By Heba Abou El Eid
You might have thought traveling was a handful before, but you haven’t truly faced traveling dilemmas until you’ve had to travel with children. If you’re new to this, don’t worry, experienced mothers out there have got your back. We asked the lovely mothers at The Mommy Club to give us their best Sahel travel tips and here’s what they’ve come up with.
The Ultimate Packing List!
For Aya Hesham Haggag, the ultimate packing list is: Hats, sun block, all the medicines they might need, thermometer, two swimming suits and beach towels, diapers for the water, Fenstil gel, ready-made meals prepared before traveling and frozen (it’s not worth wasting your time cooking), snacks, clothes for hot and cold weather and cotton jacket, toys, stroller with namosia (the one they can sleep in and feel comfortable), CD with their favorite songs, lunch box and sealed bags.
“Sahel to her is waking up early and staying up late, eating feteer at night and playing board games and staying in the sea all day long!”
The Sahel Memory Lane
Nesreen Gaafar tells us she takes Sahel trips as an opportunity to relax a little from the kids, because they are already entertained almost all the time and she can take a walk down memory lane with all her Sahel traditions when she was a kid. She tries to make sure they have the same experience she had! Sahel to her is waking up early and staying up late, eating feteer at night and playing board games and staying in the sea all day long! Her bag must haves are sunglasses, tanning oil , sun block, hats , snacks , water, towels , floaters, clean outfit, and of course her wallet.
Adventure Time at the Beach
Mai Hashem believes any beach vacation is a time for both the mother and baby to have fun. A baby will get a chance to discover their surroundings and as mums, we create amazing memories and act as kids again just enjoying our precious time with our babies. Extra Tip: She hates using wipes on the beach as it causes skin problems with the sun (black marks) so she never use wipes on the beach.
“In the bag she includes towels with their favorite cartoon characters as well as a bath robe in case it’s cold.”
Packing Toys for Baby (and Mommy)!
Reham Adel M. Roushdy chooses to use mini-trolly bag to carry all their things when they are out or on the beach. In the bag she includes towels with their favorite cartoon characters as well as a bath robe in case it’s cold. Also, their sun protection cream, swimming pool diapers , hats, extra clothes, mini shower set (travel sized shampoo, conditioner… etc). It’s also very important for Reham to also bring diapers, protection cream, wipes and sanitizing gel. This is not all; toys are essential! The childhood bucket and sand utensils are a must even on the swimming pool, swimming floats, water guns (Reham is playing with these), water plastic ball and a mini remote control boat (her ultimate fun). Of course, water resistant camera is a great addition, and she can’t forget her mini first aid kit.
“Don’t forget to take some healthy snacks to the beach! Playing in the sand will make your babies/kids hungry and they would probably eat anything.”
Healthy Meal Alert
Samaa Awad’s advice is culinary in nature. Don’t forget to take some healthy snacks to the beach! Playing in the sand will make your babies/kids hungry and they would probably eat anything. So it’s a good opportunity to serve something healthy and homemade. Also don’t forget water, lots of water because kids will get very thirsty. And bring a bottle or two filled with tap water, as some beaches don’t have showers, and you will need to change and wash faces, hands and probably hair from the sand. Don’t dress in your chic-est outfit or accessories because like it or not you will be drenched in water and sand. And that’s OK, because your baby will remember you played with him!
Portable Tub to the Little One’s Rescue
Rollan Ebead’s has a clever tip to keep your babies comfortable at the beach. If you have this portable bathtub, you can take it to the beach and put some toys inside if your baby is 6+ month. They’ll play in it and it will be stable in the sand.
Little Beach Camp!
Aya R. Soliman gets a little tent with her! When her little one gets out of the water, he needs a clean place to wear a normal diaper and take his beach nap. This beach tent is the best thing that happened to them! He takes long naps in it away from sand and sun for some time and she also puts any precious stuff inside.
Featured Image: Shutterstock/TravnikovStudio
