Blog angels & urchins was lucky enough to visit the Cupcake private members club recently, to hold a talk on travelling with very young children. Sinking into a sofa, perusing the spa treatment list, and eating a slice of homemade carrot cake washed down with a green tea made her very envious of the Cupcake mums. A lot of them are jetting off for Christmas to visit friends and family, and much of the travel talk focused on travelling with very young children. We thought we’d pass the tips on, because travelling with a member of the tricky 11-month to two-year brigade is usually a demanding process. They tend not to be interested in TV (though if they are, definitely invest in a portable DVD and show Baby Einstein on repeat!), can’t play games or colour in, and don’t like being strapped in. But it’s not all doom and gloom, because they tend to sleep for longer periods than older siblings, so if you can get them to sleep, all will be well.

TOP TIPS ON TRAVELLING WITH BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN

You don’t have to pay a seat for a child before their second birthday, but there are benefits if you do spend the cash. Take along their car seat so that they can sleep in an environment they’re used to.

Fly at night, whenever possible. Hopefully you’ll get the child to sleep. If not, plenty of tips below…

Take along a cuddly toy, or anything the child has sleep associations with. Muslins are fantastic, because everyone always has a plentiful supply of them and it doesn’t matter if they get lost. Unlike a favourite Teddy, which will be a disaster if it gets lost in transit.

Take along two spare changes of clothes for baby, and one for you, even if just a top. You never know when you’re going to end up covered in food, sick, a drink, or worse.

A great travel toy is the traditional favourite, stackable cups that fit inside each other. They don’t take up much space, and are great to use on the beach and pool when you’re there. You can while away hours filling the cups with things for them to discover on the way.

A simple bottle makes a great travel toy. Young children love putting on a lid and taking it off again.

Tupperware boxes filled with Cheerios and raisins are a great way to keep them happy and full of food. I always travel with some mini boxes of raisins.

A sling/papoose/Baby Bjorn is a vital piece of kit. It makes walking up and down the aisles much easier when you’re trying to get a baby to sleep, and means you’ve got two hands free when you land.

Keep the baby hydrated. They’ll need to drink more than usual because the air on a plane is so dry. If you’re formula feeding, take enough powder for more feeds than usual. I personally use mineral water (Evian has one of the lowest volumes of minerals), but know some people are nervous about that. But I think for a short period of time it’s fine.

If you want to send things on in advance – nappies, formula etc – there are various companies that will do this for you. Tiny Tots Away has a list of baby products that they’ll send, First Luggage will collect a case and have it waiting for your arrival.

Instead of priority boarding, use the time to wear out a little one by playing crawling/running games. Unless you’re flying with a first-come-first-seated cheap airline, in which case RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, or you’ll end up sitting rows apart.

WE HOPE SOME OF THESE TIPS ARE HELPFUL.  We’d love yours, so drop by and leave them in the comments section below, and we’ll add them on. Happy flying!

Always on the look out for a decent holiday

Who doesn’t love to get away? The  team at angels & urchins is ever ready with the suitcases, not to mention the notebook and pen to take down details of the latest child-friendly bolthole. We  invited Ultimate Family Hideaways to give us the lowdown on travelling with teenies, their favourite destinations, and how to make flights bearable. And for more holiday information, take a trip to our travel section.

•     What makes an ‘ultimate family hideaway’
A beautiful sophisticated ‘grown ups’ hotel where children are warmly welcomed, but the place isn’t overrun with them!   The majority of our hotels provide high chairs, babysitting etc. Although we have some hotels with Kids Clubs, this is not the main criteria. 

 •     What are your best three tips for travelling with young children?
If you have a flight that means an early start from your home stay the night before at an adjoining airport hotel – the mood you start your journey in makes such a difference to your holiday. 
Don’t even consider putting your car in a airport car park – allowing for extra time to get on/off the bus with pushchairs, car seats etc just adds extra stress. Instead, book fly away parking where the drive meets you – if you book in advance it costs very little more than standard parking.
Relax and enjoy it. I’m constantly surprised how well my two cope with plane delays, lack of sleep etc. When parents are stressed, children get stressed, and that’s when it becomes a nightmare. 

