A trip with children goes well if three things are in place: one piece of hand luggage per child with a change of clothes, food and one new little thing, a mode of transport that suits the distance, and a schedule that assumes everything takes twice as long. Trains win up to five hours, the car wins when you need to stop where you like, and flying wins once it is over six hours. A rear-facing car seat until at least age four, on holiday too.
Five in the morning at Arlanda with a one-year-old who woke at three and a four-year-old who lost her rabbit in the taxi. That is how many family trips begin, and it is not inevitable. The trips that work were prepared the day before, have food in the bag and take a train or a car instead of a plane when the journey is shorter than to Skåne. This is what we have learned from families who travel, and what we pack when we come along.
Which mode of transport suits?
| Transport | Suits when | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train | Up to five hours, to Göteborg, Malmö, Sundsvall | Your child moves about freely, you can eat, family carriages on many trains | Changes with a pram and bags, delays with no plan B |
| Car | You want to stop where you like, lots of luggage, several children | Your own schedule, the car seat you know, breaks when you want | Someone has to drive, children under two rarely manage more than two hours at a stretch |
| Plane | Over six hours, abroad | Fast when it goes to plan | Waiting at the airport, ears, a car seat at the destination, everything costs extra |
| Ferry | Gotland, Finland, Åland | The children can run about, a cabin to sleep in | Seasickness, a long time in port |
| Night train | To northern Sweden, children from age three | The children sleep, you wake up there | They rarely sleep as well as at home |
Packing list for hand luggage
This is what needs to be within reach, not in the big suitcase. One rucksack per adult and, from age three, a small one per child, which the child packs themselves with your approval.
- A change of clothes. A full change per child, socks included, and a clean top for you. Vomiting happens in cars, on trains and on planes.
- Nappies, wet wipes, bags. Twice as many nappies as you think. Bags for whatever gets dirty.
- Food and drink. Sandwiches, fruit, crackers, something your child always eats. A water bottle per child. Packed food that keeps is covered in Packed lunch for children.
- Something to suck or chew on at take-off and landing: dummy, bottle, chewing gum for older children.
- One new thing. A little book, a sticker pad, a small figure. Wrapped, brought out when things are at their worst, never before.
- Medicines. Fever reducer in the right strength, plasters, any regular medicines, travel sickness medicine if your child needs it, on the pharmacy's advice.
- The bedtime toy. The one your child cannot sleep without. Photograph it before the trip so you can put out a search for it.
- A screen with downloaded content and headphones for children from three, for the last two hours when nothing else helps.
- Documents. A passport even for babies when travelling abroad, the EU health card, tickets downloaded to your phone.
Flying with a baby or toddler
Children under two usually travel on a lap, from two with their own seat. Book aisle seats close to the toilet. Be at the airport in time but not too early, because the waiting is the worst part. The pram can usually be taken right to the plane and left at the door; check with the airline. At take-off and landing: breastfeed, bottle, dummy or a drink, so the pressure in the ears evens out. Change the nappy just before boarding. And expect not to read a single page of your book. Babies often sleep well in the drone of the engines, one-year-olds want to walk the aisle for two hours, three-year-olds manage a film and four snacks. That is the reality, and it ends when the plane lands.
Car: breaks, seats and schedule
A rear-facing car seat until at least age four is the advice in Sweden, and the one we follow. The seat must be fitted correctly, check before you leave, and no thick winter jacket under the belt. Breaks every two hours: out of the car, run around for ten minutes, wee, drink. Babies should not sit in the car seat for longer than necessary at a stretch. If you are driving a long way, set off at five in the morning so the children sleep the first few hours, or after dinner. Have food in the car that does not require stopping. Car sickness affects many children from about age two; ask them to look ahead, let in fresh air, avoid screens on winding roads, and keep bags handy. More rules on car seats in Children in the car.
Trains with children
The train is the mode of transport that is kindest to small children for up to four or five hours. Book the family carriage if the train has one; nobody there minds children. Have a pram that folds with one hand and pack so that one adult can carry everything while the other has the children, because platform changes with stairs still exist. Bring food, because the restaurant car is not always open and the queue is long. Set a limit for the screen: not until after lunch. And ask the bigger children to count stations or look for cows; that lasts half an hour. The night train north is an adventure for children from three; book a whole compartment if you can.
What goes wrong, and how to avoid it
- Your child is ill the day before. Do not travel with a child who has a fever or a stomach bug. It does not get better in a car, and airlines can refuse boarding.
- The bedtime toy disappears. Have a spare, or sew a label with your phone number into the real one.
- Everything takes longer. Build in an extra hour before every departure. That hour always gets used.
- Nobody has slept. The first day at the destination should be empty. No outing, just arriving and an early night.
- You forgot something. There are shops where you are going. The only things you cannot buy are prescription medicines and the bedtime toy.
- The children fight in the back seat. Something between them: a cushion, a bag, an adult. And breaks more often than you planned.
How we do it with our families
Nike went along with a family from Bromma on a week's road trip to Skåne last summer, with a two-year-old and a five-year-old, so the parents could drive and still have someone in the back seat. She packed the hand luggage the day before: one change of clothes per child in its own bag, sandwiches, fruit, a wrapped book per child that came out at Nyköping and not before. They set off at five in the morning, the children slept until Norrköping, breaks every two hours with a run around at the rest stop, and they arrived by lunchtime. At the destination she wrote notes to the parents every evening with what had been eaten and how sleep had gone, so they could see the pattern. A nanny on holiday is something we do; ask us how, see Prices.
Would you like a nanny who comes on the same days every week and whom the children know? Book a free first meeting with the nanny in your home, and we will work out a quote for your hours.
Read more: Holidays in Sweden with children · Children in the car · Packed lunch for children · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is most important to pack in hand luggage with children?
A change of clothes, nappies and wet wipes, food and drink your child likes, something to chew on at take-off and landing, one new little toy or book, and medicines. Everything else can wait until you arrive. A small rucksack of their own per child from age three, which they pack themselves with your approval.
What do you do about the car seat on the plane and at the destination?
Many airlines take the car seat as checked luggage, sometimes free of charge, but the rules differ, so check with the airline. At the destination, hire car companies' seats are often worn and rarely rear-facing for the little ones. If you bring your own seat, you know what you have. Children should travel rear-facing until at least age four.
How long can you drive with a baby?
Breaks every two hours, and ideally no more than six hours in the car in a day. Babies should not sit in a car seat for longer than necessary at a stretch. If you are driving a long way, start early in the morning or in the evening so your child sleeps part of the way, and expect it to take twice as long as without children.
What do you do about ears at take-off and landing?
Let your child suck, chew or drink as the plane climbs and descends: breastfeeding, a dummy or a bottle for the little ones, chewing gum or something to drink for older children. If your child has a cold with a blocked nose it can really hurt; ask the pharmacy about a nasal spray before you leave. 1177 (the national healthcare helpline) has advice on children and flying.
Is the train better than the car with small children?
Usually yes, for up to four or five hours: your child can walk about, you can eat and change nappies, and nobody has to drive. Longer than that, the train becomes a long wait, and the car wins because you can stop where you like. Night trains work well for children from three who think a bed on a train is the best thing ever.