This may be a very important step. For ordinary families like us, we are not experienced travelers, but we just want to go out as a family and take a baby out. We must choose a good tourist destination.
So far, we tend to choose urban tourist destinations, such as Tong Tong's first real trip in1April, and we chose Xiamen. Because the city's supporting services are relatively perfect, whether it is accommodation, food, or in case of accidents, there are better and faster solutions. Although Jiuzhaigou has beautiful scenery, what should I do when I get there and find that I can't buy even the medicines commonly used by babies? Therefore, it is safer to choose some cities with better economic development. Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Xiamen, Hong Kong and Macao are all good choices.
Time on the road also needs to be considered. When taking the baby out for the first time, we should consider the convenience of travel and minimize the travel time, so try to choose a city that can be reached by direct flight, and the shorter the flight time, the better. This will minimize the possibility of accidents on the plane. We also considered this factor when we chose to go to Xiamen last year. At that time, when we chose the destination, we drew a circle according to the flight time of 1 half hour, and then chose from it. The flying time of 1.5 hours is not a problem for Tong Tong, which is 14 months old. After getting off the plane, it takes about 20 minutes from the airport to the hotel, and there is basically no troublesome transfer problem.
Second, arrange the trip according to the baby's schedule.
This may be the biggest difference between two people traveling. Before going to Tong Tong, my father and I went out to play and chose a place. After flying there, we just want to go where we want to go and play until what time. But traveling with Tong Tong is impossible. Tong Tong takes a nap every afternoon, which should be common practice for all babies under two years old. Personally, I think we should respect the baby's habits. If you travel for 4 or 5 days, it doesn't matter if you have a day or two deviation occasionally, but it's best not to take your baby with you every day like a tour group. Therefore, we tried our best to consider this problem when making our itinerary.
For example, this trip to Guizhou was originally planned to go to Huangguoshu on Saturday. We booked the time from Guiyang to Huangguoshu after lunch, so that Tong Tong can go to bed after getting on the bus. About two hours' road trip is just enough for Tong Tong to sleep. Tong Tong woke up when we got there. On the day I came back from Huangguoshu, I caught up with a scenic spot, but I got on the bus before 3 o'clock. Although I slept 1 hour later than usual, I slept for more than 2 hours as soon as I got on the bus.
In the evening, we usually don't arrange trips. After dinner, we must go back to the hotel at 8: 30 at the latest to give Tong Tong a bath, so as to ensure her sleep time as usual.
The third, perhaps the most complicated one, is the supplies needed to prepare the baby for the trip.
Originally, I wanted to write a separate article about Tong Tong's tourism products. Let's talk briefly here.
Babies aged 0-2 can travel, but the situation is different.
Let's start with food. Babies aged 0-6 months basically don't need to take out food. Breast milk is the best. Babies who lack breast milk need milk powder, bottles and bottle brushes. Therefore, breastfeeding is better and easier. The baby of 6- 12 months has started to add complementary food. Besides milk powder, you should also bring rice noodles, so you should bring bowls, spoons and other series of supplies. Personally, I think this stage is more troublesome. 1-2-year-old baby has become the main energy source, but at this time the baby is not suitable for eating all the food outside. My family's solution is to bring a rice cooker. The smallest rice cooker I bought online is a little bigger than the insulated lunch box. It is no problem to cook porridge rice by myself, and then I bring a set of insulated lunch boxes to put the cooked porridge rice in my bag and eat it outside at noon. Of course, I will bring some rice. My family usually only brings rice, vegetables and eggs, which can be bought in the local supermarket. The insulated lunch box can generally be used as a bowl, and there is no need to bring a bowl. You should take at least two spoons and a spare one in case it falls off. In addition, we should also consider the problem of eating when traveling. For example, if we plan to eat at noon, we should know in advance whether there is any food suitable for our baby. If not, we should cook porridge in advance and bring it with us. If so, let our baby try some local specialties.
Everyone will bring their clothes. There is nothing to say. Better put on more clothes. It is not convenient to buy things close to children for the time being. Generally, if we take Tung Tong out for 4 days and 3 nights, take the weather at the destination of about 20 degrees as an example, we should take at least 3-4 sets of close-fitting clothes (underwear and pajamas) and 5-6 sets of coats (according to the number of days of travel+1 and 2), and consider the combination of overlapping wear and single wear, so that the utilization rate is high and clothes can be changed in case of accidents. In addition, pay attention to the baby slippers that must be brought. When you arrive at the hotel, you will usually provide adult slippers, not baby slippers. For the convenience of bathing and the comfort of the baby, you must bring a pair of her own slippers.
