Travelling with tots

First 10 days in New Zealand with our toddler

2011-03-10T10:30:00.000Z

Sorry for the delay in updating the blog but here is a brief outline of our first few days. I have to say that Freddie has taken the whole trip so far in his stride and it has been much easier than anticipated. Full details of accommodation to follow soon...

You can see images of our trip on our Facebook page here

Day 1
Auckland

View from balcony

We arrived surprisingly upbeat following our 35 +hour journey (you can read up on it here). Hungry we headed out to an Italian restaurant for a quick bite to eat, at first Freddie was very well behaved but just as the food arrived turned into a terror tot! Unable to keep him entertained we took eating shifts with one walking along the quay with chap while the other ate.

We all went to bed at the same time but Freddie and I were fully awake by 2 am and both ate, and played for a couple of hours before crashing again while watching TV together. (the view also helped to pass some time, Fredie loved the boats and cars...)

Day 2

Freddie and I are fortunate to have Freddie’s older brother Kieran (my oldest son) on hand to help throughout our trip down under while Pierre (daddy and hubby) works long days buying wine! We took a day trip to Waiheke island, wasn’t a bad day out and Freddie enjoyed the boat journeys – again all went to sleep at the same time and Freddie woke at 2am we were so tired we succumbed to a little Calpol to help the sleep pattern kick in and we were asleep again by 3.

Day 3
Blenheim
Flew to Blenheim, was a very bad flight due to strong winds and had to land fast and hard, Freddie’s ears caused him lots of pain (was the first time he has had trouble with them). Our accommodation in Blenheim was on a vineyard and was wonderful. We stayed here for 3 nights. Freddie’s appetite by this time had gone and so we were having a struggle at every meal time. Over the next 3 days we were surprised he was already sleeping through the night, albeit mainly in our bed!

A good day out was Picton, we took a great walk along the Queen Charlotte Track at the Marlborough sounds, (there is also a shorter circular route at ???? if the Charlotte is a little too long). Picton is the gateway to the north Island, there are regular ferries to Wellington through the sounds, or you can explore the sounds by boat checking out the wildlife including dolphins. For a break from walking and water there is a nice little play area, children’s sail boat pond and railway for kiddies of all ages.

Day 7
Kaikoura

Today we took the couple of hours drive to Kaikoura. Not an awful lot to do here for toddlers, there is a nice peninsular walk and our chap delighted in the seal colony (coming face to face with one in a bush!). There are lots of opportunities to get close to whales, dolphins and Albatross but unfortunately under 3s not allowed). Daddy stayed shore-bound and baby-sat while we enjoyed the sea life. (Kaikoura should be pronounced Kye koda – meaning to eat Krayfish – one of their delicacies (I have always pronounced it Kye koura but this apparently means ‘eat feathers!’). I think the sleeping pattern is well and truly back to normal now.

Day 8
Lake Tekapo
Began our drive to Central Otago. (we were due to fly but changed our plans as I panicked about Freddie’s ears – will be checking them out once we arrive). We drove past Christchurch and to Lake Tekapo (took about 4 hrs). A good pit stop is Geraldine where there is a nice stream to walk along and park to let off a little tot steam. Spent the night at Lake Tekapo.

Day 9
Bendigo (central otago)
Finished our drive to Central Otago (3 1/3 hrs) – good pit stop was a town called Twizel – lovely park to play in located right in front of cafes and restaurants – again a good area to let off more steam...

Day 10
Wanaka
Searched for suitable accommodation in Wanaka – my favourite place in the world! – found the perfect place...also watched Tottenham get through the next round of the Champions League – by holding off AC Milan – result! Had a lovely lunch in Wanaka. The whole lakeside is very tot friendly and houses a perfect play ground with the best dinosaur slide in the world (probably!). We also visited the doctors today to check on Freddie’s ears. As expected both are red and in need of some antibiotic treatment to aid the flight we have to make to Adelaide on Sunday (now Thursday).

Writing this I am now up to date – tomorrow we are off to Queenstown and hoping to persuade Kieran to do a skydive or bungee jump...

Next instalment soon...

Also have details of flight and some info on where we went wrong and right to follow.

Tomorrow is the day!

2011-02-27T15:51:00.001Z

Ok, tomorrow we begin our journey to the other side of the world. Due to the earthquake in Christchurch our itinerary has changed slightly. We now fly into Auckland and spend the first two nights there, then go to Blenheim as before, popping to Kaikoura just before our flight to Queenstown. All will become clear as we update the blog.

