Recommendations and information on how to travel with baby and small children

In General

Traveling with children in Thailand is as I see it, no problem. Thai people love children and do everything they can to make them happy. Resorts and guesthouses are equipped with additional matrasses for you to use, often without an extra charge.

Food and drink, the western style things you can get in every 7Eleven. There is a small but quite sufficient selection of snacks, burgers, sweets and chocolate, yogurt, milk and fruit juice. You find diapers, soap, shampoo, and creams.

In the outskirts of bigger towns, you find shopping malls like Carfourre and Big C. When there is a touristic center nearby they sell a huge selection of foreign brand products. They also host Pizzahut, Dunkin Donuts, and KFC. Also outside of big towns where tourists frequent a lot we have Mc Donalds, that should make most kids happy once in a while.

I read on another website, they recommend bringing the children’s favorite food with. I don’t know if that is really necessary. If you don’t stay in places totally off from western tourists you will find enough already known snacks and stuff every child loves to eat.

If you leave the popular routes and want to explore the Thailand where not every tourist goes, you just have to go shopping sometimes in bigger towns and stack up your supplies.

I would not let my children unattended anywhere outside. It still is a foreign country with different, unfamiliar rules and dangers. The cars drive on the wrong side for example. (Not if you are British lol)

Health issues

Babies and children traveling to tropic countries are more exposed to health risk than adults, also can the consequences of illnesses be bigger. Low hygiene standards, time change, climate change and often long traveling times can be a greater challenge for children.

This is why, from a medical point of view, it is not advised to travel to tropical countries with babies. If you travel with small children it is good to plan well in advance and get prepared.

The rule is, the younger the greater the risk of complication. Diarrhea and vomiting are the most common illnesses with children and babies during traveling in the tropics. That is why a consequent hygiene behavior with food and hand washing is very important.

Respiration illnesses are also more common with children as with adults, so be careful with the use of air conditions. Furthermore, you should be aware of your children being in an unknown environment, that leaves a higher risk of accidents in traffic and playing in the water or with strange cats and dogs.

Children are curious and like to get close to strange animals. Because of their small body size, they are vulnerable to getting bitten by sick or any animals.

Ticks and fleas are quite common everywhere in the world. Children playing outside, in Thailand, is the norm. Checking your children for parasites in the evening after playing outside can be a very sociable experience and prevent nasty bites of course.

Temperatures and Sun Exposure

Often temperatures in Thailand are very high. Kids don’t really care about that and keep playing in the sun. You as parents or responsible persons though should care. Don’t wait until your small ones come up and say they are hot or tired or not feeling well.

Set up fixed times when the kids can play in the sun and protect them with sun cream. Check them up once in a while and make sure they drink a lot. Make them wear hats as well.

Even while playing in the water we can get horrible sunburns. White skin and blond hair are most vulnerable to too much sun. Use a strong protecting cream or spray and make sure to redo it every now and then.

Water

Talk to your kids, not to drink any water that is not bottled and sealed. Tell them they can get a hurting upset tummy when they drink water either from the sea or pool or even worse the tab water. Under the shower in the guesthouse or at a bus terminal in the restrooms, don’t drink that water.

Many places, like temples, hospitals, airports and other public buildings offer cool water in big tanks. We drink it, we haven’t got sick in ten years. For you, that come here for a short time to enjoy yourself, I would recommend not to drink it, just to be on the safe side.

Bottle water can be found everywhere, all the time. Small bottles, gallons or any other size. Be clever and get a good ration for your room first thing when checked in. Rooms normally provide two half-liter bottles per day but that is gone in a second.

Toilet in Thailand

Most beautiful Toilet in Thailand

Thai people generally don’t use toilet paper. We clean up our behind with running water and our hands. I think this is the best way to stay clean. The toilet paper thing I don’t really understand anymore since I learned to do it this way.

First, we use a lot of paper = trees just to throw it away instantly. Then, second, did you ever think of washing your hands with just paper? I think no one would do that because it just doesn’t get really clean. The same happens with your behind. Baby’s behinds get cleaned with water anyway, why, its cleaner.

Clean it with water, even soap water is possible. Here wet things dry very quickly so you won’t have to walk around with a wet …. . We use the right hand to hold the water hose or the plastic cup and with the left hand, we do the washing.