 •     angels & urchins believes children can cope  with adventure. Where is your most challenging destination?
Kenya. So many exciting things to see and do on safari for children, from camel trekking to being shown how to track lions, make tooth brushes out of twigs and catch scorpions by the Masai!  Parents love it too, and it is a great opportunity for the whole family to do something together.

 •     Any tips on making the plane journey more bearable, particularly with tricky one to two-year-olds?
While it’s tempting to take advantage of not paying for a seat until your child turns two, once your baby no longer fits into a bassinet (normally from around 10 months) for longer flights it is really worth paying for a seat.   This is pretty frustrating though if you end up on a flight that isn’t full. If you don’t pay for a seat then try and book your flights mid week and avoid half-term or holidays – this way you are more likely to get a seat for your little one.  At check-in ask if the flight is full, and if not ask if they will block off the seat next to you (they are normally happy to do this).  It is also worth bearing in mind that while the bulkhead front row seats are great for little ones who fit in a bassinet and also give you more leg room, the arm rests don’t lift up, so for night flights normally seats can work better as you can lift up all the armrests and allow your child to lie across you.  Finally, while flying with an infant under two if you can splash out on business class, book two seats facing the same way and your child has its own space to play in and they can easily snuggle up next to you to sleep. 

 •     You’re probably brilliant at packing just enough, without taking everything including the kitchen sink.  What would you never leave the house without?
Baby Bjorn – it has been a lifesaver when we have to walk miles until we can pick up our pushchair at baggage reclaim. Even the smallest baby gets pretty heavy when they are just in your arms.  A portable table attachment high chair has also been invaluable – its often easy to feed your infant in your room than the restaurant and having something for them to sit it makes it so much easier.

 •     Which hotels currently being built are you most excited about? Give us your insider tips!
Borge Egnazia in Italy’s Puglia region. This is going to be a gem.  Easy to get to and the option of having a villa, hotel room or town house (they have built a typically Puglian village)  It really doesn’t feel too large and the joy of having a hotel villa means you get all the benefits of being in a hotel, with service, restaurants etc but the freedom of being in a self catering villa for those midnight bottles or early morning breakfast!

•     And finally, if you were going away without the children, where would you go?
We think that a trip away without the children should involve enjoying activities which you couldn’t do with them, otherwise they might as well be with you.  We love going to Cape Town , staying in beautiful boutique hotels having lie-ins in the morning, enjoying long lazy lunches at the numerous wonderful restaurants and going out in the evening – all the sort of things spoiling treats that are difficult with two young children.

The summer is now officially over, but at angels & urchins we’re not going to sit and demise its passing. Not us. Too many other holidays to look forward to. So we’re putting in an advance order for ITC Classics new family brochure, currently at the printers and available at the end of September. We love researching holidays online, but do like a brochure because of all that sofa time with a cup of tea researching the options. Once you’ve narrowed down your choice of blue skies and golden sands, give ITC a call (01244 355 550) to get the answers on all those tricky questions on interconnecting rooms and how much shade there is in the kids’ club.

It’s also fun to try the holiday quiz finder at 101 Holidays. We tried it imagining the children in tow, and without – to startlingly different results.

You can then plan the winter sun wardrobe. Queen of the laid-back beach look is Heidi Klein, while good old M&S can be brilliant because you can buy bikini and tankini tops and bottoms in different sizes. For the sprogs, we’ve long been fans of  beachware from Sunuva; we’ve featured the groovy kidswear brand before, and the mesh tops offer high UVA protection, which means less hassle with the sunscreen bottle.   

Not long till half term – and we’ll have plenty more ideas in the angels & urchins travel section.

