We've recently returned from a 7 night trip to Jamaica. Our first holiday as a family of three, not without its challenges let's just say! I certainly learnt a few things so I want to share those here and to also show you some photos from our holiday.
A concern high on the list was the 9 hour flight to Montego Bay. My plan was to wear Matilda out at Gatwick as much as possible in the hope she would sleep onboard. We walked round and round departures and in preparation for lots of walking I purchased this toddlepak from
Trunki. The design is so much more appealing than other reigns on the market, I thought Matilda would like them too. They're easy to use and adjustable to suit your child.
Now a way to keep a toddler quiet is with food! I packed some serious snackage in our carry on, fruit, crisps, biscuits - you name it I had it. Also plenty of juice to keep Matilda hydrated, I get so dry when I fly, it must be drying for our littles too. At 15 months she still has a bottle of milk in the day so we purchased some ready made Aptamil at Boots once we were through security. I would recommend buying the bulk of formula at the airport as you can save space in your hand luggage this way. Plus with liquid restrictions this makes life much easier.
Another fantastic tip that served us well not only for the flight, but also for meal times was downloading TV shows to the iPad. Matilda loves Peppa Pig so I'd bought an entire volume of episodes to keep her happy. Here she is propped up chilling halfway through the flight! We found ourselves scrambling for it during mealtimes too if she was getting a bit ratty and we were yet to finish eating - complete lifesaver! I also packed a few books and toys, along with some stickers but these didn't get used.
I packed a change of clothes and some pyjamas for her, so consider how long your journey is and the age of your child to determine how many outfits you'll need to take onboard. Don't forget plenty of nappies and wipes too.
Jamaica is 6 hours behind the UK, so we had to bear this in mind once we had arrived in resort. I'd read online about getting the child on the new schedule immediately, however Matilda had been up for so long, we'd arrived at our hotel at 6pm, well that was midnight back home and she would have long been asleep so I took the decision to get her some food and ready for bed straight away. She woke once in the night which was a lot better than we had expected. Because of her age she doesn't sleep in a proper bed yet, so the hotel kindly provided a cot for her - make sure you check cots are provided at your destination if you need them!
How cute is this photo! Matilda loved playing on the beach but the sand got everywhere. The answer to this is talcum powder. Honestly the best tip of the lot - after Matilda was done playing and getting ready for her nap, I would lay her down and cover her with talc, leave for a few seconds and dust her off, the sand would all be gone and she could comfortably sleep for a few hours in the shade. Even my husband and I started doing it!
It goes without saying that with the rise in temperature, toddlers are going to need extra water. Matilda would happily sip water from a bottle or a straw and end up playing with bottle as a toy - winner! Just as adults need to think about extra fluids, don't forget to top up the littles with juice too.
Another major concern for any mum taking their kids to sunnier climes is sun protection. I'd purchased 3 bottles of Nivea factor 50 (yes, way too much for a week's trip I know). Every morning I covered her head-to-toe in the stuff, let that sink in and have breakfast. Then before going out into the sun I put another layer on. What I did notice was it irritated her eczema so if your kids have any skin sensitivities please think about this, I wish I had.
Matilda won't wear hats, simple. I was really worried about this as it is so important to protect the head, neck & ears from the sun. I bought this fruit print hat from Mothercare which is now out of stock, but this cute polka dot one from
Boots will do the trick. I also made her wear a t-shirt whenever she was out of the shade. Any old t-shirt will do, I bought two in resort with cute Jamaica motifs on.
Finally, water safety. Two things we thought would be good purchases that turned out to be a waste of money because Matilda hated them both were this
Splash About swim jacket and rubber ring from
Mothercare. All Matilda wanted was to be held in the pool, splashing her hands and trying to drink the pool water! When we were at the beach, her favourite thing was grabbing handfuls of sand and throwing it in the water, adorable!
Overall we had a great time, we loved the hotel, the island and seeing Matilda experience new things for the very first time was worth all the stress and jetlag!
Any other holiday tips you have to share? Let me know!
Chloe x
