A couple of weeks back, we unlocked a new level in this parenthood gig. We travelled to Spain and Italy with our two sons, Daniel aged 3 and Alvaro aged 1.5. To be fair, we’ve travelled with them before. I travelled with them from the US in 2017 when Alvaro was barely a month old and Daniel was just shy of 2. I wrote about that experience here. In August last year, we travelled to Ghana for a long weekend. Daniel was 2+ and Alvaro was 10 months old. And in early April, we did a road trip to Delta State, for their great grandmother’s funeral.
But this latest trip? It was the first time we were attempting a proper intercontinental vacation with them. A lot of people thought it was a crazy idea. “Is it really a vacation if you take your children along?” I couldn’t imagine not going with them, though. Maybe it’s working mom guilt talking, but I couldn’t justify spending even more time away from them on a vacation when I already spend so much time away at work. Plus I felt pretty optimistic. How hard could it be, right?
We were two families travelling together (a third family was supposed to come along but at the very last minute, they couldn’t make it). The other family also had two children, roughly the same age as Daniel and Alvaro. You can imagine that the kids found it super exciting to live for 10 days with their favorite playmates. There were the inevitable toddler fights and tears but those were insignificant compared to the fun they had. In those 10 days we spent with the children in Madrid and Rome, I learnt a few things. I hope this helps you in planning long-distance trips with your kids from Nigeria.
Strollers or Nah?
Bring strollers; they’re definitively required unless you have the arm strength to keep carrying children. We travelled with one stroller, our friends travelled with two. The strollers served as seats and beds for the children, and trolleys for all the bags we had to travel with. They were especially useful when our flight from Lagos landed late in Amsterdam and we had to dash across the airport to not miss our flight to Madrid. If we’d tried to carry those children in our arms, we’d have collapsed from exhaustion! Almost all airlines allow you check in a stroller for free if you’re flying with a child. Some allow you check it in at the door of the aircraft if it’s too big to fit in the overhead lockers on the planes. Just remember to get a luggage tag for it from the check in counter.
The BedBox
For kids who are too big for a stroller but who might not have the stamina for all the walking (running) and standing required at the airport, then a ride-on suitcase is a great alternative. I’d seen a few of them in the past at airports but never really paid attention till I started planning for this trip. I found quite a number of ride-on suitcases on Google but I picked the Jet Kids by Stokke BedBox because it does more than just provide a ride for children, it also morphs into a bed on the plane. More details in point 5 below. 
Security
Sharp, metal objects aren’t allowed even when they belong to children. I lost two of my son’s forks at the security checks. Sad much.
Airport Waits & Layovers
A lot of airports have nurseries and play areas for children. Try Googling in advance so you can locate these spaces. If you’re a mom of a baby, the nurseries provide a peaceful haven for diaper changes, naps and nursing sessions. We only had one long wait on this trip, a 3-hour layover in Amsterdam. I’d done some research in advance and even though their Dad wanted to go to a private lounge, I convinced him that we should go to one of the play lounges instead so the boys could burn off energy and be calmer during the flight. We went to the NEMO Science Museum play area and they enjoyed themselves playing with all the other kids while we got brunch from a nearby restaurant. Between the jumping around, the snacking and playing with the toys I packed into the JetBox, the hours went by smoothly. In MMIA, there were no such spaces and so our kids basically ran around and disturbed travellers till it was time to board. I had a leash on Alvaro but that didn’t help much. #SorryTravellers
Sleeping on the Plane
A lot of intercontinental flights from Nigeria take off at night. The good part is that it almost guarantees that the kids will sleep. The bad part is that if you’re travelling economy, that sleep isn’t very comfortable. For my kids, a decent night’s sleep could be the difference between a cheery preschooler in the morning or a cranky mini-tyrant. I was desperate enough to Google it. Enter The BedBox, a ride-on suitcase that transforms into a kiddy bed on the plane. I was sold. Next question was: How do I get it to Nigeria? Turns out that JetKids ships to Nigeria, free of charge within 2-3 business days. It was a no-brainer. Not only did it eliminate the need to get a stroller for him at the airport, it replaced the mini-suitcase I’d have normally gotten him and it got him a decent night’s sleep. Even when he wasn’t sleeping on it, he sat on it and played with his toys. It basically transformed his economy-class seat into business class. Win, win, win.