Door to door travel time (with no delays) should be about 35 hours. We are kitted out with toddler distractions and so if it all goes belly up and the little chap doesn’t sleep a wink we should be covered!

Our story so far with Singapore Airlines and babies, toddlers...

There have been a few complications trying to reserve seats. Bulkheads are reserved for under twos but note - if you book your toddler a seat and they are under two those that haven’t booked a seat will get priority.

Make sure you check in on-line to reserve your seats, it has definitely relaxed me knowing I have the seats I feel comfortable with. Meals on offer on Singapore are: baby, post weaning, child and adult – we have opted for post weaning – will let you know if the choice is the right one!

I am hoping to get the chance to update in Singapore airport (they also have an outdoor swimming pool!) if not the next update will be from Auckland on Wednesday.

My emotions are a mixture of excitement and nerves – I hope we all sleep well tonight...

Out ‘n’ About Nipper Sport Three Wheeler Pushchair

2011-02-22T16:33:00.000Z

We walk A LOT and our pushchair just didn’t quite make the grade when it came to uneven terrain. We often walk through the woods with a friend who has a 3 wheeler jogger, which seems to effortlessly glide through the mud and over bumps and logs so we decided to purchase similar.

After much research we decided on the Out ‘n’ About Nipper Sport. It has 16 inch wheels, a fixed basket underneath, hand break, foot breaks, fully reclining seat, and comes with rain cover and padded seat pad. The back wheels have suspension and our chap, who is very big for his age, at 20 months looks so comfortable. It folds easily and all 3 wheels are quick release which means it can be folded even smaller. It is very light and we have also purchased a carry bag for travelling, especially for our up and coming flights.

We have tested it now for a week and it is nothing short of brilliant! The only downside could be the tyres, which have inner tubes, we have bought some gel which supposedly automatically block any punctures, fingers crossed...

Now looking forward to every type of terrain our travels Down Under have to offer!

We bought ours from Kiddicare.co.uk, ordered in the afternoon and received the following morning, perfect service and a good price £199.

New Zealand & Australia with our toddler part 2

2011-02-08T14:31:00.002Z

3 weeks to go yesterday! Very excited and just a little anxious...

Flights and accommodation are now booked. Singapore airlines got our booking this time, for a number of reasons:

Only two flights to take (12 hrs and 9 hrs 45) as opposed to Emirates three flights. Furthermore Singapore Airport has a great reputation (having been voted Airport of the Year 2010). We are hoping that our 6 hour stop there will have plenty to tire Freddie including a swimming pool. Our departure time from Heathrow is good too, opted for 6.30pm departure and so dinner, play, sleep should theoretically happen (fingers crossed).

I am slowly putting together a great bag of essentials for the trip, details to follow but in the meantime here is out basic itinerary with accommodation.

We have set ourselves 5 bases in total for the duration of our stay and our travel and accommodation itinerary goes:

Day 1:

Arrive in Christchurch at 10.30am take the two and half hr drive to Kaikoura and stay for 2 nights. We found a small selection of accommodation on offer and opted for a house (which by all accounts isn’t perfectly child-friendly as the stairs look a little un-friendly for tots but we figured these could be blocked off and the house looks great!).

Kaikoura Holiday Home - Website
Staying two nights, 2nd & 3rd March

Day 3:

Leave Kaikoura on a two and a half hr drive to Blenheim where we will be spending 3 nights in total at The Dog Point Bell Tower - Website

Day 7

Fly from Blenheim to Queenstown (we are lucky to be staying in friends accommodation here and may take a night to Milford Sounds TBC) we stay here a total of 5 nights at

Day 12

Fly to Auckland where we are spending two nights at the Quay West Auckland - Website

Day 14

Fly to Adelaide and spend our final 4 nights here before heading back to the UK.

Staying at Henley Palms near Henley Beach - Website

Will update you on our findings of activities for the plane journey next...

Preparing for New Zealand and Australia with a toddler part 1

2010-12-02T21:28:00.001Z

"What are you up to Freddie?"

“Just checking out what's on offer for tots in New Zealand mummy...”

If only it was that simple!

We are off to New Zealand and Australia for 3 weeks next March (12 weeks and counting!). Some have said we’re mad travelling all that way with a toddler (Freddie will be 23 months). I do, oh so slightly, tend to agree but have decided to make it an adventure starting now!

So our journey begins...

