Not losing your children

This was something of a priority for me, being slightly neurotic and quite prone to misplacing things. The possibility of losing track of a child is a distant horror most of the time, but I did once lose Emma in an airport terminal for several minutes until I realized she was actually playing a sort of hide and seek game without my consent. The numbing panic that sets in after the first few seconds of denial is not something I would wish on anyone. At least in that situation, I knew that all the exits were blocked by armed guards and she couldn't get through passport control, but what if your child goes missing on a train, or horror of horrors, in a market or other crowded public place?

As always, I think preparation is the key. I looked at some technical solutions and some commonsense ideas that could help:
1. Lost child alarms. These are those fantastic paired gadgets for kids and adults to wear, that stay quiet as long as you and your offspring are within a certain distance of each other, but as soon as the distance becomes too great, both gadget emit a noise to alert all parties to the fact. This is particularly useful, as it seems that in a great many lost-child cases, the child in question doesn't know he's lost for a long long time.
I once watched my 18-month old daughter arch away from her mum, and decided to follow her unseen, She wasn't a very strong walker, but she managed to walk continuously in a straight line for about 2 minutes with not a single look back.
In the end I decided not to buy one of these, but there are many interesting options on the market.
Levana CT1000 Digital Wireless Child Tracker Wrist Watch and Kid Finder/Locator
Mommy I'm Here cl-103br Child Locator, Brown


2. Mobile phone. In terms of cost, this is the nuclear option, and of course it is only reasonable for older children, but then you can really not worry about losing track of each other, and even plan some short alone-time periods to build up their sense of independence.

3. Whistle. Simple, yet effective. If nothing else, this attracts lots of helpers, and can double as a bully/dog alarm.

4. Mobile phone number on arm. Yes, I really do write my mobile number in big bold numbers on my child's arm on special occasions. If you can stand the angst of the similarity to Auschwitz tattoos, this is a great idea. We gave our kids  standard instructions at the time of "tattooing", that if they realize they are lost (This often takes quite a lot longer than you might expect)  they need to show their arm to a suitable adult. Excuse the profiling here, but this is for us, is a nice-looking lady, preferably with kids in tow, or someone in a uniform behind a counter.We even had some friends who, because they frequented concert festivals a lot, had T-shirts printed for their kids, with photographs of the parents on!

Planning the trip - thoughts on "when to go?"

This seems at first, like one of those impossible questions, and indeed, people don't always have the luxury of cooly choosing the time of their lives to go travelling. I did want to share though, some of the thoughts that went into our decisions.

On the road, babies are easier than toddlers.
Yes it's a huge generalization, but am I wrong? We shuddered to remember short cross-Europe flights when Emma was about one and a half, but compared to that, the 14-hour flight to the far East was easy with our 11-month old. Basically speaking, babies stay where you put them, are easily amused, sleep a lot, and if still partially breastfed, can be kept full and happy very easily. Toddlers, on the other hand are full of energy and want to crawl, walk all the time. The limited mobility of trains, planes and automobiles will drive them crazy and you too. Add to this the pugnaciousness of the "terrible two's" and you have a very good time to stay at home.

School holidays are only so long. Once school starts, you really are committed to the long-haul. I have read of families skipping whole school years, or doing home-study on the road. I question the wisdom the former and raise my hat to the dedication of the latter, but for us it was an easy equation: get on the road, have fun and get back before school age. Kindergarten you can skip.

So for us these two points gave us a sort of window in which to travel - After the baby is big and strong enough to travel, but before the small one starts walking, and before the big one starts school. That was a valuable catalyst in getting out the door. It's always the first step that's hardest. After that it's all easy.

Stop Time. You can do it and this is how! Spending time together - quality time - not all of it pleasant, but all unquestionably real is as close as you can get to stopping the clock. If you want a treasure store of golden memories and shared experiences that brought you all closer together, this is it. Of course everyone wants a career, everyone wants to earn more and more to do the best for their families, but once in a while, an opportunity comes along- perhaps a change in job, or an unexpected move, or access to some study leave that could give you a couple of months to do some travelling with the whole tribe. When that chance comes, I advise you to take advantage of it.


Will small children remember any of this? In a word, no. Well probably not, but so what? The parents will (see "stopping time", above), and let's not estimate the power of the stories of borrowed memory. You know what I mean: the tales of stuff you heard that you did as a toddler or young child that you can't quite remember clearly, but everyone tells you about. Travel is just the same. If you know you were bitten on the bum by a camel in Cairo, or ate an ice cream bigger than your head in the states, well isn't that a treasured memory just the same? Also I don't think we can underestimate the effect of photos, blogs and videos. These will live on, offering a valued view of those golden days- especially videos: "Look, look this is the bit where I fall over!"

Top Equipment: Baby bed

Staying away from home even a few days is a new experience for any child, and on our extended trip, we reasoned that having the same bed with us every night could give at least one point of familiarity to counter the strangeness of new surroundings.
Before purchasing, we looked at different mattresses, but eventually fixed on a mini-tent design (to decrease the chance of rolling out, as our baby was only 1-year old at the time) We looked at many different types of bed, and finally narrowed the search to these types:



Kidco Peapod


The advantage here seems to be the UV-resistant material and the low, stable design, and positive comments from other reviewers.
Negative points are its weight (2kg/4,5lbs) and its size – even packed up, it’s apparently like a huge, thick Frisbee. We were backpacking, and needed to minimise the size and weight, but for those travelling by car, this seems like a good choice.

