Traveling tips with kids

I had a list of what to pack for our trip to Phuket and Singapore.  And despite my attempt at micro-organizing, I still had to have my Ayi (helper) meet us at the airport with the baby carrier that I'd forgotten to pack.  And just when I settled into my seat, I'd a strange feeling that I hadn't packed the baby food mill that I'd purposefully washed, dried with a paper towel and packed into its green case.  I was right.

Tip #1: make a list of essentials (medication, must have toys, duplicate pacifiers...) then double check and triple check to make sure they are packed.  Ideally pack everything the night before (yes, that was my lofty aim. Didn't happen though)

Going back to a Thai resort island brought back many nice memories of our honeymoon at Ko Samui 5 years ago.  But the similarity ended there. Our trip this time couldn't be more different.  No possibility of taking off whenever wherever.  No riding on mopeds.  And no peaceful dinners.  All activities were scheduled around naptimes.  Only 1 major activity a day (and this isn't just for the kids, it's for us, parents as well).  It made for a very s-l-o-w paced holiday but that was good.  Very quickly, we also discovered that total Enjoyment (E) can be maximized with take-outs and eating in our hotel room because the row created by cranky, tired kids (k) is minimized even though some of the ambience is sacrificed (a).  The formula can be roughly written as:

E = max{min(k) + max(a)}

Tip #2: Be flexible & build lots of buffer when planning activities.

Tip #3: Say bye-bye to candlelight dinners. Eating Thai beef salad and Phad Thai in the hotel room while baby is crawling around may be better on stress levels.

We brought along Alexander's favourite cartoons on Markku's iPhone.  Besides its obvious use as a gaming device or movie screen, it became a tv player when the Apple a/v Component cable is used!  As a result, Alexander was happily watching Dora and Sesame Street on the big screen.

Tip #4: Bring entertainment in whatever form... colouring books, iPhone, DVDs.

While in Singapore, I tried to find out kid friendly places whether it's an indoor playground, baby changing stations in malls or events for children.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find any kiddy activities organized by museums (perhaps it wasn't school hols?) or theater groups but I happily stumbled upon the best baby changing station I'd ever seen anywhere - 313@Orchard!  Microwave, hot water dispenser, changing mats with tissue, breastfeeding room and a toilet which has a kid sized bowl beside the regular bowl -how cute is that??  I can't believe I'm raving about baby changing stations but if you had a poop emergency or need a quiet corner to feed your baby, you'd realize that that room is as close to heaven as you could get.

Tip #5: Before arriving, find out about child-friendly facilities and things to do.

Sorry for being so darn obvious :D

From Babycenter.com: Seven secrets to successful travel with a young child


Alexander is coming to 3 (!) years old while the tiny tyke, Lucas, is 8 months old