Mum of two shares some fantastic tips for travelling overseas with kids.

Adele Barbaro who blogs at The Real Mumma recently shared that one of the most re-occurring questions she receives is about feeding babies and young kids when travelling to places like Bali so she has put together some great tips below.

1. EATING OUT

You may have heard the term ‘Bali belly’ and be concerned that travelling with young kids is risky but I don’t actually like that term as i believe it gives Indonesian cuisine a bit of a bad name. Whether you are at home or abroad, the key is to eat at reputable restaurants and the chances of getting an upset belly are slim.

2. ALL INCLUSIVE v PAY AS YOU GO

When we came to Grand Mirage Resort Bali last year we didn’t do all inclusive for the first couple of days but quickly realised it was worth every cent and upgraded. This time we went AI for the whole duration. It just makes sense, not just for the unlimited drinks for adults by the pool but more for the kids. The benefits outweigh the cost as we never have to think. We are not wasting time and money on unknown restaurants out in the street, instead we have 8 great restaurants within resort. And because the room service is 24/7, I can feed the kids whenever they are hungry which can be as early as 5.30pm after big days in the pool, so we like to give them dinner in the room, pop them to bed and then Paul and I head out for dinner while the baby sitter stays with them.

3. FOOD

The kids get weetbix and fruit for breakfast just like at home or i order a vegetable omelette. For other meals, yes we are on holiday and the kids will have some naughty food but I like make sure they are eating enough fruit and veg. I offer healthy food first. Vegetable soup is a winner to start. Then I chop up lots of veg, nice and small in rice or noddles so it can be picked out and look for vegetarian options. For Chloe I get a side of steamed veg and she has that as hand held food. Then I move on to the sweeter things like yogurt and fruit. Cheeky tip: I take a couple of apples, a muffin or croissant at breakfast so we have emergency snacks.

4. THE WATER

Drinking the tap water in Bali is a no no but you can have peace of mind, in quality hotels, they are using filtered water for food preparation so no upset bellies. A little off topic but for bathing, I run a shallow bath for the kids but I wash their faces with a face washer and bottled water. With the swimming pools, a good hotel will be just like a public pool back at home but as an extra precaution, I don’t like putting Chloe’s head under but Harvey does and I don’t have any issues. You can sterilise the bath if you want with Milton tablets.

5. SUPERMARKET

When you arrive, head to the supermarket and get a few big bottles of water for your room. If you are on all inclusive, you have mini bar access and unlimited bottled water but I like having the big ones to do bottles and bath the kids. There is a very big shop right across the road from most big resorts including this one.

6. BOTTLE FEEDING

Bring some dishwashing liquid in a glad bag and a bottle brush. Use bottled water and boil in a kettle to clean. If you have a microwave you can use munchkin microwave sterilising bags or ask room service to do it. Or you can sit the bottle on top of open boiling kettle to sterilise or just sit them in there when it’s boiled. At any time, the staff will bring you a warm bottle of milk at The Grand Mirage or you can get full cream milk at the supermarkets. Bring your formula in your carry on. You can also use mini Milton tablets to sterilise. Some hotels have a steriliser you can use or if you really want one, hire one.

7. HAND SANITISER/WIPES

Even though the high chairs are very clean here, I use antibacterial wipes or hand sanitiser and normal wipes on high chairs and eating surfaces for extra cleanliness.

8. INTOLERANCES

Paul has quite a few intolerances including gluten and fructose. Most of the big hotels will cater for intolerances these days and because the buffets are extensive, you seem to be able to always find something suitable. He was able to have gluten free toast this morning and request no onion and garlic in his meals.

9. SNACKS AND BACK UP

I bring squeeze pouches and healthy snacks as back up in the suitcase.

This post originally appeared on Adele Barbaro- The Real Mumma.

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