluable toy for MG on the rare occasions boredom kicked in.
MG’s lego pieces were the perfect size for the airplane tray table.
3. Although we spent the majority of our holiday with a friend (great tip for a value family holiday – pick a location where you can stay with someone), we had 2 nights in South Beach, Miami. Rather then book a traditional hotel room, I went for a studio apartment a block away from the beach, at Jetset Franklin. Why? Toddlers need space to run around – the kitchenette (including a fridge and microwave – much needed for his hot milky dilky time), a dining table and living room area with a sofabed for Daddy, a shower room and then a screened-off bedroom area were perfection.
Our suite, Rothko, at Jetset Franklin on Collins Avenue and just a block away from the legendary Miami Beach
4. They will surprise you with their gourmet superiority (he even became a intrigued member of the Tru Bahamian Food Tour we did) – throughout our trip MG tried conch fritters, fruit punch, coconut water straight from a coconut, salted caramel chocolate, Bahamian spicy chicken stew and fish fingers (the fish being fresh off the boat and coated in tasty stuff)….
While MG loves his Vita coconut juice, he plowed his way through the real thing
5. Beach time won’t involve switching between sleep, a cold beer, book and surf, but rather building sandcastles and trying to stop your kid eating sand and running blindly into the sea, attempting to shower them down while they repeatedly put their feet back into the sand and comforting them when they get freaked out by a crab.
Such was MG’s curiosity about sand, he seemed to coat himself in it (every crevice)
6. Everything is more exciting through a child’s eyes – Caribbean road side shrubbery becomes a jungle, the hottest soca song surpasses ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ (my child has turned into a Carnival raver!!), pirates are toddler celebrities (MG went into full on explosion mode at the Pirates of Nassau museum and paused to speak to every pirate mannequin we saw on the island) and a trip to the local zoo becomes an ‘animal adventure’ a la Diego of Dora the Explorer fame.
MG travelling through the ‘jungle’ on Atlantis Bahamas’ Lazy River
7. Toddlers break down all social barriers, greeting (“Hello, my name is Nello and I’m a superhero”) and charming everyone from the terrifying US border control officer to waiters, children at the park and everyone on the planes.
8. Getting into a routine is surprisingly easy. Maybe because MG knew he’d be sandwiched between Daddy and I every night and I made sure I packed a couple of his favourite bedtime stories, we were able to put him to bed really quickly (enter a fantastic date night). Little did I know he is such a dynamic sleeper, out family sleep formation was the letter N most nights, with little man sleeping diagonally, head on daddy’s back and feet dug into mine.
Yep, so this is a prime example of MG’s dynamic sleeping, but at least he did eh?
Light a candle for us on our return home, however, as the boy is waking up through the night – something we’ve not had to deal with a long time and a shock to the parental system.
What are your learnings from travelling with your kids? Please share your stories and tips!
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