Booking flights
This was a tough one... P (hubby) was adamant we should go where possible on the new Boeing A380 with Emirates but this would mean taking 3 different flights and a few hours more flying time (Heathrow-Dubai-Melbourne-Christchurch, total 26 hours flying time) vs my idea of the plane not being too important as I don't think there’s much between the big boys... Singapore Airlines is more direct with only two flights (Heathrow-Singapore-Christchurch, total flying time 24 hours) booked Singapore...

Singapore Airlines - flying with toddlers
Ok so Freddie is going to be under 2 years old when we travel which means we do not have to book a seat for him. Here are the pros and cons on deciding whether to book your toddler a seat...
Pros

Not having them on your lap for 24+ hours leaving you your own space, especially when they are asleep.
They have their own space and can enjoy their own programs and games on their own tv
Less chance of them kicking the chair in front (assuming you can't get balk head seats!)

Cons

Expensive!
Balk head seats: these are given out in priority order and families with tots travelling on their laps get priority.
You can't have a basonette (cot)

After weighing it all up we decided to book Freddie his own seat and fingers crossed there will be enough balk head seats to go round!

Accommodation search
New Zealand
We are due to arrive at 10.30am in Christchurch and after much thought have decided to take the 2 1/2 hour drive to Kaikoura so that we can spend two nights in one place and have a full day without travelling.

Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a small but stunning town by the coast with magnificent and dramatic views (I will be saying that a lot!). The small collection of accommodation I can find in and around Kaikoura seems to cater for all types of tastes and budgets.

The best website I have found is: http://www.kaikoura.co.nz/main/accommodation/

I wanted somewhere that we could relax and Freddie could let off steam and thought this one would be perfect, with farm animals to feed, grounds to run around in it seemed to be heaven for toddlers, was about to book when P found these reviews on Trip Advisor! The park has fantastic reviews but not the accommodation. Phew... Back to the drawing board will let you know shortly...

We are back!

2010-12-02T21:13:00.000Z

I must apologise for the lack of entries to this blog of late and would like to blame it on my other little project which is now happily up and running... Tot Friendly: a comprehensive guide for families with babies and children under 5 living in and visiting London and Hertfordshire – oh and some fantastic tot friendly holiday properties in the UK! Take a look!!!! http://www.totfriendly.co.uk/

Enough plugging and now back to the business of travelling with babies and tots!

A new BBC documentary

2010-07-19T14:07:00.000+01:00

Request from the BBC...

The BBC are looking for families for a new documentary series, if you are interested in taking part please see below:

ARE YOU ON A JOINT NET INCOME OF £40K (after tax)?

BBC Television is making a major new documentary series about life and money. As part of the research we would like to speak to large families, of three children or more who are living on £40K.

How do you manage your money?
Does money ever cause arguments in your household?
Are you a spender or a saver?

Whatever your feelings about money are we would like to hear from you for an informal phone chat, in confidence, about your spending habits and relationship with money.

If you think the series sounds interesting and you’d like to find out more, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Please call Tara on 0207 557 2358

or email tara.okelly@bbc.co.uk

Packing Freddie's bag!

2010-03-19T14:26:00.000Z

Ok we're getting ready for a 4 day trip to Spain/southern France and the list is endless... we'll be on the road for much of it so Freddie's bag has to consist of: clothes - vests, t's, trousers, a million pairs of socks (always losing them!), jumpers, coat, sweatshirt, bibs, pj's... then there's the 'food on the go', good old Ella pouches some cheese and finger food. He's also cutting a few teeth so Calpol, teething gel then there are the bottles, milk and that's before we get onto the toys, books, pushchair, car sunshades, blanket, monitor ('cos he likes his stars to get to sleep!) and his cuddle chums for bedtime phew and... nappies, wipes, baby bath, shampoo - you get the picture!

I'll be back soon with updates of our trip, looking forward to visiting Barcelona, the Costa Brava and Dorada coastline and the south of France - now just need to locate my passport!

Freddie began to crawl today!

2010-02-22T20:42:00.000Z

Plane journeys are now going to be that little bit harder!!! Oh the power of the I Phone! Watch here...

North Wales

2010-02-13T18:12:00.000Z

This week we went to north Wales to visit the beautiful Llyn Peninsula. Our findings coming soon….

Travelling on Virgin Airlines with babies

2010-02-11T12:06:00.000Z

We are looking to book a holiday to California (and maybe find a few holiday properties along the way!) and so I thought I would update you on Virgin Airways policy and young babies.

For Freddie (who will be 16 months at the time of travel in September) there is a charge of £94. This is not for a seat for him but for him to be seated on my lap. If you prefer your little one to have their own seat they offer infant care chairs, (a child safety seat specifically designed for airline use) pioneered by Virgin Atlantic for children aged six months up to around three years.

