We came back home from Thailand on Sunday, after an 18-hour trip. No jet lag, no cold (at least yet), no problems getting back to the nursery. We made it!

This one is for all of you, who thought that a three-week-long road trip through Thailand with a little one was an absurd idea. For those of you (older generations and others), who think that having a baby equals: home, garden and maybe an occasional trip to the Baltic Sea or to Mazury. Also, for those of you, who didn’t believe that we’ll make it through an 11 hour plane trip with a little one running here and there on board. If you still have doubts and need motivation, now can find out about Thailand with a 1.5-year-old.

Maks zwiedza ruiny w Si Satchanalai

Maks sightseeing in Si Satchanalai invites you to read on 🙂

1) What do I need to take with me? How do I prepare for the trip?

To be honest, we haven’t done too many preparations before the trip. The reason is quite obvious: lack of time. We wanted to go ambitious and plan our route, all the details and book accommodation in advance. But we also had work, meetings, other trips, presentations and other stuff to do, so we ended not really prepared.

In terms of small kids, it’s advisable to visit the doctor before the trip and get some decent first aid kit with painkillers, an antipyretic, a soothing gel and tooth drops (Camilla) for teething, something for diarrhoea (Smecta), something to hydrate the organism in case of diarrhoea (Orsalit), sea water for the running nose and a syrup or calcium in case some exotic creature bites us. In Mexico we got more than 50 bites in the face. This time we were prepared 😉 We bought everything, took it with us and fortunately didn’t have to use it at all.

Vaccinations: apart from the standard ones that our son has been getting in doses since his birth, we only vaccinated him for Hepatitis A. A trip to Thailand doesn’t t require you to have any obligatory vaccinations, some are only suggested — and it depends where you’re planning to go. We knew that we’re going to visit mostly civilised and safe regions and therefore, after consultations with our GP, we decided only to go for Hepatitis A vaccine. However, you’ll have to decide for yourselves.

gotowy na wszystko

ready for action

Other things to prepare for your little one:

clothes – if you’re going to Thailand in November you only need light clothes as the temperatures range between 30 and 40 degrees. We took some extra sweatshirts for our little one in case of heavy air conditioning on the plane or in the car, and some sets of “long bodysuit + long trousers” to sleep in and to shelter from mosquitoes.

diapers and wet wipes – we stocked on both, but they are easy to find really almost everywhere. Smaller packs of diapers and wet wipes are available in the 7-eleven chain stores that are extremely popular in every Thai city. Supermarkets offer bigger packs.

food – due to Maks’s age we only took baby cereals/milk, both powdered and boxed (Nestle Junior), perfect for the flight. As a precaution, we took a small electric kettle. That’s recommended. We also stocked on Maks’s favourite snacks and fruit desserts. These come in handy during walks, especially in hot weather. Maks is not a fan of food in jars so we didn’t even think about taking those. Baby foods in jars in Thailand are not as popular as in Mexico, though. Small shops usually don’t have them, some sell Ceralac porridges by Nestle (little one’s approved). Even the supermarkets (i.e. in Chiang Mai) don’t have a lot to offer. Fortunately Thai cuisine itself is quite child-friendly. I’ll get to that later 🙂

“tableware” – we took: a bottle for porridge, a cup for water (sealable, travel version), a little bowl, plastic spoons and forks, one sealable bowl for not finished meals and to heat snacks before going to the beach. Also, some comforters, so you can throw away the one that fell on the pavement in Chinatown and got run over 😉

– extra stuff: a few toys (we usually buy more on our way – it’s a great souvenir), a blanket, a mosquito-curtain for the bed, sunscreen, anti-mosquito gel for children (Ziaja AntyBuzz), anti-mosquito gel for over one year olds (Dapis) and some cosmetics obviously. Cosmetics can also be bought in Thailand quite easily.

2) the plane

That’s the biggest challenge! Firstly, because it’s usually two flights (it’s very hard to find a direct one from Poland). Secondly, a flight from Helsinki to Bangkok takes 9h 40 but the return is 11 hours. What can you do?

It’s best to fly at night but as you can imagine it’s not always possible. Moreover, a 1.5-year-old does not get his own seat, so if the plane is full (and it will be!), he will spend the whole trip on your lap. It’s best to take some toys, books, snacks (especially the forbidden ones – nothing’s more engaging than a chocolate candy bar;)).