This little piggy went to Pigstock

Angels & Urchins is a huge fan of the great outdoors. A few years ago, web manager Amanda Morison reviewed the first Featherdown Farm (aka ‘camping-for-people-who-are-a-bit-pathetic-when-it-comes-to-actually-camping’) for The Guardian, and we recently applauded their new Field Spa. At the moment, we’re flicking through Cool Camping to see if they’ve any tips on sites that guarantee minimal rainfall. And talking of cool (and rain), you’ll get plenty of both at Bestival, The Big Chill and all those other family friendly summer festivals. Our latest find is Pigstock. You read that correctly. On 13, 14 and 15 August 2009, what’s probably the UK’s smallest music festival, will be held in the garden of The Royal Oak Pub, Bishopstone, Wiltshire. The hosts are the pub, and Helen Browning’s organic pig farm. You, and your little piggies, can bed down in a pig arc (clean straw and firewood included), and will be ferried to the festival by Land-Rover. There are local bands to enjoy, open air yoga, and a (what else?) hog roast to power you through.

Pigstock is the second music festival hosted by Eastbrook Farm, and The Royal Oak, listed by Michelin in their top 500 food pubs 2009, and by Alastair Sawday as a gold award winner in his ‘Special Places’  Pub and Inns 2009. In the words of Helen Browning, guests will, ‘Wake to the sound of pigs yawning. It will be like camping in a joyful children’s playground, because the pigs run round all day, then sleep, then escape, then go home’. Each pig arc can sleep a maximum of six people, and you’re welcome to bring a horse (!), though you can arrange to be picked up from Swindon, the nearest station. You’re also welcome to bring your car. Adventurers also need to bring essentials; sleeping bags, pillows, towels and any vague creature comforts, such as deck chairs and books (although the pub has its own fully stocked bookshelf). Helen also recommends a coat, suitable footwear and a bicycle. She, like the Met Office, cannot guarantee the weather.

Price per person per night: £18 (£10 for children aged 12 and under). This covers pig arc (or tent or camper van); showers and loos; campfire wood; running water from a standpipe, use of Land-Rover around campsite/village shuttle. Extras include open-air yoga, breakfast in bed (well, arc), Land-Rover collect and deliver service to or from Swindon station. There is one larger pig ‘cabin’ available, which can hold 20. Helen is also happy to accept up to 10 tents or camper vans on the site, though the maximum number is likely to be, ‘60 people on any one night, we don’t want something too big.’ Quite right. We’ve seen The Muppet Show, and know the kind of ego Miss Piggy and her ilk often possess.
Bookings: 01793 790460; info@helenbrowningorganics.co.uk. A minimum stay of two nights is encouraged.
More information: www.royaloakbishopstone.co.uk; www.helenbrowningorganics.co.uk

And this little piggy says, 'Come to Pigstock!'

Scrubbing up nicely at The Elms

We love a recommendation from someone we trust, especially when it comes to precious time away. And who better than the coolest travel gurus in the world, Mr & Mrs Smith? We know, we know, you might be thinking that they offer the kind of hotels and self-catering pads we stayed in before having children? Well, listen to what editor-in-chief Juliet Kinsman has to stay, and start packing the clothes you wore before having children, along with the nappies and Calpol.

”Think a holiday with the kids means sacrificing stylish surroundings? Think again’, says Juliet Kinsman. ‘From Ofsted-registered crèches, to trampolines and Xboxes, Mr & Mrs Smith has found the cream of the child-friendly crop for its Smith & Kids collection”.

Barn Cottage
Style Red-brick barn, Scandinavian style
Setting North Devon farmland, Cornish coastline

If you’re looking for a cute cottage close to the coast, this lovingly converted two-bedroom barn in North Devon is just the ticket. Sandwiched between nature reserves and slap bang on farmland, Barn Cottage is great for kids of all ages. Only a 10-minute drive from Cornwall’s coast, rockpooling and sandcastle-building also awaits. A high chair, cot, and even a car seat are available, and the sitting room is stocked with board games and books.
Rates £500–£950 a week; long weekends available, except from early July until the end of August.

