Tips to have a stress-free holiday with a baby

Travelling with a little one can be daunting, especially in the lead up to your trip. From planning your holiday to hitting the road, there are plenty of ways to ensure you are set up for success to minimise stress so the whole family can enjoy. After our first holiday as a family of five, here are my top tips for making long-lasting memories. 

1. Plan a family-friendly trip

Think about what type of trip would be best for a stress-free family holiday. Babies are adaptable to almost every environment, as long as they have you, they’ll have all they need. However, some styles of travel are a lot easier than others, depending on who makes up your family.

If you’re after a relaxing holiday, you may want to consider travelling locally and staying in an Airbnb. If it fits within your budget an all-inclusive resort is a great option and usually in a beautiful warm location in Queensland or tropical setting like Bali. 

Road trips and camping are generally seen as more challenging styles of travel with a baby.  This is how we chose to spend our first holiday as a family of 5 and we had a great time! If you choose to stay in a caravan park with lots of facilities, you’ll all be more than comfortable.

2. Be organised

In the lead up to your holiday, you’ll want to make sure you have everything organised well in advance. Whether that’s passports and visas or meal prepping, being organised will keep the travel related stress at bay.

One of the best ways to ensure that all your tasks are catered for is to create a checklist of all the items you need for your trip and things you need to do. As you move through your checklist, you’ll begin to feel more confident that you’re organised for your holiday. Make sure to save your checklist on your phone for your next adventure!

3. Manage Expectations

Let’s be real. Travelling with kids is a totally different experience than travelling before kids. But kids are hard no matter where you are so be prepared to work through challenges on your trip.

Despite this, travelling with kids is certainly achievable. You’ll need to manage your expectations for the trip based on your kids current ages and abilities. Sometimes this might mean missing out on things like that long hike and opting for a scenic drive instead or going out for early dinners instead of enjoying a night cap at the bar.

4. Master packing (for a baby)

It’s a common understanding that babies come with a lot of “stuff”. So, when it comes to packing for a baby before your family holiday, it can be quite overwhelming to know what you should pack. Let’s start by saying: “don’t overpack!”

The more you have with you, the more stressful the trip becomes. Travelling is the easiest when you embrace a minimalist mindset. 

My rules are simple:

• If I’m not going to use it daily, then it doesn't get packed.
• If it doesn't fit in the suitcase or car comfortably, leave it at home

While overpacking can be a challenge for some, make sure you don’t end up under packing. If something for your baby is going to make your trip easier and less stressful, then finding a way to take it along can be very beneficial. These items will depend on the type of trip but are generally focused on the essential items. 

On our recent camping trip, we packed our Cushii Lounger for our four-month-old. This was great so we could put her down while we were hanging out by the caravan or eating a meal. It's also very easy to pop into the back of the car for outings or carry down to the beach and can double as a place to change baby.

Another great option is to pack a nappy caddy. It can make life a bit easier as you can have all the essential baby items easily accessible, portable and always within reach. It can be stocked with nappies, wipes, extra onesies, spare dummies, sunscreen, mozzie spray and snacks for the family. You can pop it in the back of the car, in the caravan or even take it poolside! 

5. Plan kid-friendly activities

Planning fun activities for your kids is a great way to ensure your whole family enjoys the trip. Some of our go-to family favourites include seeking out a local playground, spending the morning at a market, roasting marshmallows around the campfire or sight-seeing that doesn't require walking (e.g. from a bus or boat).

These don’t need to be the focus of your family holiday but incorporating different age-specific activities will go a long way. Bonus points if you find ways to make kid-friendly activities fun for the adults as well!

6. Build in downtime

Incorporating downtime into your travel itinerary is a non-negotiable for my family. Between busy days and nap schedules we found our holidays are less-stress when we try to carve out some downtime.

When travelling with kids who still nap, we always ensure that at least one of their day naps will be in their bed. This usually means we spend just the morning or afternoon exploring.

If you’re travelling for over a week, it’s also a great idea to have one or two days where you don’t do too much and spend the day relaxing. We like to sit by a pool or play games as a family on these days.

You might want to consider having something along for little babies (who aren’t sitting yet) to have somewhere to play and have downtime as well, we love using our Cushii Lounger for baby as it's super comfortable and portable.

7. Don’t forget the snacks, ever

If you’re travelling with kids over six months old, snacks are essential, especially on long road trips or flights, they can mean the difference between complete meltdowns and making it through tear-free.

Some great snack options (that are less messy) include: sultanas, yoghurt pouches (or in a Subo), pretzels, dry cereal and bliss balls. 

Overall

If you’re not sure about travelling with your kids and baby, take the trip and embrace the challenges of parenting in a new and beautiful location. You won’t regret making those lasting family memories. Don’t forget to take photos and turn them into a photobook for you to look back on for years to come!