Also, try to get your little one tired before the trip meaning: don’t let him sleep too long (they’re torturing the child!), let him play as long as possible in the playground at the airport (which is usually equipped really well). Don’t worry if there’s no kids zone – a little one will always get himself busy.

kącik zabaw - Lotnisko Chopina w Warszawie

kids corner – Chopin Airport in Warsaw

i w samowolnie wybranym

Maks in the “kids corner” of his choice

If you want to see Bangkok and the north as well and then chill out in south, think about local flights. We flew from Chiang Rai to Bangkok and from Krabi to Bangkok, and we can recommend Thai Airways, where our little one got toys and his own snack 🙂

3) accommodation

co tak wcześnie?! zwariowali!

why so early?! are they mad?!

Speaking about accommodation, two things are important: jet lag and a bed for the child.

jet lag – what can I say, we got a serious jet lag in Bangkok. We got two sleepless nights in the beginning, woke up at 6.30 am, went to have some breakfast and then went to sleep until 2 pm again. Maks found it a bit difficult to adapt. He played all night because during the day, tired with the heat, he slept in his little bed. The situation improved on the third day when we decided to go in line with Maks’ lifecycle. We had breakfast at 3 pm (9 am Polish time), lunch at 7 pm and played until 2 am. After 12 active hours we went to sleep and then got up at 9 am. Normally Maks sleeps around 12 hours but this time everything was ok:)

child’s bed – depending on your way of solving the sleep situation (the child sleeping alone or with his/her parents) this may be a bit of a problem. Baby beds are not always available (even though we slept in decent hotels) and sometimes that was the reason to change our hotel at 11 pm after a 300 km drive. Remember about that when booking your accommodation!

metalowa kołyska-wywrotka

shaky metal cradle

4) food for the little one

Before we set off on our trip, all the grandmothers and great-grandmothers in our family warned us that Maks is not going to like Thai food and therefore we should take some jars with us. It turned out that Maks fell in love with Thai food (not the same spicy dishes as his parents though) even though he normally tends to be a rather picky eater.

danie numer 1: ryż smażony z kurczakiem

dish No. 1: fried rice with chicken

Maks’ menu included: fried rice with chicken, sometimes fried rice with tuna or steamed rice in sweet and sour sauce or rice with chicken in cashew sauce. Rice was the king – he sometimes ate it a few times a day.

chicken satay

chicken satay

satay - tu rybny - restauracja Harmonique w Bangkoku

fish satay – Harmonique restaurant in Bangkok

What else? He really liked chicken satay that he dipped in a nut sauce delicately (what a connoisseur!), spring rolls with seafood and Chinese wontons, especially with a sweet sauce. These dishes are very convenient because the little one eats it with his own hands and doesn’t need assistance. Especially that high chairs aren’t always available and sometimes don’t have seatbelts, making it a bit dangerous for such an active little guy.

won tony z krewetką - idealne do schrupania na kolację - Texas, Chinatown, Bangkok

shrimp wontons — perfect for dinner, here in Texas, Chinatown, Bangkok

Also, fruits (every morning he asked for a watermelon!), freshly squeezed juices, beloved coconut juice and lots of milk-based snacks, especially the fruit ones available in 7-Eleven. Eating this Thai way, our little picky eater even managed to gain some weight despite running around all the time. Grandma approved 😉

a do picia kokos

coconut to drink

5) entertainment for the child

odpoczynek do zwiedzaniu Wielkiego Pałacu

chilling out after visiting the Grand Palace

Thailand is a perfect place for kids. There are several reasons. The kids are loved and no one minds them running around, screaming or poking others. There’s also the beach with warm water…

plaża!!!

the beach!!!

plażuję na całego

playing on the beach like no-one else

There are marvellous little  sculptures of animals and “dolls” everywhere – in temples, shops, restaurants and palaces.

ulubiona

a favourite “doll” — practising “eye”, “mouth”, “nose”, “ear”

cuddling

“woof, woof?” – Loha Prasad, Bangkok

maaałpka - gdzieś w sklepie

a monkey! in a random shop

There’s kids everywhere, who instantly become new friends or even girlfriends;) “I’m sorry, Elisa! She jumped right at me!”

podryw

Thai skirt chasing 😉

With real animals, Maks was particularly amazed by monkeys. He also got his own plush one and managed to learn to call it “a little monkey”, only sometimes confusing it with a teddy bear… What else did we manage to do? Feed an elephant. This picture is worth more than the whole trip to Thailand 🙂

“a little monkey” – Monkey Temple, Chiang Rai

odważnie nakarmił słonika bananem

courage

So, if you’re still not sure about long trips with little children – don’t be! A little one laughing and having fun on the beach is yet another reason to DO so! 🙂 Good luck!