Higher Westcott Farm
Style Home-grown gastro glamour
Setting Wild and wuthering Dartmoor

Perched atop Dartmoor’s picnic-perfect landcape, Higher Westcott Farm epitomises gastro deluxe. Run by a graphic designer and former Conran restaurant manager, it fuses country-kitchen cooking with contemporary-but-comfortable design. Ideal for those with babes in arms, Higher Westcott Farm can be kitted out with cots, changing mats, Bugaboos – all your baby essentials. Kids in boots will love it too, with quad bikes available for all-terrain motoring across Dartmoor’s Middle Earth woodland. Chef Jo Gossett is happy to prepare packed lunches for a day of fishing or canoeing, and you’d be mad to miss her fabulous cream tea.
Rates £90–£130, including full English breakfast. You can rent the whole house for £460 a night.

Strattons
Style Eco, eccentric, arty and eclectic
Setting The Brecks in Norfolk

Tucked off the high street of the market town of Swaffham in Norfolk, this eclectic, eco bolthole is child-friendly to boot. As well as chairs and cots, children’s toiletries are at hand – the Edie Suite has even been designed with asthma sufferers in mind. Little ones are welcome in the restaurant for breakfast, and Strattons will whip up a fabulous organic packed lunch for a picnic at your request.
Rates £150–£225, including breakfast.

The Elms
Style Chilled-out and child-friendly
Setting Amid the Malverns

Set in the heart of the Worcestershire countryside, the Elms is a chic and child-friendly country pile: a fully stocked games room and Ofsted-registered crèche make this a playground for tots and teens alike. Little ones can learn how to grow vegetables in the kitchen garden while older kids battle it out on the Xbox, leaving you time for a little R&R in the spa. Extra beds and cots are available, and a series of interconnecting rooms are ideal for bigger families. The hotel’s Pear Tree Brasserie has been designed with kids in mind, but if you fancy a night of fine dining at the Elms’ smarter restaurant, the Brooke, staff will be happy to babysit.
Rates  £250–£325, including full English breakfast and tax.

Rose Cottage
Style Graceful gamekeeper’s cottage
Setting Georgical Gutch Common

This graceful gamekeeper’s cottage on the Dorset/Wiltshire border promises a taste of the great outdoors.  Woodland stomps are right on your doorstep, and the Dorset coast is an hour away by car. Directly behind the house is a 14-acre bird reserve, which makes a great 30-minute circular ramble with kids. For more exotic nature-spotting, Longleat safari park is also within reach. Little ones will love retreating to the garden house to play on the Wii, giving you space for a romantic evening should you desire.
Rates From £995 for a three-night weekend to £1,736 for a week in low season and £2,184 for a week in high season (Easter, May bank holidays, June to September, half-term dates and Christmas and new year).

To book any of these hotels or houses, ring 0845 034 0700 or go to Mr & Mrs Smith. Our travel team love a chat, and can match the perfect property to your family, dates and budget, and fill you in on exactly what’s there, from high chairs to interconnecting rooms.

Responsible Hotels of the World launched this week. Their ethos goes a (green) world further than those annoying notices asking guests to keep towels hanging up unless they really, truly want to ravage the planet by having them washed (right, nothing to do with the hotel’s laundry bill, then). These are establishments that hold every element of the environment dear. As they say, ‘It’s having an experience that encapsulates the destination you are in. One which is true to its culture; which embraces and engages local people and food; which is dedicated to preserving the indigenous natural world for future generations’. Which translates, don’t just hide in your compound. Not that these are holidays for the hairshirt brigade. The family selection is all about exotic beaches in Costa Rica, the Caribbean and African coast. Shame there’s nothing closer to home, so watch this space for responsible hotels in Europe, or start digging out those air miles.

A young researcher enjoying her Responsible Holiday