The only challenge I had with using the BedBox on the plane was that we’d booked economy comfort seats which had a bit more leg room. The BedBox was a tad loose (I couldn’t lock down the wheels) and not a snug fit as I’d imagined. But it worked well enough. One mom advised that we avoid packing liquids and mobile devices in the box. That way, you don’t have to open it up when it’s scanned at security.
It’s also good to note that Jetkids advises that the BedBox is only safe to be used as a ride-on for kids aged 3 to 7. It’s one reason I didn’t get Alvaro one. The second reason was that he wasn’t getting his own seat on the plane (he’s under 2) so he couldn’t have slept on it either.
It was also important to dress them super comfortably for the trip. My friends’ kids travelled in their pyjamas with a jacket on top. We dressed the boys in their softest joggers and tee shirts with a jacket/sweater on top.
Skin Care
The airplane was pretty dry. I didn’t have Vaseline or lip balm with me so I had to use my lipgloss on the boys. I wish I’d thought to pack a small tub of Vaseline to eliminate the dry skin they got.
Food
Both boys slept all through our first flight out of Lagos so food wasn’t an issue. On our return trip to Lagos, they were both awake for meals and didn’t object to the plane food. Still, I’d packed sugar-free crackers and bowls of dry cereal mixed with powdered milk. That way, by simply adding water, I’d be able to feed them a meal they liked.
Entertaining Them
Alvaro slept on most of our flights. Daniel watched TV on the tiny screens (We packed his own over-ear earphones so he could listen comfortably). When Alvaro was awake, I fed him and then his Dad and I took turns entertaining him till we landed. We sang most of his favorite nursery rhymes, played him videos I’d downloaded on my iPad, played with a puppet, drove his toy cars and read his favorite books. He walked around the plane, charming the air hostesses to feed him crackers and give him toys. (Note that some features available on Youtube in Nigeria aren’t available abroad. For instance, I could no longer download videos or watch previously downloaded videos once I connected to WiFi in Spain).
Preferred Airline (this is not an ad)
We flew KLM and the air hostesses on our flights were super sweet. They brought the boys activity packs, toys and all the juice I would allow them drink. At some point, Alvaro got restless and they let him walk around with them and even gave him a stuffed toy. As we left the plane in Lagos, one of the air hostesses even commended them saying they were relatively well-behaved, she’d expected worse. Honestly, I found that so comforting because I’d been worried they were too noisy or too fussy. I’ve heard that air hostesses on another popular European airline aren’t as friendly, so I figure we’ll stick with KLM for most of our travels to Europe in the future.
Dealing With Tantrums
Daniel is almost 3 and a half. Alvaro is just over 1 and a half. Daniel, thankfully, doesn’t throw tantrums. Alvaro does. His tantrums are usually caused by hunger, exhaustion or he wants access to a plaything that I’ve taken away or Daniel is playing with. My strategy is to be permissive when we’re in places where his crying will inconvenience other people. I feed him on demand, rock him to sleep, give him everything he cries for, as long as it’s in my power to give. If it’s not, I carry him and rock him till he calms down. It’s the same thing I did with Daniel when we travelled on this trip. Alvaro right now is roughly the same age Daniel was then when we travelled from the US, so I kind of knew what to expect.
This post is definitely one of the longest on the website. I’ll do another post to discuss how we actually managed them in Madrid and Rome (car-seats, feeding, local nannies etc.). It’s your turn now. What are your tips for travelling with young children? Or are you waiting till they grow a bit more before travelling with them?
