New Baby Travel Hacks

The thought of setting off on holiday should fill us with joy, the excitement of travelling to our holiday destination, then the anticipation of long, lazy days, relaxation and a stress-free break. Travelling with young children, however, can be a whole different experience. We've teamed up with the Sainsbury's Money Matters Team to bring you their fun, animated guide to flying with children, and we've added some of our top new baby travel hacks to help take the stress out of travelling with babies and young children.

• It is amazing how much 'stuff' even a tiny baby needs and you can guarantee that you will have just safely stowed away your hand luggage if you are lucky enough to be flying off somewhere, or packed all your luggage in the boot of the car, when little one needs something from the depths of your bag. A top tip is to group all your baby kit together into smaller bags (large freezer bags are ideal) then pack them into your suitcase. This means you can pull out just your nappies and wipes, or just baby's spare clothes or snacks, without having to rummage through your entire bag each time.

• If you are flying, make sure you tie something bright, memorable and unusual to your bags and your pushchair or travel cot if you are putting them in the hold. Thick, patterned ribbon is ideal as other families are unlikely to have used the same and, when three pushchairs are making their way round the luggage carousel, you will always end up with yours!

• Pack muslins - lots of muslins... they can be used for pretty much everything on holiday from pillows to blankets to sun shades to cloths for mopping up every kind of mess.

• Think about investing in a sling to carry your baby, baby wearing has many benefits from calming an over-tired little one to leaving you hands free at the airport or whilst sightseeing. If you are not sure where to start there are lots of local sling libraries that will help you get started and you may even be able to hire a sling for your holiday at a fraction of the cost of buying one.

• When you arrive at your destination it is so tempting to jump into planning lots of fun activities but little ones are creatures of habit and they will become tired very quickly, particularly in the heat. From experience, it is probably worth not trying to pack too much into one day, maybe factor in a slower pace and either a morning or afternoon activity with plenty of time to chill to stop everyone getting frazzled. Another tip is to eat out early, you will get a quieter restaurant, quicker service and a happier baby.

• A universal bath plug will change a shower into a bath for a little one, which could save some tears if baby isn't used to a shower. Other things you may want to consider packing that might not immediately spring to mind include Calpol, a travel black out blind, disposable bibs and a baby monitor, all handy bits of kit when travelling with a little one.

We here at Babyblooms hope that you all have a fantastic holiday, whether you are planning a longhaul trip to somewhere exotic or a caravan down the road and if you have any other top tips for travelling with a baby we'd love to hear them!