Other supplies This is all kinds of things, and my family usually bring these things:
2-3 gauze towels, which used to be wrapped in tung trees, are now taken when going out. You can cover your stomach when you sleep, wipe your body after taking a shower, and fold them to make a small pillow when you sleep at night. In short, they are versatile; 2-3 special towels; Some cleaning products, including paper towels, wet paper towels and hand sanitizer, should be mainly packed in small packages, so that when you arrive at the hotel, you only need to take a little when you go out every day. Diapers are not wet, this family has its own situation, and I will still take them with me when I go out, just in case, especially when I stay in a hotel at night; At least have a comfortable diaper pad, because she is worried that she will not wear diapers one night, so she should be prepared; A small bottle of baby shampoo and shower gel. You can buy that special travel bottle at Watsons for a few dollars. Pour it in and take it with you. A toilet, that is, a flat round toilet, is packed in a big bag and put in a suitcase without taking up too much space. Personally, I think I have been taking it with me since I went to Wuhan last time, and I will take it with me wherever I travel in the future, so that Tong Tong will feel comfortable and clean, and it will be easier for us adults to save trouble. This is necessary.
A thermos cup, the bigger the capacity, the better. Fill a big bottle when you go out in the morning to ensure that your family can have hot water to drink at any time. Explain that this thermos is not for everyone to drink, but for boiling water. Anyone who wants to drink water can pour mineral water into the cup and then add a little hot water, so that the capacity of 350 ml can be used most of the time. Just let the restaurant fill it up at noon.
The fourth is to do a good job in accident reporting.
When we go out to play, we always hope it will be smooth and smooth, but what if there is an accident? So this should be considered in advance. For example, know in advance whether there is a supermarket near your hotel. If your baby gets sick unexpectedly, which hospital should you go to for emergency treatment? It is best to have friends you know locally. Even if you don't need to bother others at ordinary times, you can ask someone for help in case of sudden special circumstances.
There is also a situation that is most prone to accidents, and that is the weather. So when planning, we should also consider how to arrange the trip in bad weather. We can't wake up in the morning and find it's raining, and then the family will stay in the hotel room all day. Even if we know in advance that the hotel has indoor entertainment activities, we can still have a place to go, right?
In addition to the above problems, there are some other items for reference:
Hotel accommodation problem. Not long ago, the news broke that the sanitary conditions of many express hotels were unqualified, mainly referring to bedding, which made people who took their babies out feel uneasy. What shall we do? Of course, it's best to choose a hotel with guaranteed sanitary conditions. Secondly, we can also bring a small bed sheet and a small towel quilt to the baby. Although it doesn't take up much space, it can protect the baby from directly touching the hotel bedding when sleeping.
Ticket problem. For infants before the age of 2, the discount is 1, and the airport construction fee and fuel surcharge are exempted; for infants aged 2- 12, the discount is 50%, the airport construction fee is exempted, and the fuel surcharge is halved. There is one thing here, because air tickets are sometimes greatly discounted, and children's tickets aged 2- 12 are sometimes not as cheap as adult tickets including airport construction fees and fuel surcharges. At this time, it is time.
Disinfection problem. It will be too much trouble to bring a sterilizer when going out, but in fact, my family has never brought it. The disinfection method is simple. There will be an electric kettle in the hotel. After boiling, just put the baby bottle in and cook for 5 minutes, which is more thorough than the disinfection pot. However, it should be noted that it is best to use glass bottles, which have the risk of boiling. Nipples and accessories should be boiled in chopsticks for a few minutes to avoid touching the metal wall at the bottom of the bottle. After Tong Tong is over 1 year old, we basically don't disinfect it. After washing, just scald it with boiling water twice. What did you say? Babies who love cleanliness too much tend to get sick. So it's almost ready.
The stroller problem. Whether or not to bring a stroller depends on people's time and local conditions. Last year, we took a stroller to Xiamen, because most of Xiamen is relatively flat, so it is more convenient for us to rent a car in Xiamen. This year, we didn't take a stroller to Guiyang. Considering that most places in Guiyang climb mountains, it is useless to bring a stroller. Tong Tong is old this year, so we can walk more. If you want to take a stroller, pay attention to take it with you on the plane, that is, fold it to fit the size of your boarding baggage, otherwise it will be very troublesome to pass the security check at the airport.