mnolan

In July my extended family and I are going to the Netherlands for a "Roots Tour" of sorts - great grandparents emmigrated from there. So, we have a travel itinerary (Arnhem, Leeuwarden, and Amsterdam), but my children will be 4 and 15mos. when we go and I am wondering what special considerations I will need to make for them that aren't in the travel books or the many posts I've read on websites. I will NOT be looking for a "Happy Meals in Holland" type of vacation, but I know I'll need to make some practical adjustments in terms of clothing, food, activities, diapers, etc. Can anyone give me some advise on things I may need to bring/not bring, do/not do in order to make this trip a meaningful experience - in the good sense of the term!!! Thanks in advance for your help. Marc

ira

Hi marc,

Assuming that you won't have one or two nannies, GO SLOW.

Three nights between towns, no more than 4 hours traveling.

Keep in mind that this is a vacation, not an expedition.

phyllis_stein

Hi m,

I don't know about your toddler, but mine still needs a high chair at meals. I have always packed a folding booster chair with a tray in my luggage while traveling in the US, but for Europe, I need to travel more lightly.

There is an inflatable booster chair available from First Steps or someone similar; since I don't know how well our rentals or restaurants are equipped for tiny diners, I intend to bring this item along. I'm sure it will make our meals much more pleasant.

amcc

here's what my mom brought for my younger brothers on our similar Europe trips: a well-stocked medicine bag, including any prescription medications for any conditions that your kids might have because of previous experience i.e. one of my brothers had periodic asthma as a child. Children's tylenol, cough medicine, band aids. As a mother myself now, kids don't always get sick during the opening hours of a pharmacy, or in a place where you could easily go find these common meds.

My mom brought baby food jars, even though they are available over there. My brother hated the taste of the baby food in Europe, even though the rest of us agreed that it tasted much better. But, it made it easier in car trips, when he would get hungry between stops. Maybe just enough for emergency situations.

I don't think she took diapers as they are bulky, but since diapers are mainly a parent preference, if you can handle a different brand, I imagine your child can too. Just enough to get you past the first couple of days.

There are a million things you can bring, and you are lucky that you will be with an extended family that is probably more than willing to give you a hand and help you out.

An umbrella stroller always came along. Make sure they are used to it enough that they can sleep in it.

Not least, you know your children best. One of my brothers was a great little traveller and came with us often. The youngest was more difficult, more demanding, and he stayed home more often. Travelling with him always required much more flexibility on our part.

phyllis_stein

I've had another thought on this -- you've already mentioned that you've looked at travel books; have you taken a look at the Rough Guide (assuming there is one for the Netherlands)?

This autumn, we'll be in Europe for 8 weeks. The Rough Guide to London had some very good suggestions for children, including farm parks with petting zoos and playgroups that anyone can turn up to and join in on. I hadn't seen this kind of detail in other guidebooks.

And unless you have already done so, take a look at babycenter.com. They have a lot of reasonable information on traveling with toddlers and I think there is a companion site that may have something helpful to add about older children.

If our domestic trips have been any indication of future success, we'll be seeing a lot more of playgrounds, zoos, and parks in general for the next couple of years....

CafeBatavia

Take a nanny!

Ear plugs. Aspirin. Plenty of snacks. Lots and lots of small toys given out slowily.

trvlgrl

I don't know how flexible your kids are, but you may want to consider bringing enough formula (unless still breastfeeding.) One of my friends went from London to the US and couldn't find the same formula she uses here and her little girl hated the new formula flavour.

mnolan

Wouldn't I love to be done breastfeeding!! By the way, what are general attitudes do the Dutch have about breastfeeding older babies, especially in public? My son won't drink cow's, or goat's milk here. Maybe he'll like Dutch milk better and I'll have to find a way to bring milk from Holland, home with me!
What kind of hours do most of the stores have - do most of them close at 5? Also, are public restrooms common? My four year old is potty-trained but still doesn't "plan ahead"; when she's gotta go, she's gotta go!
Thanks for the tip on using babycenter.com. I love that site but haven't checked them out yet in regards to this trip. I will also keep an eye out for an inflatable booster seat. Actually, I'd love one for around here.
I welcome any other suggestions people may have. We are really trying not to pack too much in and plan to take advantage of the more pedestrian nature of some of the towns we will be visiting. I am told there are many parks too, and you can't go wrong with kids if there is a park nearby!

