Travelling to the UK with a toddler for the first time can be daunting. You may have to look at several things beforehand so as not to get stopped at immigration. Family visas, documentation, passports, photographs, and more must be kept ready in addition to everything related to the baby. People travelling to the UK on a spouse visa with a toddler may also be required to show additional documents about the visa and the child’s papers. 

Keeping this in mind, it is best to contact reputable UK immigration lawyers in advance to help with the correct paperwork and all the formalities before you start packing. Considering all the pre-planning you will need, especially with luggage, drinks, nappies, toys, and other clothes, you may want to get everything else done before the baby-travel planning. 

Let us help you with the planning to ensure you travel to the UK with your toddler without any hassles. 

Organize The Paperwork First:

Toddler paperwork for the UK includes a passport, passport photographs (you will have the most hilarious time of your life during this photoshoot!), the birth certificate of the child, either a divorce or a marriage certificate (if you and the child have a different surname), and any relevant visa papers that may be required during immigration. 

You should also ensure that you, your child, and any other travelling companions are covered by travel and medical insurance to avoid any last-minute hassles. Having the right insurance and the cover notes in hard and soft copy are necessary to ensure you do not have any unexpected financial or medical surprises while on the trip. 

Pack Your Hand Baggage:

When considering your hand baggage (carry-on luggage), you must consider your toddler first. You may also require a baby blanket, extra nappies, a sleep sack, an additional change of clothes, baby formula, and other necessities for the flight. 

You should keep emergency medicines, rash cream, anti-allergy drops, cough drops, and any other medications your toddler may require while travelling. Other crucial things to keep on hand are snacks to help your toddler with cabin pressure. Constantly having something to eat or drink (like a milk bottle or something with juice or a kid-friendly drink) will help relieve the cabin pressure in your toddler’s ear. 

Keep Entertainment On-hand:

Toddlers have incredibly short attention spans and constantly need to be entertained. You’re fortunate if you have the good luck of getting a night flight with a baby used to sleeping throughout the night. However, if you have a day flight to the UK and have to rely on your co-passengers goodwill to make it, you’ll be in trouble. 

It is best to carry some non-toxic, easy-to-wipe crayons, colouring books, story books, toys (that won’t go down the baby’s throat), and other such stuff that your child is used to playing with daily. You could also consider learning games like large-sized jigsaw puzzles, interactive or pop-up books, fairy tales, mythological or fantasy tales, and more. Some parents even carry a playlist with noise cancellation headphones of the baby’s favourite songs. This helps them stay calm on the flight since external audio stimuli are eliminated. 

Pack Separate Snacks for Toddlers:

While most planes carry children-friendly food, your toddler may have specific tastes and dietary requirements. Many children are very wary about eating new food since the environment, smells, light, chairs, and more are different. Some even find it difficult to relieve themselves because of this change. To avoid all the hassles and discomfort, keeping all the favourite snacks at hand is best. 

Easy-to-snack, dry foods, lunch and dinner, baby formula, and other snack boxes can help ease the child’s discomfort, allow them to connect with something familiar, and feel happy that their favourite foods are available. Many children do not like the flight catering food and may even develop allergies, throw up, or have severe indigestion. When flying with toddlers, it is best to surround them with familiar things to make the journey comfortable. 

Carry Diapers and Wipes:

When travelling, there is no count of how many wipes or diapers you need to change. There can be all sorts of messes thanks to the altitude, pressure, and environmental change. You should buy gentle wipes for constant cleaning, hygiene wipes for constant touching, alcohol swabs for minor injuries, and diapers for changing. 

If you have connecting flights, you should change the diaper at each airport, so you can rest easy, have ample space to change, and throw away the earlier soiled diapers.