Skycots

New born babies can travel after day 7.

‘The skycot (bassinet), is available to all new born babies up to approximately 12 months of age (depending on weight and height). After take-off, the cabin crew will install the skycot for you. Infants under 12 months of age, less than 9kg in weight and less than 76cm in height will fit in all skycots. Other skycots, allowing for babies up to 11kg in weight, are available on selected aircraft types but cannot be guaranteed and are subject to change up to the day of departure.Some types of skycots can be used during turbulence, but most will require you to remove your child if the seatbelt signs are illuminated during flight. ‘

Luggage allowance

You are allowed one item free of charge i.e. collapsible pushchair, carry basket or car seat. Babies also get their own luggage allowance which equals one piece maximum 23 kilos.

Complimentary nappies, bottles and baby foods are readily available in every class but do check before travel that they have what you want!

Older kids

‘The airline offers special children's meals - plain food designed especially to appeal to children, including a main meal, Dairylea dunkers, a gingerbread man biscuit, a selection of fruit, Haribo sweets and a yoghurt Frube stick. Passengers can book these when booking their flights to ensure a meal is a reserved for them on the day of departure.’

Barcelona: booking with Easyjet

2010-01-26T14:34:00.000Z

Freddie and I are off to Barcelona in March, in search of child friendly properties in the Costa Dorada area, and I have just finished booking our flights. This time we are flying with Easyjet. For those of you flying for the first time with youngster’s, children under 2 have to sit on an accompanying adults lap and babies under 14 days are not allowed to fly. Flight time: just over 2 hours from Stansted.

Why do we pay for a child if sitting on our lap?
The cost of our flights weren’t bad but I have to question the price charged for Freddie to sit on my lap! £12.50 each way, my return flight was only £19.87! The official response on this charge was: ‘Each passengers (and luggage item, by the way) weight affects fuel consumption, hence the fees’

Luggage allowance
As we will be looking for child friendly properties we cannot travel light which means very large suitcases… for which we were charged £16 each.
Official response when I asked about baby items on flights:
‘You can carry up to two mobility items for children free of charge (a pushchair, a buggy, a car seat, or a travel cot), provided that the child is travelling as well. They are treated separately from your baggage allowance. Yet, please remember that infants do not have any baggage allowance.’

And below are details directly from Easyjet's website regarding pushchairs, car seats and baby milk being taken to the gate:

Can I take a pushchair with me?

Yes, easyJet allows you to take your pushchairs, buggies, travel cots right up to the aircraft steps and/or door, where they will be taken by cabin crew and stored in the hold. This is free of charge.
We do not deliver buggies at aircraft side on arrival. They will normally be delivered with baggage on the baggage carousel.

Can I take a car seat with me?

Yes, you can take a car seat onboard providing these conditions are met:
· The car seat must have a rigid metal or plastic frame;
· It cannot be wider than 42cm;
· It must include lap, shoulder and crotch straps.
Booster seats are not accepted, they must be checked in.
Car seats are accepted for any child between the age of six months and 3 years for whom a full fare seat has been purchased.

Can I take baby milk or food onboard?

Yes, you are able to take baby milk onboard; you will be required to taste the milk while passing through security. Liquids must be held in bottles containing less than 100ml. As baby bottles are generally smaller than that you should not encounter problems at security but you are advised to check the size of the container.

We are more than happy to supply hot water onboard to heat food and milk.

And the other add ons...

You can obviously add all the extras:
· Speedy boarding @ £15.50 (however unless you really want a special seat it’s not worth paying for as you are allowed onto the flight before all other travellers if you have small children.
· The other option is travel insurance; I would never travel without it, especially with young children. Easyjet offered it @ £9.75 but as we travel quite a bit we will be renewing our yearly policy (currently with Norwich Union – but we are going to shop around and I will post our findings).

2010-01-07T09:08:00.001Z

Today we are enjoying the snow and everything else that the English weather can throw at us before we set of on our journey for 2010.
Watch this space for some sunnier news soon!

Snow in the UK! We were not alone...

2010-01-06T11:07:00.000Z

As we are all well aware the UK was gripped by snow and ice last week (and some parts still this week!) We were not alone...

And so we thought you might like to see a couple of the Holiday Tots properties in snow!

In Bavaria, Germany they were glad of the snowy conditions as come winter it is a haven for skiers where lessons are given from the age of 3!

In contrast there was no swimming in the Dordogne!