Ten Ways to Tackling a Holiday with the 3 kids

Last week’s holiday went off without much of a hitch for me. It was the first time that I was flying with the 3 kids in tow and without R around. Luckily the boys were able to help with the pulling of the luggage and  were still manageable.

Here is a list of what I did to ensure minimal hassle on the trip.

1. Pack extra baby snacks.

Photo by Flickr

Do not just pack enough snacks for the baby but all 3 kids. The boys “stole” quite a few of their little sister’s snacks as they were hungry while waiting for our meals to be served. Apparently there is more then one  baby around who needed to be fed regularly.

2. Bring along a baby carrier and a child restrainer.

I’m glad that I brought along this froggie as it really helped me to keep Doggie boy safe and out of trouble when I was busy at the customs or attending to his brother or sister. The Ergo which I strapped Tiger girl in also helped heaps as it left my hands free to tackle her two brothers and the luggage.

3. Make sure you pack in the medicines

I was glad that the kids were healthy all throughout the trip.  The only gripes they had were the minor cut and bruises they got from sliding down the vertical drop slide at the adventure playground. Luckily we had some plasters stashed away in the medicine pouch.  I always made sure that I bring along fever, cough, cold and stomach upset medications for both the adult and kids as it can be quite difficult to find a doctor and get the right prescription while on holiday.

4. Pack  extra roll away shopping bags within the suitcase.

Many places are  going green and not issuing plastic bags for you to carry your purchases.  In Penang we had to pay RM $0.20 for a plastic bag at the supermarket. Many places too were not giving out bags to carry your groceries/purchases. Luckily we brought along some re useable bags to carry the stuff or I’ll won’t be able to  purchase anything with the kids around.

5. Book everything in advance.

We booked the air-tickets and hotel accommodation via the internet about a month in advance. It gave us ample time to shop around for the best deals. The only item which we decided to book on the spot at the airport was the MPV which we hired to travel around in Penang, Malaysia. It gave us more flexibility and ensured that everyone was comfortable while traveling from one spot to another.

6.  Pack small toys and puzzle books.

I “cheated” at this for this holiday. The boys only were allowed to bring along this toy to share between the both of them.  All three of them took turn playing with the toy. It was great that the train could be taken apart and the trucks separated so each one could get their own wheels to push around.

Monkey boy was the only one interested in doing the puzzle book and he was busy with it while we were back at the hotel resting. I had quite a good deal at the book fair that we went before the trip and got two puzzle books for $8.

7. Pack clothes and essentials to last at least a week.

This trip I think I under packed a bit for the boys while I brought sufficient for the girl. It was a good thing that I managed to buy new clothes for the boys while on holiday there. I also snapped some new blouses/t-shirts for myself.

8. Sun Protection  On

As we were going to be in the sun most of the time I brought along baby friendly sunblock  with at least an SPF 30 for the whole family. We also brought our sunglasses and hats.

9. Checking the validity of important documents

You passport must have the minimum six months validity in order to travel. I was lucky that Doggy Boy’s passport had 7 months before it expired or else I had to immediately rush down to get a new one made before we travel. I’ll be doing a new passport for him in the coming week before we next travel overseas in August.

10. Remember to bring along your camera

A photo is worth more than a thousand words.  I love snapping pictures of the kids while we were in vacations. It helps too that mine is a semi-pro one with video functions as I managed to document an important milestone of Tiger girl while on holiday.

How do you tackle traveling with kids?

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