When I first came to an Asian country with kids, I already knew about this and could tell them before leaving. We had a blast, asking a lot of funny questions but once we arrived here, it was no theme anymore and no one was shocked.

If you don’t find this idea sympathetic, don’t worry, just have enough tissue with you all the time.

Attitude preparation

Apart from illnesses and parasites, children can have a negative attitude towards traveling with their parents. They miss their friends and everyday life. I always say before you decide to go to an adventure like this, involve your children. The longer they have time to prepare and deal with something the better they can arrange.

The thrill of anticipation can be a great part of your trip to a foreign country. I hope you explore this website right here and learn more about what you are to expect.

The internet is a great opportunity to see tons of pictures and read articles about the place you want to visit. Children are young personalities that want to be informed of what is going on. They like to be involved and consulted. Also, let them have a small baggage of their own with their personal favorite belongings.

Before and During the Flight

Airlines are usually very caring with small passengers. You get all kinds of privileges when flying with children like boarding first, like first class, then they get toys and snacks before the regular passengers. The buggy you just put a name tag on and give it to the flight crew when boarding, they will hand it back out at arrival.

Sometimes it can occur that the ears of your children hurt during start and landing. The pressure change we all feel. They might not have learned the trick of releasing ear pressure by dry yawning. I advise talking to them about this issue as well in advance, tell them how it works and exercise before lift off or better even already at home.

Sea- and Car-Sickness

Some people, young and old, get sick because of riding a boat or in a car. I recommend not to eat heavy food before trips like these. Especially milk and milk-products can be a problem when being consumed before a long or curvy tour.

Also, when using public transport, don’t let your kids drink too much. Nonstop rides of three to four hours are very common. Many destinations can be reached with so-called VIP busses though. There you have a toilet on board. The price difference is not much and often worth it.

It helps my daughter not to close her eyes but to watch the things passing the window. Looking at the trees in a distance or focus on a building at the beach or a mountain when you are on a boat helps the body realize what is going on. If you close your eyes your body rejects the movements and reacts by making you sick.

Our unique guided trip to the southern Thailand

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2017-11-13
Melissa

You give a lot of good pointers when traveling with children. I love that Thailand is very loving towards children, I would love to experience that. I know all too well the importance of taking extra precautions when traveling with children. My parents and I travelled across the states from California to New York and on the way back I got really sick. I think it was the hot temperatures and eating the cereal with milk now that you are mentioning it. It was difficult sitting in a car for many hours and at times got boring but this was almost 30 years ago without smartphones and T.V.s in the car. Now parents can do more to make sure children are preoccupied. Thanks for the info.
- Reply
  
  2017-11-15
  stefan vogt
  
  Hi Melissa, thanks for the visit.
  I know, traveling with kids can be trouble sometimes as I have one right here with me. You made a good point there too, today’s smart devices let the children entertain themselves much easier than when we were young.
  
  Another trick I sometimes use is to make sure my daughter is already tired before we hit the road. She then sleeps most of the way. But to not let them eat too much and especially milk products have shown to be a really good idea to keep their tommies fine.
  I hope you have a great time
  Stefan

2017-07-20
Irma

Thank you for pointing out some of the great reasons to be prepared if you travel with children. I am not sure I would have thought about drinking water being a problem, or ticks! It gives you a lot to think about. I was always car sick when I was doing long trips with my family across the country. Likely because we ate cereal with milk for breakfast! Thank you for this information.
- Reply
  
  2017-07-20
  stefan vogt
  
  Hi Irma, Thanks for commenting. The thing with getting car sick is really quite common. It is not that easy to handle because children want to eat before and during a car trip. I try to give food that is less problematic like chocolate or banana or coke and bread. Never too much at once. During curvy and ups and downs its the best if the kids sleep 🙂

2017-07-18
John

Great post on how to travel with a baby!
I always worried about travelling in other countries with children and always thought that it would be difficult, but your post assures that as long as you are prepared then it is no problem.
Very informative article, thanks 🙂
- Reply
  
  2017-07-18
  stefan vogt
  
  Thank you John, I appreciate your comment.
  You are right, the preparation and communication are important when traveling with kids. For the parents, it is relaxing to be informed before leaving for an unknown continent or climate zone. Traveling with children is in fact really no problem if you respect the children’s needs and emotions. Most trouble I observe adults having with each other 🙂

How to Travel with Baby