How do you travel with an infant or a child? All travel savvy individuals could hit the panic button at any point of the trip. However, after so many road trips, plane rides and my futile attempts to set aside vacation time and introduce my little girl to the cultures of different places, I believe I have mastered the art of vacationing with a toddler. And this usually depends in finding and staying in Child-friendly hotels.
As all travels will go, one trip is bound to be a bit of a challenge and for every challenge, it's important there should be enough detailed preparation beforehand.
Here is a simple list I've drawn up to make traveling with kids easier:
* Pack well. Don't forget to bring the usual medications for fever, coughs and colds, tummy aches and nausea. Pack along her favorite blanket, doll, book and DVD. If you have a portable DVD player, all the better.
* Plan your itinerary ahead of time. Choosing which places to visit, and people to meet and the amount of shopping to do, well ahead of time, will save you from a lot of headache. Discuss with your child the purpose of the trip and consider her suggestions, preferences and always make room for tantrums.
* Choose a child-friendly hotel. With all the hassle in going back and forth to your destination, always see to it that you will be staying in a child friendly place. To make sure that you do choose such an accommodation, below are my personal notes on what a child friendly hotel is.
So, here are a few of my notes in considering a child friendly hotel to ease the worries of travelling:
* Firstly, check the hotel's fire prevention measures. Each floor must be equipped with fire extinguishers and your room must carry an exit plan. If there is none posted, you can request the front desk to provide you with the information. Make sure that you know where the exits are and that there are no possible fire hazards in your hotel quarters. Make sure that the free matches, lighters and other flammable materials are out of your child's reach.
* Request a non-smoking room. Keeping your toddler safe from any asthma attacks or bouts of colds and allergies, always request a non-smoking accommodation. This way, you would be able to sleep with covers and carpets free from the distinctive smell of tobacco.
* Bring along plastic plug guards and plastic lock things. At my place, all my sockets are guarded with plug guards and I am pretty sure your home is too. Child-friendly hotels offer these plug guards and if there aren't any already, you may place a request for them. The plastic lock things will keep our youngsters from venturing into cabinets and getting themselves locked in.
* Make sure that your choice of hotel accommodation has available cribs, high chairs and other necessities for your little one. These cribs should be made of durable material, with slats or bars that are at the right size. We don't want our kids' heads getting jammed.
* Make sure that when you're staying on the upper floors that you lock the balcony doors and windows to avoid any mishaps. A good talk with your little one about the dangers of leaning closely on windows and doors will help her steer away from the area. Your child-friendly hotel would have accommodations located at the ground level or mezzanine floor, with child safety locks on windows and doors.
* Kids will always get bored, so when that time comes, make sure that your choice of hotel carries the cartoon T.V. channels and also have locks to avoid jumping into the adult ones.
* Child-friendly hotels carry the basic amenities of warm bath water, excellent room service for hot water to be used to sterilize bottles if needed, friendly staff that makes sure our kids get the hospitality they deserve and lastly, is well guarded by a 24-hour security staff.
A number of hotels that are situated near theme parks and child recreation centers are most likely to be child friendly. Start your research with these groups and manage to plot a good kid-friendly trip for yourself and your little one.
It will be an exciting trip for the whole family, if you just remember to gear up and prepare for the worst without over worrying.
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