Open Dimensions: 121.92cm x 76.2cm x 45.72cm (48"L x 30"W x 18"H)
Storage Bag Dimensions: 35.56cm x 12.7cm x 35.56cm (14"L x 5"W x 14"H )
Weight: 2 kg /4.5 lbs
Cost: Roughly $55 US or £36 GB or €42,7

but updated prices  are here on Amazon: KidCo PeaPod Portable Travel Bed - Periwinkle

See the Kidco company description here:

And here are some reviews from users: Reviews 1 Reviews 2

Samsonite pop up bubble travel cot
This was a similar concept of a pop-up tent for babies with a mattress inside. Its advantages are the all-over mosquito netting and lack of any hard elements to bump into. Also the size and shape of the packed up bed, and that the mattress is really a thick linen pad, so there is nothing to pump up. This is best suited for small babies, as more mobile ones may succeed in moving the whole bed. (we simply bolstered it with backpacks and had no more problems. The mattress could also be disadvantageous, as it the baby sleeps directly on it, and the Velcro straps which hold it in place make it difficult to wrap it in any type of sheet. One could cut some holes in a baby bed sheet, but we never bothered, so after 2 years of intermittent use, it is looking a little used now. Really the size and weight sold us on this product. Unpacked it is exactly the right size for babies up to about 18 months.

Open Dimensions: 100cm L x 60cm W x 72cm H (40"L x 24"W x 28"H)
Storage Bag Dimensions: 60cm x 30cm x 15cm (23"L x 11,8"W x 5,9"H)
Weight: approx 1kg
Cost: Roughly $49 US or £45 GB or €38

Not everyone agrees though: Mixed reviews 1, mixed reviews 2
Ok, I have just offered my personal views of the ones I really investigated. For a more cool-headed approach try Suite101.

Travel Tips: Flying with small children

As part of modern adulthood, flying large distances is not something that we pay a lot of attention to any more. Not until we have kids. Then everything changes - we worry and fret about how to get the whole family over to see the grandparents, or how to make that first long haul flight of an extended vacation.

Well the good news is that it often seems worse than it is. Thousands of people fly witheir children successfully every year. I have, and you can too. With a bit of forethought and planning, you can decrease the chances of having a smooth and pleasant flight- perhaps even enjoying it.
Here are a few tips I have found useful:

1. Timing the flight. If you have any freedom at all in your flight plans, choose a time of day that suits your kids’ sleep patterns. This is the time to make sacrifices for the sake of a peaceful journey. Try to avoid super early or very late flights. The 6 am flight may be cheaper, but have you ever woken your little darlings at 3am before? Flights that cover nap-time may be helpful for toddlers. In the case of really long-haul trips, consider stopping off halfway and taking a day or two to look around. En-route from Europe to Australia, Hong Kong or Taiwan could be a good option.

2. Pack extra necessities. With babies and small kids this is automatic for most parents, as even a trip to the mall needs some nappy/diaper change supplies. Just remember to take enough for the duration of the flight and a few extra nappies and maybe a complete change of clothes for small ones, in case of delays of unexpected spills or leaks.

3. Pack Fun stuff. Assuming the kids are too young to read or amuse themselves for long without causing an in-air incident, your aim should be to give the kids a mix of activities that are all passable fun for mummy/daddy too. Put this stuff in a separate bag or pocket, and don’t pack it in the overhead luggage bins. Here is where you can get really creative: A few tubs of plastecine/playdough can be great fun for a range of ages. I have had success with Small Jigsaw puzzles (smaller than an airplane tray-table.) Books are an absolute must – they don’t take up too much space, and they can occupy more than one child at a time. I tend to buy a new story book to read for flights, to guarantee avid attention. Colouring books, join the dots or activity books like puzzle farm or "Where’s Waldo?" can also be a big hit. A blank pad and some coloured pencils are also a must. Do get involved, rather than expecting your offspring to just get on with it. Teach them how to draw a tricky animal using circles and squares, older kids may enjoy a game of hangman.

4. Choose your seats. In case of budget flights with no allocated seats, families with children are often allowed PB or Priority Boarding status, so you have a few seconds to choose the perfect location for the next few hours. I don’t recommend the first row of seats by an emergency exit, as you have to put all your baggage up in the overhead bins, and you’ll be needing access to your bags continuously. It can sometimes be helpful to sit near other parents with small kids, so that they can amuse each other, but this may not last too long, and has to be weighed against the possibility of a screaming fit in the seat behind you, while your child is snoozing. On long haul flights, the staff may place you in the front row so that you can use a bassinet (a baby bed that hangs on the bulkhead wall right in front of you.)

5. Take off and landing is snack time. To avoid problems with pressurization, simply feed the kids during these times. For nursing mothers, this may be easy, but others can have a bottle of water ready, and some small snacks – peeled carrots, mandarins, or bananas are easy. Raisins or dried fruit are also good. Older kids may enjoy some chewing gum. It's worth packing sandwiches or other easy food, so that you don't have to beg for the food service when your children suddenly get hungry. This is also useful in case of delays.