How to make travelling with a toddler fun

One winter, I received an offer for a group tour to the Sundarbans with family members. However, my wife was hesitant as our son was only six months old at the time.

My friend, Saad Bin Shafique, a 'hodophile' or rather a travelholic journalist, who had already booked seats for his family on the tour, assured me that my child wouldn't face any difficulties or discomfort.

During the five-day Sundarbans tour, my son, who had already started consuming other solid and liquid foods besides breast milk, ate freshly cooked food that his mother mashed for him, enjoyed the open wilderness, and relished the company of newly introduced aunties, uncles and other children, including Saad's daughter, Ariba. 

My son didn't suffer from sleeping disorders, discomfort or even catch a cold in the winter. As parents, my wife and I enjoyed the tour as one of the best experiences of our lives because our child was with us.

It's always a privilege to travel and a unique experience to explore places away from home with children. We just need to be adequately prepared to meet the demands of the children, especially when they are toddlers and travelling to unfamiliar places. 

In Bangladesh, travelling with toddlers is not very popular because of many logistical reasons. Still, there are some parents who believe travelling is important for children. Saad is among them. So far, he has travelled to 24 countries. 

Saad with his two daughters, Ariba and Waniya. Photo: Courtesy

Before he graduated from university, he visited all 64 districts of Bangladesh. His daughter, Ariba, who is now eight, has visited 12 districts of Bangladesh and two foreign countries: India and Indonesia. 

She embarked on her first journey outside her Dhaka home when she was only seven months old. It was a group tour to Sylhet, where they visited popular tourist spots like Jaflong, Bichanakandi, and the swamp forest Ratargul in one summer.

Every child's food habits are different from those of adults. 

"So it was a concern what she would eat. Ever since we began travelling with her, I have tried to habituate her by feeding her boiled rice with liquid lentils available at local restaurants," Saad said.

Still, children need extra nutrition. He added, "That's why my wife carried home-processed cereals, a portable water heater, and other handy ingredients to prepare baby food instantly."

Like other children aged older than six months, Ariba was served boiled eggs and bananas too. These two food items were easily accessible in any place in Bangladesh.

Considering the weather is a must when travelling with toddlers, Saad suggested. As Ariba's first tour was during summer, her parents carried comfortable cotton dresses for her. 

Ariba with her parents at Cox's Bazar

Hygiene is always a big issue for children, whether they are at home or outside home. 

Recollecting Ariba's Sylhet tour, Saad said, "I was not a neatness-freak, although there was a concern about hygiene. We happily let her touch the cool water of Piyain River, and she loved the experience. But we also thoroughly washed her hands and feet afterwards." 

When she was around three years old, Ariba's India tour was an extensive one. She, along with her parents, travelled from Tamabil to Shillong, then to Guwahati, and further on to Kaziranga Forest, riding on different modes of transport. 

After a two-day stay at Guwahati, they went to Siliguri, then proceeded to Darjeeling and headed south to Kolkata before returning to Bangladesh via the Benapole port.

There always remains a possibility of children falling sick during trips, especially long ones. In every tour, Ariba's parents carry some essential medicines prescribed by their family doctor, as it's common for toddlers to catch a cold or experience stomach problems during travel.

Although Ariba didn't experience any worrying illness during her India tour, her Cox's Bazar tour was different. She was only a year old at that time. 

"On the day we returned from Teknaf, we checked into a hotel in Cox's Bazar. After having a bath, we rubbed the water off with a hotel towel. Within a few minutes, her skin was covered in rashes due to an allergic reaction from the towel. She was really uncomfortable and we were forced to shorten the trip," Saad said.

Now, when travelling with their two children including their second daughter Waniya who is two-years-old, Saad's wife makes sure to carry extra bed sheets and pillow covers from home. 

Air travel with small children also comes with a different set of problems. As it is a new experience for them, babies or children tend to become fussy or irritable on planes. So, parents should be prepared beforehand for such situations.

An economics lecturer at a private university in the city, Lubaba Nawar's son is now 18-months old. 

He experienced his first flight when he was 11-months-old. Although he did not cry a lot, he was still a little uncomfortable during the journey.  

"The airlines could have arranged some age appropriate snacks for my son as I had to pay quite a large amount for his ticket. I heard from other parents that if babies are given something to gently suck on or chew during a flight, it helps to relieve pressure in their ears. Unfortunately, I could not find any such thing (lollipops etc) at the airport, nor was I provided any on the plane," she said.  

But she tried to engage in small talk with fellow passengers at the start of the flight, so they, as well as her son, could settle in.  

There are other things to consider too before getting on a flight with a baby or toddler. Although many airlines do not usually require tickets for children under two years, it is still suggested that you book a seat for your child. 

If you are breastfeeding, you might want a window seat, or if your child needs to be fed cerelac etc during the flight, you could get an aisle seat near the bathroom so it is easier to get up and wash things. 

Why children need to travel

Saad believes that travelling makes his daughters energetic, adaptive to unusual conditions, and also helps develop their immunity. This notion is applicable to all children unless they have serious health issues.

"I know some of my acquaintances who fear travelling with toddlers. The children get sick from the slightest change in weather or temperature, some of them develop motion sickness while riding a CNG-auto rickshaw.  On the other hand, my children are used to every available transport," he said.  

Zannatul Ferdousi Manu, a tour planner and CEO of Jhatika Safar–a tour company, organises one-day tours or multi-day tours for clients. The venture also arranges tours for children as a part of Prokriti Path (Learning the nature) campaign. 

This campaign offers river cruises and tours to villages in plain lands or hilly areas, providing children with a touch of rural environments, especially agrarian culture. 

Often, fruit farm visits are organised during the harvesting period. 

"Parents are not enthusiastic about travelling with their children because they prioritise formal education over gaining knowledge from nature. Only parents with out-of-the-box thinking respond positively," Zannatul shared her experience.

In the developed world, scouting, excursions, or camping for children are widely popular because practical knowledge sustains longer than bookish knowledge, and parents prioritise practical learning over anything else. Travelling with young children is also common there.  

Jhatika Safar once organised a tour to the Sundarbans for a group of 25 travellers. Accommodation was arranged at the Iraboti Eco Resort at Mongla. In the group, there was a Norwegian family with two children aged two and four, alongside another Bangladeshi family with two children. 

"Surprisingly, the Norwegian children didn't feel uncomfortable in the wild, unlike the Bangladeshi children, because they were able to adapt to an uncommon place," Zannatul said.

She said that through travelling, children learn to explore new places, adapt to local foods, tolerate new environments, exchange thoughts with local children, and become friendly and empathetic towards people from other communities. 

"Nature nurtures children to become good human beings," Zannatul said. Her experience of tour planning for more than five years suggests that after completing a tour, children become more mature and self-dependent than those who seldom travel. 

Tips for parents travelling with toddlers

1. Try to carry home-processed food, thermos and other handy items to prepare baby food on the go
2. Always carry some basic medicine such as oral saline, paracetamol syrup etc
3. Make sure to carry chewable sweets or ear plugs to relieve air pressure during flights
4. Carry comfortable, cotton clothes for the baby if you are travelling in summer 
5. Pack extra bed sheets, pillow covers and towels to avoid skin rashes or allergies from using hotel materials