Whether you’ve booked flights home or abroad, or you’re planning on enjoying some staycations here in the UAE over the summer, packing for a break away with the kids is often the most stressful part of the whole experience. In partnership with Mumzworld, we’ve put together a list of travel essentials to make the process a little easier. Travelling as a family can be a pricey business so don’t forget to use our exclusive discount code LOVEBM for 10% off your purchases through the website.
1. The Pushchair
What would we do without them? Tired kids, pop them in the pushchair. Loads to carry, chuck it in the buggy. They have saved us on many occasions and are a true travel essential. Mumzworld have a fantastic range to choose from but we’ve focused on what we believe to be the best options for airline travel.
Our first pick is the Teknum – Travel lite stroller. This is a great all-rounder, lightweight, easy to fold with one hand (a massive plus in our book), comes with its own carry bag for easy storage and easily fits in air cabin storage. It also comes complete with a mosquito net cover which, whilst you might not require this for trips home to the UK, will certainly come in handy for trips abroad.
If you’re travelling with a very young baby then we love the BABYZEN YOYO2 which is perfect for newborns but can be adapted for older children too. It’s super lightweight and approved as carry-on baggage size – hurrah!
2. The Car Seat
If you’ve decided to put international travel on hold in favour of staycations this summer then there’s no time like the present to ensure that your child has the correct seating for your car. Whether you’re looking for a car seat solution for your newborn or a booster seat for older children Mumzworld have some great options to choose from.
A popular choice for newborns is the tried and tested Maxi-Cosi Marble i-Size Car Seat Essential. The nearly flat lying position and Baby-Hugg insert and seat pads create a safe and comfortable sleeping position for your baby, whilst the Click & Go installation make them easy to transfer – very important when you have a sleeping baby to move.
For children from 3 years old and above we discovered the Mifold – Hifold The Fit and Fold Booster. Boasting over 243 individual settings to allow the seat to grow with your child, the Hifold is also the most portable highback booster seat. It’s super lightweight and folds down in to a compact and travel friendly size.
3. The Travel Cot
Another absolute essential when travelling with babies and toddlers has to be the travel cot. Whilst we can’t promise baby will sleep, we can be sure that this will make your life so much easier for hotel stays and the dreaded quarantine. Bugaboo (who we love for their convenient prams) has just launched the Stardust Pop-Up Travel Cot which is super quick to assemble and put away and folds away with the mattress inside! This cot is lightweight, compact to store away and omes with a carry bag included. What’s not to like?
4. The Feeding Solution
For easy and convenient pumping on the go, at home or abroad, we love the Medela – Harmony Manual Breast Pump. This pump is so simple and comfortable to use and easy on the hands thanks to its ergonomic design. It’s super easy to clean and disinfect and it comes complete with a stand so you can avoid any spillages after expressing.
Something that can often be tricky when travelling is ensuring your bottles are cleaned properly which is why we’re including the Boon – Trip Travel Drying Rack & Bottle Brushes to our travel essentials list. The compact travel caseincludes bottle and dual ended brushes and silicon grass blades to hold bottles upright for drying. No mess, no problem.
5. The Carry On
For the ultimate in carry on we can highly recommend the Sunveno – Diaper Bag. This bag has it all and looks good to boot. It has multiple openings for easy access to your belongings – there’s nothing worse than scrabbling around trying to find something in the bottom of a bag when you’ve a crying child in tow – and pockets galore for storing everything from bottles to wet clothes. What’s more is that they’ve included a USB port so you can pop a power bank in the bag and connect with the USB port to charge your phone without needing to open the bag. That’s a yes from us.
6. The Travel Accessories
There’s nothing like negotiating a busy airport with kids to encourage you to take up the offer of an in-flight drink or two, but on discovering the Trunki – Rex Dinosaur, we can honestly say it’s transformed our travel experience. Aimed at children upwards of 3 years old, the Trunki can hold all your little one’s belongings, snacks, activities and a change of clothes or two, and also doubles up as airport transport with its ride-on aspect. This definitely beats the boredom that waiting for connections or delays can bring.
Do your kids struggle to find a comfy sleeping position on a flight, other than lying all over Mum and Dad of course? If so then the Stokke Jetkids BedBox is here to transform your inflight experience. Doubling up as a ride-on suitcase, it can also fold out into a nifty little travel bed approved by most airlines. Perfect for children aged 2-7 years old it’s great for night flights and nap times too. This cute carry case also comes with stickers so that your little one can decorate their own suitcase too.
7. The Snacks
Leave home without them at your peril. From the minute you strap your child into their car seat it’s likely they’ll have already asked you for a snack about 30 times, so to avoid imminent disaster stock up with all your travel snacks before you set off on your journey. Mumzworld have a great range to choose from, including purees and pouches to healthy biscuits and crisps. We love anything from the Kiddylicious range for both sweet and savoury options, plus they contribute towards thier 5 a day.
8. The First Aid Kit
If you haven’t one at home already then a thermometer is a great investment for your family’s health and wellbeing. This vital piece of kit is absolutely essential for ensuring your little one’s are well but also for checking ourselves, especially during times such as these. The New Braun Thermoscan 7 With Age Precision is user friendly with its large clear display and night light option too and the age precision technology takes the guess work out of interpreting your child’s temperature.
9. The Toiletries
Given we live in the sunshine all year round, you will no doubt have your own tried and tested sun creams for you and your family, but when we travel abroad, even back to the notoriously rainy UK, we can become complacent about sun safety. If enjoying the fresher climates on your holiday has made you a little pink, then Childs Farm – After Sun Organic Coconut Oil is a great skin soother. Dermatologist approved, its suitable for newborns and those with sensitive and eczema prone skin.
10. The Activities
Books and games have long been the saviour of travelling with kids. We can’t promise it’ll keep them entertained for the duration of your journey but if it can buy you even 15 minutes to try and read a bit of your book or watch some of the inflight movie then we’re on to a winner. Mumzworld have some great options for all age ranges including water painting, LCD sketch pads and sticker books for some mess free fun. The 100 Things for Little Children To Do On A Journey has some great activity suggestions to keep the little ones occupied, from noughts and crosses to puzzles and quizzes and comes with wipe clean cards and a special pen so you can re-use for future trips.
Before you travel why not take a look at Mumzworld’s Top Travel Essentials either on their website www.mumzworld.com or via the Mumzworld App. There are some great savings to be had and if you’re short on time then the Yalla option is available on a wide range of products, order before 1pm for same day delivery.
For an extra saving don’t forget to use our British Mums exclusive discount code, LOVEBM for a further 10% off.
Bon Voyage!
