Airports and planes

Our little family seems to have caught the travel bug! Since his birth Neel's been on close to twenty flights, 6 different countries and eaten god alone knows how many different cuisines. And he's only two!

Travelling with a baby / toddler is really difficult. They can be irritable, fussy with their food, have constant tantrums at airports (most of these are in the immigration queue) and turn into unrecognisable monsters (well, mine does anyway!).

The biggest nightmare has got to be the packing. Don't ever expect to travel light with a baby. Your case will be bursting at it's seams with diapers, creams, formula, bottled food, snacks, toys and basically everything your baby needs except the kitchen sink (you have the baby wipes for that). On top of all that you'll have to pack a separate baby bag as cabin luggage for the flight. Here's the challenge: you have to pack toys, food, bottles, formula, snacks, diapers, wipes and whatever else you may need for the journey all into one baby bag and get this, it all has to be under seven kilograms! Most airlines will allow ten kilograms for a baby under two (their generosity knows no bounds!). I have however travelled by one airline who didn't allow my baby any baggage weight, not even a cabin bag!!

Airports and planes I feel are the most child unfriendly places. I usually have palpitations days before a flight and make obsessive lists for practically everything. Neel loves the open spaces of an airport and usually runs wild while we're standing in endless queues. He pushes trolleys and bangs it into everyone and everything in his way while nearly getting run over himself. He drags one of our wheelie bags all over the place feeling terribly important. Nik and I have minor heart attacks the whole time before boarding.

Once we've boarded the plane, Neel's excitement starts to peak. He still hasn't got his head around the fact that he's INSIDE a plane. He instead goes completely ballistic about the planes he can see on the Tarmac outside. While Neel does near cartwheels on my lap, Nik and I start frantically preparing formula in a bottle for take off, keep pacifiers handy and somehow stuff a sippy cup in the magazine holder. I also shove some small toys and crayons down the side of my seat or anywhere. Nik prepares his iPhone in it's plane mode so Neel can play some games later.

Recently, Neel has been a little more aware of take offs and landings. His eyes were like plates the last time our plane took off and I'm not sure if he's figured that he's actually up in the sky. An hour after we're airborne and after a few more minor tantrums and heart attacks, Neel finally settles down to sleep. I think that the sound of the engines lull him to sleep plus of course he's exhausted after running riot in the airport.

So if it is such a bother, why do we travel so much with Neel? It's because HE has fun. He loves the change, the freedom, the attention and the chance to see so many different things. Travelling is our way of teaching him and exposing him things he could never see staying at home. And most of all, it's our way of spending special time with our baby.

We've just returned from a holiday in Bali and I can't wait for our next trip along with it's share of anxiety and heart attacks.

Bring em on!