Joop

Short note from Holland:
"What are general attitudes do the Dutch have about breastfeeding older babies, especially in public?" - Quite ok. The Dutch are keen on breastfeeding - although feeding your 4 year old might raise some eyebrows... I fed my children in public and never got a negative reaction.
"What kind of hours do most of the stores have" - monday's sometimes closed, tue-fri 9.00 - 18.00, sat 9.00 - 17.00, usually one evening (thurs or fri), usually sundays closed, except in center of amsterdam/rotterdam (12.00 - 17.00)
"are public restrooms common?" - yes, and you can also ask to use the restrooms of restaurants, but I recommend the restrooms of big shops like the "Bijenkorf" and especially "H&M". H&M you can find anywhere.
"I will also keep an eye out for an inflatable booster seat." - most restaurants have special child's seats available, and child's menu's.
"I welcome any other suggestions people may have." - there's a lot of things for children in the Netherlands. Don't pack too much.
"I am told there are many parks too" - yes, but do ask the locals to which park you should go. A park like the Vondelpark in Amsterdam is extremely crowded and not thát child-friendly.

Wish you lots of fun, Jo

bardo

I am very surprised (shocked?) that no one has mentioned the most important thing to do in Europe w/ small children: RENT AN APARTMENT. The extra playing room, storage room and the availablity of familiar foods as well as room to lounge around for parents makes all the difference in the world. It is very low stress, even if your loved ones throw cereal all over the floor! You'll likely see other local residents with small children - they'll have ideas about favorite activities/places for kids (and they'll speak English, BTW). Have a great time!

mcgeezer

I always like to have earplugs for take-offs and landings on board the plane. It seems that earplugs for babies would certainly cut down on their discomfort.

nina

Prozac, lots and lots of Prozac. For you, not the babies.

nemonemo

Is a stroller necessary for a toddler in Amsterdam?

Surfergirl

A stroller IS necessary for a toddler unless you're good at carrying a tired child around.

My suggestion for mnolan (something we didn't think about 14 years ago!) is figure out how much the 15 month old weighs in kilos -- otherwise you'll end up like us and buy the baby diapers that go up to his neck. And DON'T pick out the diapers just because they're "cute". We made that mistake as well, only to discover that the inside lining was piles of cotton. Which is okay if they do number 1, but cotton balls stuck to a baby after doing number 2 isn't a pretty sight. Or easy to clean off either.

coccinelle

Baby wipes were my big salvation.

Pomegranate

My family, including my parents and 15-month old, visited Amsterdam in March 2004. We had a wonderful time! Our daughter slept most of the day in the stroller as we went sightseeing and visiting museums. One thing that was a bit uncomfortable is that the majority of sidewalks are made of uneven bricks, which made for a rather bumpy and difficult ride with the stroller. It was also difficult getting the stroller on/off the trams. If possible, bring a stroller with larger tires to get over the bumps more comfortably.

spitseats

As an ex-nanny and a new gran I was very aware of conditions in Amsterdam when I visited last year.Children are very welcome everywhere as far as I could see. Pushchairs I would think are very necessary, although the cobbles would make a larger wheeled variety a good choice as someone has suggested. The things which I would not go to Amsterdam without are a pair of restraining reins for each child. the constant presence of deep water and the cyclists who descend en-masse and at speed are, I think a possibly lethal combination. You literally need eyes in the back of your head. And don't for a moment expect them all to take heed of traffic signals! Saying this we had a terrific time and the Dutch people are great. I'm so glad that it's such a short hop from UK.